Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe (Better than Store-bought Sauce)

• Food: Green Enchilada Sauce
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Greetings, fellow enchilada fans! I’m very excited to share this green enchilada sauce with you.

This recipe was inspired by the green chile sauces I’ve had in New Mexico recently.

While authentic New Mexican chili sauces are often made with difficult-to-find New Mexican chili peppers, this tasty sauce is simple to make with common grocery store components. It’s a fantastic alternative.

When making your favorite enchilada recipe, use this green enchilada sauce instead of red enchilada sauce.

I tried a variety of combinations of readily accessible chili peppers, tomatillos, broth, and flour to produce this recipe, but the results were underwhelming.

Finally, owing to a recommendation from Rick Bayless, I discovered a fantastic shortcut that provides the best flavor.

This recipe for green enchilada sauce uses store-bought salsa verde! Despite this, the ultimate result is far superior to store-bought enchilada sauce.

Only three ingredients are needed to make this green enchilada sauce: salsa verde, sour cream, and cilantro. I like how easy it is to make, especially since making enchiladas is always a project. If gluten-free cooking is important to you, this recipe is also gluten-free. Let’s get started.

Ingredients for Green Enchilada Sauce

This vibrant green enchilada sauce is made with only three simple ingredients. They are as follows:

Green salsa

The backbone of this sauce is salsa verde, a green salsa prepared from tomatillos. This sauce doesn’t require any additives because salsa verde already has a lot of flavors.

For the freshest results, create your salsa verde, but since convenience is the name of the game these days, I recommend buying store-bought.

To avoid overpowering the dish, choose a mild or medium sauce. I used Whole Foods 365 brand salsa verde, which is on the spicy side of medium, for these photos.

Cilantro, fresh

Adding a handful of cilantro to your salsa mixture guarantees that it tastes fresh and lively. There’s no need to chop the cilantro before using it because it’s all blended.

Cream of tartar

We’ll add some sour cream (or heavy cream or crème fraîche) to the salsa mixture after it’s been cooked down. The dairy balances out the taste and adds a mild creaminess to the sauce. Sour cream or crème fraîche adds a mild tanginess, but heavy cream also works well.

Sour cream is the only one of the three that requires an extra step. When sour cream comes into contact with a hot combination, it can curdle. To prevent the sour cream from curdling, simply stir some of the warm salsa mixtures into the sour cream. It’s then ready to use.

If you’re on a dairy-free or vegan diet, I think you’ll be able to make this recipe work with my vegan sour cream.

Green Enchilada Sauce’s Uses

This green sauce goes without saying that it’s ideal for enchiladas. It can be used in a variety of ways because it is essentially a warm, silky, creamy salsa verde.

It’s great with tortilla chips or quesadillas as warm salsa. Drizzle it over nachos, burritos, scrambled or fried eggs, and other dishes.

Green enchilada sauce complements sweet potato or butternut squash, red bell pepper, spinach, black beans, or cilantro in particular. This green sauce is ideal for the following enchilada recipes:

• Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
• Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas

GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE

With just three ingredients, you can make this green enchilada sauce in no time! It will elevate your enchiladas to new heights. The recipe makes about 2 1/3 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 24 ounces (3 cups) mild to medium salsa verde, either jarred or homemade
• ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves (some tender stems are ok)
• ¼ cup sour cream, heavy cream, or crème fraîche

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the salsa verde and cilantro in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
2. In a large skillet, bring the mixture to a low simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mixture has been reduced by about one-third.
3. If you’re using sour cream, temper it by mixing it with about equal parts warm salsa, then stirring it into the sauce. (Alternatively, if using heavy cream or crème fraîche, mix it right into the warm sauce.) Allow the enchilada sauce to cool to room temperature before using. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

NOTES

• TO MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE/VEGAN, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS: I haven’t tested it, but I assume my vegan sour cream would be a good substitute for regular sour cream.