Roasted tomatillo salsa is one of my new favorites! This was the first year I had a surplus of them in my garden. I learned the hard way last year when I planted only one plant. I discovered you need at least two plants to develop fruit so this year I have four plants and loads of these beautiful green fruits. The tomatillos are roasted along with onion, garlic and jalapeno for the makings of this delicious salsa.
This salsa is best served chilled so make sure to make it a few hours ahead of when you plan to serve it or the night before. I used one red and one green jalapeno to add a little red color to the salsa however feel free to add any chilies that you have on hand. I actually prefer to add 3 or 4 jalapenos to my salsa as I love spicy food!! If you end up with mellow jalapenos you can always add another at the end when you are pureeing the salsa. It is better to balance the heat at the end so you do not end up with a salsa that makes everyone cry, unless that is your goal!
Tomatillos also known as husk tomatoes or Chinese lanterns due to their outside husk are a fruit that looks like an unripe green tomato. However, these fruits are not tomatoes. Tomatillos can be eaten raw and have a slight acidity to them and are less sweet than tomatoes. I prefer them cooked. To cook them you first remove the outer husk. Then you can either: boil, broil, roast or sauté them. In this recipe I choose to roast them. This helps to soften them and bring out a slightly charred flavor.
These green beauties are what you are left with once the outer husk is removed. They will have a slight stickiness to them that helps protect them from pests.
Tomatillos are a great source of Niacin and Vitamin C. They are a little lower in potassium content from fresh tomatoes, which can be helpful for those having to watch their potassium content. A ½ cup serving of fresh tomatillos has 177 mg of potassium and a ½ cup serving of fresh tomatoes has about 213 mg of potassium.
Salsas are pretty simple to make and making your own has many added health benefits. First of all restaurant and store bought salsas can be loaded with salt. A typical restaurant ¼ cup serving of salsa can contain around 450 to 600 mg of sodium!! This recipe only has 118 mg per ¼ cup serving. Finishing off the salsa with fresh lime juice helps to bring out flavor without the added sodium.
You can roast the tomatillos whole for this recipe. Some will break open during roasting and start to let out their juices. I then pick up the parchment paper after roasting and add everything to the food processor to puree into a salsa.
After roasting make sure to remove the stems of the jalapenos. Once this mixture is pureed you add in the lime juice, salt and pepper and fresh cilantro, simple, easy and delicious. This recipe makes about 10 ¼ cup servings of salsa. You can serve this with chips or top off your grains or meats, such as grilled chicken with this yummy salsa.
So next time you see tomatillos at your local grocery store or farmers market don’t pass them by! Try them out with this easy salsa recipe and you will be hooked like I am!
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Author: Brittany Sparks
Makes: 10 (1/4 Cup) Servings
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 30 min
Ingredients
1 Pound Tomatillos, husks removed
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Jalapenos
1 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
6 Cloves Garlic
2 Tbsp Lime Juice (~2 Limes)
¼ Cup Cilantro
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic cloves and jalapenos onto the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool remove the stems from the jalapenos and place everything in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Add in the lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Best served chilled.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size (1/4 Cup Salsa):
Calories 37, Total Fat 1.8 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.1 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g, Sodium 118 mg, Total Carbohydrate 5.3 g, Dietary Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 0.7 g, Potassium 168 mg, Phosphorous 26 mg.