
In the U.S., Mexican salsa verde is more popular than its Italian counterpart. These two sauces share a name and a beautiful green color, but the similarities stop there.
What is Italian salsa verde?
Mexican salsa verde is a green sauce made with tomatillos and hot green peppers. It can be used to top meats, tortillas, or enchiladas. It can be mild or quite spicy.
Italian salsa verde is made with fresh herbs like parsley and basil, capers, and sometimes anchovies. It isn’t spicy, but delivers plenty of powerful flavor.
We love using this piquant green sauce to add complexity to our favorite meals. Our favorite Italian salsa verde recipe is packed with green herbs and briney capers. These ingredients create a sauce with aromatic herb flavors and enough acidity to enhance the flavors in the rest of your dish. We love spooning this sauce over light proteins like chicken and fish, or stirring it into pasta dishes for an herbaceous kick.
How to make Italian salsa verde
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon capers, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Mix all prepared ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Leftover salsa verde can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Recipes with Blue Apron’s Salsa Verde
Salmon & Salsa Verde with Roasted Broccoli & Orzo
In this recipe, an Italian-style salsa verde brings bright flavor to warm orzo pasta tossed with roasted broccoli. It’s a perfect bed for rich seared salmon.

Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Pistachio Breadcrumbs
This sophisticated dish highlights exciting contrast of texture thanks to the irresistibly crispy pistachio breadcrumbs that we’re sprinkling atop soft gnocchi.

Fettuccine & with Zucchini, Almonds & Pecorino Cheese
Our herbaceous parsley and caper-based sauce is the star of this dish—bringing bright, zesty flavor to pan-seared vegetables tossed with tender strands of fettuccine pasta.

Seared Chicken & Creamy Lime Sauce with Potato Salad
We’re making our potato salad extra special by tossing tender potatoes with crisp green beans, fresh tomatoes & tangy green sauce.

Tilapia with Spinach, Tomatoes & Orzo Pasta
This simple, flavorful dish pairs seared tilapia with orzo pasta tossed with sautéed tomatoes and spinach.

Pasta with Mushrooms & Grana Padano Cheese
This quick-cooking dish brings together earthy mushrooms, creamy mascarpone, and delicate strands of spaghettini in our own vibrant salsa verde—a blend of parsley, basil, capers, garlic, and more.

Find more recipes like these in the Blue Apron Cookbook.