This leftover enchilada sauce recipe is rich and creamy, far superior to store-bought versions. The red enchilada sauce’s fresh and wonderful flavors make everything better! It’s rich, robust, smoky and quick, and easy to make. It freezes beautifully, and you can adjust the heat and consistency. You won’t leave a chance to taste this red enchilada sauce recipe or return to the store-bought type once you try it! Everything from chicken enchiladas to beef enchiladas, soups, skillets, and even pasta portions tastes better! This red enchilada sauce is a must-have in your pantry!
Enchilada Sauce: What is it?
Salsa Roja, a red sauce frequently used in enchiladas, is a staple of Mexican cooking. Tomato sauce thickens a sauce made of tomato, onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Mexican cuisine frequently makes enchiladas using this crimson enchilada sauce. Tacos, quesadillas, and burritos may be served with this homemade enchilada sauce.
What are the Ingredients in Homemade Enchilada Sauce?
Tomato puree, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, vegetable/chicken stock, and flour make up the enchilada sauce.
1. There are layers of flavor in this homemade enchilada sauce.
- It is quicker, easier, and less time-consuming to prepare.
- You may use this enchilada sauce in a variety of ways.
Recipes for Leftover Enchilada Sauce
Enchiladas with cheese and onions
Cheese & Onion Enchiladas are a quick and easy 30-minute meal that illustrates excellent food doesn’t have to be difficult. This traditional Mexican staple is simple enough to prepare on a weeknight.
Mac & Cheese with Beef Enchiladas
This enchilada pasta recipe is just as easy to make as the ones I recall from my youth, but it has more taste because it uses fresher ingredients. Consider this a more sophisticated version of your childhood’s regular macaroni and hamburger lunches.
Real cream, cheese, and flavor go into this enchilada mac and cheese!
Caramelized Onion with Butternut Squash Casserole de Enchiladas
I considered calling it enchilada-lasagna or enchi-sanga, but ultimately decided on a simple moniker. Instead of rolling each tortilla individually, I stacked them in the dish and put the stuffing all over it.
Beef Enchilada Rollups
Enchilada Beef Roll-Ups are a tasty supper option. This delicious dinner is packed with steak, enchilada sauce, and the; your our family will enjoy it!
Soup with chicken enchiladas
This thick and substantial chicken enchilada soup incorporates all of the flavors of chicken enchiladas into a delectable and soothing soup.
The soup is rather rich and filling. We topped it with Monterey Jack and cilantro the first time we prepared it and served it with a salad, flour tort, and wes. We topped it with crema and cilantro the second time we made it. It would also be delicious with cotija cheese, cilantro, and fresh corn tortilla strips.
Enchilada Guacamole Baked Mexican Egg Rolls
These egg rolls are ideal since they are more substantial than finger meals while being portable and ideal for dining in front of the television.
And don’t forget about the guacamole!! The idea for the Enchilada Guacamole came first, followed by the eggrolls. However, I frequently believe that the dipper is more significant, and this one does not disappoint! It’s simple to make, but it’s full of flavor.
What are the Instructions that Must be Followed to Make the Best Red Enchiladas?
1. Spice level: The spice level measures how hot something is. The enchilada sauce level can be modified to suit your tastes.
You can also add pepper powder if you want it to be spicier.
2. Roux: When adding the flour, whisk it in rapidly to avoid lumps, and mix it for 1 minute to remove any raw flavors.
3. Seasoning: Keep the flame low once the seasonings have been added. Spices tend to brown quickly.
4. Vegetable stock/Chicken stock used vegetable stock cubes because the chicken stock has more flavor than the vegetable stores.
5. Tomato Puree: Because tomato puree tends to spill, cover the pot immediately after adding it with the lid and continue cooking.
What is the Different Between Red and Green Enchiladas Sauce?
The type of chili used to make the sauce is the main distinction between red and green enchilada sauces, other than color. Red enchilada sauce combines dried red chilies, such as New Mexico, Ancho, or Cascabel chiles. On the other side, green enchilada sauce is made using Anaheim, Hatch, Jalapeno, and/or Serrano peppers.
Green enchilada sauce is herby, acidic, and bright, whereas red enchilada sauce is warm, powerful, and earthy (thanks to adding tomatillos and cilantro). Because it is created using red chiles, red enchilada sauce is inherently sweeter than green enchilada sauce. Velour indicates that the peppers are machine, in contrast to green chiles and tomatillos, which are not yet ripe.
Which enchilada sauce is the spicier? Everything boils down to the chili; single serrano peppers in the green enchilada sauce will blow any red enchilada sauce created with ancho chilies out of the water (a poblano chile when green). The same role reversal can be achieved by swapping chiles when making red enchilada sauce spicier.
How Spicy is Enchiladas Sauce?
If you leave off the cayenne pepper, this Enchilada Sauce recipe is tasty but not any, and it has a medium kick from the cayenne pepper.
Chili powder is not pure chile pow is; it is blended with additional flavors rather than being produced entirely of ground-up chili peppers. Because different brands have different heat levels, I recommend tasting the enchilada sauce before determining whether or not to add the cayenne pepper. If you want it hotter, add more chili powder or cayenne pepper to taste.
How to Make Enchilada Sauce at Home?
Ingredients:
This recipe for homemade red enchilada sauce has only a few ingredients. You’ll need the following items:
Chili powder: This is where most of the taste comes from, so choose a brand like McCormick. INTERNATIONAL WARNING: American Chili Powder is a mix of chiles, cumin, garlic powder, and herbs with a one-to-seven ratio of cayenne to other spices. Chili powders offered in other regions of the world, on the other hand, are made entirely of chile pepper and are eight times hotter.
Seasonings: The enchilada sauce is seasoned with ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ground coriander, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, and cayenne pepper chili powder. They all work together to generate a satisfyingly deep level of complexity.
Tomato paste is used to give the dish its signature tomato flavor. Tomato paste isn’t used in all original recipes, but it’s a flavor must, in my opinion.
Oil: Use a neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, that will not impart taste to the sauce. Grapeseed oil, corn oil, peanut oil, canola oil, and safflower oil are all neutral oils.
Use unsalted butter to keep the salt under control, or replace it with the same amount of oil.
Flour thickens the sauce by making a roux with the oil/butter. You can use regular all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.
The sauce’s foundation is made up of chicken broth. So that we can manage the salt, we’ll use a low-sodium broth.
Cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon are a simple substitution for Mexican chocolate, which I’m sure most of you don’t have on hand. It gives a richness of taste that you will adore.
Apple cider vinegar brings the sauce’s tastes to life. You can use distilled white vinegar instead.
Directions:
You’re only a few minutes away from making fantastic homemade enchilada sauce. How to make:
Combine the seasonings in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and all of the seasonings (through oregano); leave aside.
To make the roux, follow these steps: Melt the butter with the vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet. Whisk for two minutes after adding the flour and seasonings. This will help cook the flour, remove the raw flour smell/taste and “bloom,” or release more flavor from the seasonings.
Combine the broth and tomato paste in a mixing bowl. Cook for one minute after whisking the tomato paste into the flour mixture until completely mixed. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the chicken broth slowly. Continue whisking until most of the lumps have been dissolved (a few are okay and will whisk out when simmered). Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
Simmer sauce: Bring the sauce to a low simmer, frequently whisking, over medium-high heat, then lower to a low simmer. Cook, often whisking, until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency (completely adjustable), around 5-7 minutes. Keep in mind that when the sauce cools, it will thicken slightly.
Season to taste. Remove the pan from the heat. Adjust seasonings with extra salt once the dish has cooled enough to taste.
What are the Variations in Enchiladas Sauce?
Make it a little spicieAddadd minced chipotle chilies, cayenne pepper, chipotle chile powder, or spices to heat the sauce.
Sweet and spicy is a good combination. You know how much I love this flavor combination! Cayenne pepper or chipotle chile powder can be used to balance out the sweetness.
The acidity should be lowered. Adding additional sugar to taste can reduce the tanginess of the tomato paste.
Make it a little thicker. To thicken the enchilada sauce, cook it longer.
Make it a little thinner. If you prefer a thinner sauce, simply shorten the simmering time. If you’ve gone beyond that, add a small amount of water or chicken broth at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
What are Some Different Things you can Make with Enchiladas?
This sauce was made for enchiladas, of course! You may use it in my Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas or the chicken enchiladas I’ll post later this week. Most Mexican meats, like Beef Barbacoa, Carnitas, Mexican Ground Beef, Crockpot Mexican Chicken, and Salsa Verde Chicken, can be used to make enchiladas. Simply combine the protein, 12 cups enchilada sauce, 12 cups sour cream, 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, and 1 cup cheddar cheese, assemble, and top with the remaining enchilada sauce before baking.
Burritos: For quick flavor and moisture, mix enchilada sauce right into the filling of any burrito. You may also use it to make “wet” burritos or smothered burritos by pouring it over burritos.
Soups: Posole or my Cheesy Taco Soup, Fajita Chicken Soup, and Caldo de Pollo all benefit from adding homemade enchilada sauce. When substituting enchilada sauce, several seasonings in the recipe should be reduced.
Pasta. Like my Taco Spaghetti and Cheesy Taco Pasta Casserole, treat red enchilada sauce like spaghetti sauce and toss it with your preferred pasta, ground meat, cheese, and other ingredients.
Skillets. Enchilada sauce, cheese, black beans, corn, and all your favorite toppings go into a chicken or ground beef and rice skillet like my Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet or Tex-Mex Sausage and Rice Skillet.
Rice. For a cheesy, saucy side, mix plain rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, or Mexican rice with homemade enchilada sauce and cheese. You can add any protein or add-ins from here.
A sauce that is simmering. On the stove, in the oven, or the crockpot, cook chicken, beef, or pork in red enchilada sauce.
Breakfast: Top your favorite chilaquiles with enchilada sauce, make Migas with eggs and fried tortillas, or drizzle over breakfast tacos.
Can Enchiladas Sauce be Freezed?
Yes! If not utilized within a week, homemade enchilada sauce should be frozen. Fortunately for us, it freezes very well, so you can eat some now and save the rest later, or make it just for freezing.
To freeze Enchilada Sauce, follow these steps:
Allow Enchilada Sauce to cool to room temperature before using.
Transfer to freezer-safe glass jars or freezer-safe bags (plastic will discolor).
Label and store in the freezer for up to three months.
Allow sauce to defrost completely in the refrigerator before using.
To achieve the correct consistency, add water or chicken broth.
Conclusion
The recipe for homemade enchilada sauce uses cupboard goods and requires less time to prepare than a trip to the grocery store. It’s rich, robust, and smoky; it’s quick and easy to make. It freezes beautifully, and you can adjust the heat and consistency. You won’t want to live without this red enchilada sauce recipe or return to the store-bought type once you try it! Everything from chicken enchiladas to beef enchiladas, soups, skillets, and even pasta tastes better with it! This red enchilada sauce is a must-have in your pantry!
