This is the simplest salsa recipe ever! All it takes is 4 ingredients and NO chopping.
I did a little experiment where I made two batches. One was the “classic” way where I just boiled the ingredients and blended them, and in the second one I roasted all the ingredients first. I was blown away by the flavor differences. Both are good but they have different strengths.
The classic tomatillo salsa is tart and bright, great for adding to heavy foods like meats to add a lighter dimension to those flavors. The roasted tomatillo salsa is really complex, it’s tart, sweet, spicy and has a delicious roasty quality to it. It is definitely a star player and deserves the spotlight. Serve this one with ingredients that will let it shine like simple veggie sticks.
Which one do you want to try?

Basic Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 5 tomatillos husks removed
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 0.5 tsp salt
Instructions
Recipe Steps
- Place the tomatillos (husks removed), jalapeño, garlic clove, and pinch of salt in a sauce pan. Add water to cover the ingredients.5 tomatillos, 1 jalapeño, 1 garlic clove, 0.5 tsp salt
- Place pan over medium heat, cover with lid.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat slightly to keep water simmering
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until all ingredients are soft
- Add ingredients to blender, without water.
- Blend on high. Add 1-2 tbsp of water at a time if mixture is too thick.
- Serve on tacos or with vegetable sticks
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 5 tomatillos husks removed
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 0.5 tsp salt
Instructions
Recipe Steps
- Turn broiler on (or heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Once preheated, place all ingredients except salt, under broiler5 tomatillos, 1 jalapeño, 1 garlic clove
- Broil until skin is blistered, approximately 5 minutes
- Remove from broiler. Place ingredients into blender.
- Blend on high until smooth. Add salt to taste.0.5 tsp salt
- Serve with tacos or raw vegetable strips.