This Green Enchilada Sauce recipe is made from roasted green chiles, onions, garlic, and some classic Mexican herbs and spices all in only 20 minutes! It's easy to make and great for making enchiladas, chilaquiles and more.
Roast the peppers: Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place anaheim peppers and jalapeno (if using) on top.
Set your oven rack directly underneath the broiler and turn the broiler on. Broil peppers for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the skin is blackened and blistered.
Remove them from the oven and loosely cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep in some of the heat and help them steam. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
Pull and rub off as much of the loose skin on the peppers as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, just as much as you can.
Discard the stems. Make a vertical slit down the middle of the peppers with a knife and remove the seeds and veins. (You can leave them in if you prefer your sauce extra spicy.)
Blend: Add the roasted peppers, onion, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, oregano and a splash of the vegetable broth to a large blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Heat: Heat the olive oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add the blended green enchilada sauce and lightly fry for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Season: Remove from heat and add the remaining vegetable broth and lime juice. Mix together, taste and season with more salt if necessary.
Serve: Serve immediately or store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
If you don't have Anaheim peppers (which are fairly mild), you could use Poblano Peppers (also fairly mild), Hatch/New Mexico chiles (mild-medium) or Cubanelle peppers (extremely mild).
Don't want it spicy? Omit the jalapeno pepper. You could also remove and discard all the seeds and veins of the chiles since that's where a lot of the heat comes from.
If you're a chili lover and want to add more heat, you can use a serrano pepper instead of a jalapeno.
Love roasted tomatillos? You can roast one or two along with the green chiles to add in some of that bright acidic tomatillo flavor.