If you’ve never cooked with tomatillos, you might be missing out on a nutritious and flavorful food.
At first glance, tomatillos can seem intimidating.
They come wrapped in a papery husk and often sit quietly in the corner of produce sections, if you can find them at all. But for those who know them well, tomatillos are a staple—tangy, tasty, and surprisingly healthy.
In Mexico, tomatillos are everywhere.
“You’ll find them pretty much in every single market you go to,” said Dr. Sonia Vega-López, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University and member of the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee.
If your local grocery store doesn’t carry them, she suggests checking farmers markets.
Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes covered in leaves, and their name even means “little tomatoes” in Spanish. But while they belong to the same nightshade family as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, tomatillos are a different species altogether.
They’ve been grown since Aztec and Mayan times and remain central to Mexican and Central American cooking.
Usually green, though sometimes yellow or purple, tomatillos are technically a fruit but used like a vegetable in the kitchen. They’re especially famous as the star ingredient in salsa verde. Vega-López recalls her grandmother making a simple raw salsa with tomatillos blended with cilantro, onion, and chili peppers.
Nutritionally, tomatillos pack a punch. They’re rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber but low in calories.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, half a cup of chopped tomatillos has only 21 calories, plus 1.25 grams of fiber and nearly 8 milligrams of vitamin C—around 9–10% of the daily recommended amount.
That same serving also provides 177 milligrams of potassium, a mineral important for controlling blood pressure. Tomatillos also contain carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which may support eye health.
Cooking tomatillos in stews and sauces may slightly change their nutrient levels, but Vega-López notes that meals made with fresh vegetables still provide plenty of benefits.
What matters most is how they’re used. In Mexican households, salsa isn’t a snack dip but a flavorful addition to meals. Vega-López recommends using tomatillo-based sauces to enhance fish, chicken, or lean beef.
Of course, if you do want to pair salsa with chips, moderation is key. She suggests portioning the chips into a small bowl instead of eating straight from the bag, to avoid overdoing empty calories.
Tomatillos are also great for home cooking because they encourage creativity and let you avoid the additives found in processed foods. Vega-López fondly remembers her grandmother’s chicken and tomatillo stew with cactus pads, but says even simpler combinations—like tomatillos with cilantro—can brighten up a dish.
With their zesty flavor and nutritional benefits, tomatillos are more than just a hidden gem in the produce aisle. They’re a versatile, heart-healthy food that can add both excitement and nourishment to your meals.
Source: American Heart Association.
