Grilled steaks, chicken, salmon and shrimp (even veggies!) will never be the same without this zesty, spicy chimichurri sauce with a southwest kick. Seriously, I could drink this sauce. Great for summertime hangouts by the grill, this cilantro chimichurri recipe takes only a couple minutes to make.

Chimicurri which comes to us from Argentina is typically made up of parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar and olive oil while those in Uruguay like to add red pepper flakes.

Here, we’re going to get crazy and add a bit more heat and cilantro… hold my beer and let’s get started!

Add the following to a food processor, or alternatively finely chop by hand and add to a serving dish.

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 cup Italian parsley leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder or a handful of chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pulse everything above in the food processor to create a slightly chunky sauce. Drizzle over freshly grilled steaks and meats. Great over oven roasted veggies too!

I particularly LOVE this cilantro chimichurri recipe as I can easily pick the herbs and even the pepper straight from my kitchen garden. Not only is this sauce super flavorful but it’s also a way to pack in extra nutrition fresh from the garden! If you’d like to start your very own garden, here are my two best resources to get you started quickly. Here and here.

Note on parsley and cilantro

I like to remove the bigger stems before adding to the food processor using only the leaves and smaller, more tender stems. Your preference.

Can I use this cilantro chimichurri recipe as a sauce for rice?

Of course! Ever heard of cilantro lime rice? Try cilantro chimichurri rice as a tasty twist on a classic side dish. Oh I’m so hungry!

Alternative to Italian pesto sauce?

You bet. This goes GREAT tossed with pasta or even as a fun pizza sauce.

Serve cilantro chimichurri as a delicious alternative to oil and vinegar with a warm, crusty loaf of bread. Drooling…

Did you make it? I wanna see! Tag @lubba.food.garden on Instagram. Use the hashtag #ILubbaFood If you Love food as much as I do. XO Myra