Easy Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce – Home Canned Salsa Verde

Make and preserve homemade tomatillo enchilada sauce. This easy salsa verde recipe is perfect for canning and enjoying all winter long.

Note this tomatillo or green tomato enchilada sauce is a canning recipe however you can create this sauce in small batches or refrigerate for later use.

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There is something deeply satisfying about preserving the flavors of the season—especially when it becomes the base for simple, nourishing meals.

This home canned tomatillo enchilada sauce recipe is bright, tangy, and full of fresh flavor. Made with simple ingredients, this green enchilada sauce doubles as a rich salsa verde and is perfect for enjoying now or canning enchilada sauce for later.

Why You’ll Love This Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce Recipe

• Made with simple, whole ingredients
• Perfect for canning enchilada sauce or freezing
• Bright, fresh flavor that elevates meals
• A pantry staple for quick, from-scratch dinners
• Works as both salsa verde and enchilada sauce

What Is Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce?

Tomatillo enchilada sauce is a green sauce made from tomatillos, peppers, garlic, and simple spices. It has a slightly tangy, citrus-like flavor and is commonly used in enchiladas verdes and other traditional dishes.

This style of green enchilada sauce is typically blended smooth and simmered, making it perfect for cooking and preserving.

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Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce vs Salsa Verde

While often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences:

• Tomatillo enchilada sauce is smoother and cooked for a deeper flavor.
• Salsa verde is often chunkier and served fresh

This recipe leans toward a more smooth, pourable green enchilada sauce recipe that works beautifully for cooking and canning and can be used as a salsa verde when served cold.

What Recipes Include Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce?

An excuse for Mexican cuisine is always a good one, especially when everything you need is already in the pantry. This year, as I planned what to preserve, tomatillo enchilada sauce became a must. With most of the supporting ingredients on hand, the only thing we were still buying was enchilada sauce—I was determined to change that.

• Enchiladas and Mexican Casseroles
• White Chicken Chili
• Red Chili
• Easy and Flavorful Pulled Pork Chili Verde
• Tacos
• Slow Cooker Meals
• Breakfast Burritos or Salsa Verde Scrambled Eggs

Why Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce?

There’s purpose to keeping a pantry and it isn’t for aesthetics.

• You know exactly what’s in your food.
• You avoid unnecessary additives.
• It supports simple, nourishing meals.
• It allows you to preserve seasonal abundance.
• Gives you food security.

Canning A Year’s Supply Of Tomatillos

Note: If you grow your own tomatoes you can sub them for the tomatillos. Waste Not Want Not

Sourcing tomatillos was slightly difficult, as my local grocery only carries a small basket and I do not grow them. However, an hour away the farmers co-op had plenty for me to create a year’s supply.

If you’ve ever preserved tomatoes you would think I would need a bushel of tomatillos to accomplish a year’s worth of tomatillo enchilada sauce. But no, to my surprise only seven pounds were needed.

A year’s worth of canned salsa verde may varry family to family so take that into account but know tomatillos yield quite well. I was able to can twenty 8oz jars with those seven pounds. That is twenty meals! It may be a combination of enchiladas and white chicken chili but its twenty meals or three weeks of dinners I do not need to buy ingredients for. That warms my soul.

There are all kinds of fancy gadgets made for the kitchen but I like to keep it simple using what every kitchen should have on hand.

How To Make Homemade Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce

What could be easier than Mexican food? Making the sauce. Chop, blend, heat, and eat—it’s that simple.

This Ball Book recipe is one I made five times to use up all my tomatillos (last year I only used green tomatoes) and after the second batch I had it memorized. I adapted the tomatillo salsa recipe for enchilada sauce by using my immersion blender and rearranging a few steps to make it even easier.

This is one of the simplest canning recipes I make year after year, and this tomatillo enchilada sauce has become a staple in my pantry for quick, from-scratch meals.

Core your tomatillos (you can also use green tomatoes), chop the onions and peppers. One serrano and two anaheim peppers per batch yield a nice heat that balances well with the sweetness of the tomatillos. Place all the ingredients into your blender. Let it do the work for you!

Once blended, pour your salsa verde into a large pot and bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. This step brings your tomatillo enchilada sauce up to temperature for the canner and also allows the flavors to meld.

Purée your salsa with the immersion blender until smooth and ladle into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place your jars in the canner and waterbacth process for 15 minutes.

A jar on the shelf means dinner is already halfway done.
A simple homemade enchilada sauce becomes the base for gathering, nourishing, and creating a home.

FAQ: Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce

Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce Dinner Recipe Tips

• Making skillet tacos? Pour this tomatillo enchilada sauce over your meat as it sears in the pan or on the griddle. Seasoning your chicken or shredded beef to taco perfection!
• Add a jar to a batch of red chili when you’re out of peppers in the fridge. One less grocery store run.
• Mix with Homemade Yogurt for a tangy taco sauce.

Thinking of using this sauce as a base for White Chicken Chili? Check out Homemade Bone Broth to create a beautiful nutritious stock for your soup.