What?
Oh…hello.
Sorry. I was busy stuffing my face with this salsa.
This tangy, bright, spicy, perfect Salsa Verde.
Which is made up of deliciously grilled vegetables that are pulsed together in a food processor. SO EASY! And sooooooooooooo good.
Hello there fresh vegetables. You are about to be charred and blended into the most heavenly bowl of food in my refrigerator. Or America. Or the world.
Okay but seriously. This salsa is delicious. You know that green salsa they have at Chipotle? AKA my obsession. That was the inspiration for this. You can see little charred pieces of…charredness…in their salsa, so I don’t know if they roasted the veggies or grilled them but we obviously (if you have been reading this blog and know how obsessed I am with our grill) grilled them.
I know. I know. Those cross hatched grill marks. Just call me the grill master. Even though Seth mostly did this…shhhhh…
This really is such a ridiculously easy recipe. Especially if your husband is a griller, because then all you have to do is throw the vegetables that he grilled into a food processor with a few other things, turn it on, and you end with a perfect salsa verde!
And theeeennn….
Saaaaalsa!
Okay so lets talk about the jalapenos for a minute.
You really, really, really should remove the ribs and seeds after you grill them. We removed the ribs and seeds and threw the entire jalapeno in our salsa, and it was spiiiii-ccaaayyyyy. It mellows out once you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours, but I can’t imagine how spicy it would be with the ribs and seeds too. You can always set them aside and blend them in at the end if you taste it and it’s still not spicy enough for you – which, if so….you be cray cray.
So the spice levels are as follows:
No jalapeno = mild
1/4 to 1/2 jalapeno = medium
1 jalapeno (ribs and seeds removed) = spicy
1 jalapeno with ribs and seeds kept in = respect.
This salsa is the perfect balance of flavors. It has delicious depth from grilling the vegetables, tang from the lime, brightness from the cilantro, a bite from the red onion, a little extra flavor from the garlic clove, and a perfect undertone of tomatillos that is behind everything.
Yum. Just…yum.
And the best part? This delicious salsa goes perfectly slathered on top of some delicious Huevos Rancheros, which I will be posting in a few days ;).
Woop woop! Yay Mexican food!
Random side note….Boone is absolutely, insanely, ridiculously afraid of the vet. He is totally fine until we are actually in the room and the vet techs try to do something to him (give him a shot, look at his eyes, etc…) and then all puppy hell breaks loose. It is actually pretty stressful and in the weeks leading up to a vet appointment I am just dreaaaaaading dreading dreading. Apparently this is really, really common with German Shepherds.
So anyway, since we just moved here we needed to get a new vet and a new heartworm prescription. So yesterday we went into the vet and the usual happened. Freaking out to the millionth degree.
So the lady (super SUPER nice, by the way), told us that we needed to reschedule for another day and she gave us these sedatives called “Aces” (I think?) that we are supposed to give him 2 hours before his appointment. So I gave it to him an hour ago….and this dude is OUT.
I hateeee itttttt…..he is totally not himself and I am worried that he is feeling uncomfortable or queasy or sad or…or…or…I DON’T KNOW BUT I JUST DON’T LIKE IT.
Ugh. Poor Boonie. He is acting super drunk.
Anyway…our appointment is in an hour…I’ll let you know how it goes.
In the mean time…salsa!!
PrintGrilled Salsa Verde

- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 2 cups salsa 1x
Ingredients
- 8 tomatillos, husks removed and fruit washed well so the skin is no longer sticky
- 2/3 cups fresh cilantro
- 1 red onion, cut into thick slices (about 1 inch)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed (if you want mild salsa, omit the jalapeno)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
Instructions
- Heat your grill
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the tomatillos, jalapeno, and red onion slices along with a sprinkle of salt
- Grill the vegetables until they are charred and softened
- Add the tomatillos and red onion to a food processor
- Slice the jalapeno in half and remove all ribs and seeds. Add the jalapeno according to these heat levels:
- Spicy – entire jalapeno. Medium – 1/4 to 1/2 jalapeno. If you want mild salsa leave out the jalapeno entirely.
- To the tomatillos, red onion, and jalapeno, add the lime juice, cilantro, and the minced garlic
- Blend until everything is pureed to the consistency you desire
- Taste and add salt
- Let this sit in the fridge for at least a few hours so it completely cools down and the flavors can meld together (it will get a bit less spicy as it sits in the fridge, too)
*This recipe is gluten free and vegan*
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
This looks really yummy. I’m new to Tomatillos, would definitely like to give it a try..
You should definitely try it out, Ratna!
Loving grilling season!! Salsa Verde making me drool, Annie!! yumm!!
Savita @ ChefDeHome recently posted…By ChefDeHome- Mediterranean Chickpeas Salad with Herb-Citrus Vinaigrette
Thanks, Savita!!
What an innovative idea! This salsa looks so damn delicious, Annie! So loved the addition of grilled veggies!
Thanks, Anu!!
This salsa looks so fresh and delicious! I’ve never actually purchased a tomatillo because for some reason they scare me! Lol. I definitely want to try this though – I love that you grilled everything! Poor Boone! I’m lucky that none of my dogs or my cat has ever been afraid of the vet because I’ve heard some horror stories. I hope his appointment went well and that the sedative wore off ok! I had to give my cat a sedative when we moved last year and it had the opposite affect on her – she was wide eyed the entire 2 1/2 hour drive and was hissing and crying… I couldn’t wait for it to wear off!
Keri @ Fashionable Foods recently posted…Zucchini Rolls
Thanks, Keri! I hadn’t either before this – but they are yummy!! Oh no!! Poor cat! That is so funny that it had the opposite affect. I wonder why?
this is the thirds salsa recipe I see today ! Have I missed something? Was it Salsa Day ??
I am going to wait until you post Huevos Rancheros!! Hurry up :)
Emanuele @ guyslovecooking recently posted…Prawn Farro Salad
Oh my gosh! Well if it was salsa day I didn’t know it :). If there isn’t a salsa day they should make one…!
Hope your visit to the vet went okay. Love that you grilled the veggies for this salsa verde! Sounds so delicious!
I went soooo not well…I’ll tell you about it in my next post! Thanks, Kelly :).
Yummy! I love salsa and this salsa verde looks beyond yummy. Great idea to grill them to bring out the flavors. I also really like you guide to making mild, medium or hot salsa!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop recently posted…Homemade Smoker and Grill
Thanks, Kathy!!
Yum. Just yum. Is preeeetty on point here! I’d like for my face to swan dive into a VERY large vat of this salsa. Performance on repeat♡ Im going to aim for in between spicy and respect on your handy dandy jalapeno meter. Because this chick likes it spiiiiiiiiicccy! If I’m not crying, I need more seeds and ribs.. im pretty sure my intenstines are going to B-slap me one of these days. Oh well. Salsa! I hope all goes well with Boone at the vet!!! My husky, Dolce, is the same way at the vet, so I completely understand. Fingers crossed for you both! Xo!
★★★★★
Multiple swan dives into the salsa was preeeetty much my evening when we made this! Girl! DO it! I’m impressed. Your intestines probably will B-slap you…you are right about that. It did not go well AT ALL…the sedatives did nothing. We ended up having to hold him down…it was horrible. Really?? Ugh! What do you guys do about it??
Totally aweful, and J feel terrible for my dolce (pretty sure some places call her duche), but sometimes they give her a little puppy gas mask. But she has been banned from a couple places.. so when she needs a shot or something imperative, if it’s the only way they can give it to her, I have no choice. I’m always there with her though. *if you are familiar with huskies they like to “hold hands”.. meaning they lightly will grab your hand with their mouth. This scares the crap out of some people. She will kill u with kisses before she ever hurts anyone though.*
Sucks the sedative didn’t work. I know it’s hard to watch them look “drunk” totally heart breaking and weird. I’m sending lots of love and hugs to you and boonie-bear! ♡
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Blue Island Splash
Oh my gosh, Seth and I are laughing so hard at “duche” comment! Puppy gas mask…so sad!! But so necessary! I would be surprised if they could get the gas mask on Boone…you should have seen him when Seth tried to put the muzzle on him. So heartbreaking. I definitely get the “holding hands” thing – Boone is the exact same, but he has never bitten us or anyone else. Even though he sounds like he is about to when we are at the vet. They upped his sedative even more…and he has several vaccinations in September…dreading!!! Dogs are so sad sometimes but they are totally, completely worth it. We have 100% irrational dog love……confession.
Annie – Isn’t the summer the best time for salsa? I love all of the tomatillos used in this salsa. We buy a brand in CT called Mrs. Renfro’s and it’s so tasty. Yours look even better than the one we buy. I need it in my life.
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg recently posted…Chunky Homemade Salsa
Yesss it is!! Thanks, Erin :).
This looks so good! Love those grill marks on the veggies!
Thanks, Sam!
Despite being so obsessed with Mexican food, and salsa in general, I really don’t like salsa verde because of the tomatillos. I want to like it, because it looks amazing.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Bangkok by Dannii
Nooo!!! But it is so yummy :). Maybe you will randomly start loving it one day – that’s happened to me with a few different foods.
Salsa is definitely a weakness of mine. I eat way to much of it at Mexican restaurants and make my own a lot, too! I’ve never tried this version, though…looks delicious! I love how full of flavor it is!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Roasted Garlic Green Bean Salad
Oh yeah, that happens to me at Mexican restaurants too. I am always full by the time my meal comes! Thanks, Gayle :).
This looks so delicious! And I love how creative you are getting with the grill!
Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks recently posted…July 4th Weekend in NYC!
Thanks, Dani :)! I’m glad everyone isn’t getting sick of my grill yet!