This is one of the most versatile recipes I have in my arsenal. I cook it all year long and use it to bring a distinct taste to a wide variety of meals – everything from breakfast to dinner dishes – chilaquiles to tacos to enchiladas. Heck, I even finish off burgers with some chile verde and pico de gallo when the mood strikes! It’s vegan friendly as standard but is more than capable of supporting your favorite protein. All in all you can pretty much use this for anything you like.
Essentially, its a big old pot of green vegetables cooked with spices and simmered slowly for as long as you like. I speed things along with a blitz from an immersion blender half way through cooking, but you don’t need to by any means. If you like a chunkier sauce, you can leave this slowly cooking away for as long as you like.
Most of the vegetables are easily obtainable from most grocery stores these days. The most exotic ingredient is the New Mexican Green Chile powder I use from The Spice House (affiliate link, we get a referral fee on purchases) but you could get away without it, or simply use regular chile powder.
A versatile sauce that works with a range of dish from vegetarian through chicken and pork. Its great for all seasons and works just as well with eggs for breakfast or enchiladas for dinner.
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 Anaheim peppers
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp green chile powder
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 8 tomatillos
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
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Chop the onion, garlic and peppers and add to large pot with canola oil. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until all ingredients softened.
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Add spices to the pot, stir to coat and cook for another 5 minutes.
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Chop tomatillos into 1/2 inch pieces and add to pot, stir to coat and cook for 1 minute.
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Add the vegetable stock, salt and cilantro and stir all ingredients well.
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Turn heat to low, cover and leave simmering for 40 minutes.
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Remove cinnamon stick. With an immersion blender, blend all ingredients to a smooth paste. You can add the cinnamon stick back to the pot if you like a slightly sweeter taste. I generally don’t bother.
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Continue simmering over low heat with lid on for another thirty minutes and add the apple cider vinegar. Cook for ten more minutes and serve.
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!