Avocado Salsa Verde Recipe

Our version of a roasted tomatillo salsa verde is creamy, spicy, and irresistible. The heat of the green cayenne peppers is softened by the addition of avocado, and the smokiness of the roasted tomatillos pairs beautifully with bright lime juice. Delicious at any time of the year, Avocado Salsa Verde is great for an appetizer, on top of loaded nachos, or wrapped up in a burrito.

Tools:
Cutting board and knife
Roasting or baking sheet
Olive oil baking spray
Food processor
Rubber spatula
Serving bowls for salsa and chips

Ingredients:
1 ½ lb fresh tomatillos
3 green cayenne peppers
1 small yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
¼+ cup fresh cilantro, packed
1 lime, juiced, divided
1 ripe avocado
½+ salt, to taste
½+ fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Tortilla chips for dipping

Move top rack to top ⅓ of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
Husk, clean, and halve fresh tomatillos.
Trim off the stems, and halve green cayenne peppers lengthwise, leaving seeds in place. If milder salsa desired, remove seeds or eliminate peppers altogether.
Peel onion and chunk onion into eighths.
Peel garlic.
Spray roasting sheet with olive oil baking spray and place all above ingredients in a single layer, tomatillos, and peppers cut-side down. Sprinkle with salt, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and ¼ of the lime juice.

Bake on top rack for 7-10 minutes, or until tops are browned and everything is slightly softened.

Carefully transfer everything from the roasting pan (including juices) to a food processor. Add the cilantro, pepper, and remaining olive oil, salt, and lime juice. Pulse to combine.