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This fabulous green enchilada sauce recipe is so much fresher and more flavorful than anything you can buy, but equally flexible. Works with a wide variety of fillings.
Why we love this recipe
Truth be told, I’ll happily eat almost any enchilada, including those made with sauce from a can. But this recipe is so easy to make, and so much more delicious, that it’s really worth the effort. It’s:
- Bursting with beautifully balanced flavors
- Made from easy-to-find ingredients
- Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and more, in case you’re into that sort of thing
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly
It works with any enchilada filling that you’d like to pair with green sauce, including our favorite chicken and black bean enchiladas.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Poblano peppers have a great combination of flavor and very mild heat. They’re generally easy to find in U.S. supermarkets, but if you can’t find them or would rather, you can use Anaheim or Hatch chiles.
- Jalapeño peppers sold in the U.S. vary wildly in size and heat level. I did my best to develop this recipe to use one pepper that’s average in both size and spiciness. I remove the seeds and white inner ribs to cut down on heat. Depending on your preferences and pepper availability, you can use more or less.
- White onion is sweeter and larger than most other varieties and works really well here.
- Use a good, lower-sodium chicken broth or, to keep things vegetarian, vegetable broth. Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a dreamy batch of green enchilada sauce. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll sauté the peppers, onion, and garlic until softened and browned in spots.
- Add the cumin and black pepper and cook, stirring, for another minute.
- Transfer to a blender and add the broth, cilantro, and lime juice.
- Blend until perfectly smooth. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
It makes about four cups of sauce, which is perfect for one pan of most enchiladas. I spread one cup evenly across the bottom of the pan, use one cup in the filling, and drizzle two cups on top before baking.
Yes! It will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year. You can even make a double batch, use half now, and freeze half for later.
More favorite Mexican-inspired sauces
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Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 4 poblano peppers, seeds and white ribs removed, diced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and white ribs removed, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (240 ml) lower-salt vegetable or chicken broth
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice (from one juicy lime)
Instructions
- Warm olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add poblanos, onion, jalapeño, garlic, and salt.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned in spots, about eight minutes.
- Stir in cumin and pepper and cook one minute more, stirring constantly.
- Transfer to a blender.
- Add broth, cilantro, and lime juice.
- Process until perfectly smooth.
Notes
- Poblano peppers have a great combination of flavor and very mild heat. They're generally easy to find in U.S. supermarkets, but if you can't find them or would rather, you can use Anaheim or Hatch chiles.
- Jalapeño peppers sold in the U.S. vary wildly in size and heat level. I did my best to develop this recipe to use one pepper that's average in both size and spiciness. I remove the seeds and white inner ribs to cut down on heat. Depending on your preferences and pepper availability, you can use more or less.
- Use a good, lower-sodium chicken broth or, to keep things vegetarian, vegetable broth. Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do.
- Makes about four cups of sauce, which is perfect for one pan of most enchiladas. I spread one cup evenly across the bottom of the pan, use one cup in the filling, and drizzle two cups on top before baking.
- Sauce is very make-ahead and freezer-friendly. Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year. You can even make a double batch, use half now, and freeze half for later.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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