Make Enchilada Sauce easily, Budget, Ingredients

$0.80 BATCH

Enchilada sauce is one of my all-time favorite dishes.

When it soaks into tortillas while baking, everything becomes acidic, spicy, and delicious. Mmmmm. 🤤 When my local grocery store’s enchilada sauce selection was lacking, I decided it was time to produce my own red enchilada sauce.

This Easy Red Enchilada Sauce is amazing, and I’ll never go back to store-bought again. It tastes ten times better than anything I’ve ever had from a can and only takes minutes to prepare. It’s a definite winner.

FAST METHOD, MASSIVE FLAVOR

This EASY enchilada sauce isn’t a real enchilada sauce prepared with dried chile peppers like you’d buy in Texas or Mexico, but it’s a quick and easy alternative that anybody can make in their own kitchen using pantry basics.

But I assure you, you won’t regret the shortcuts once you try them. It’s still flavorful, and you’ll want to drizzle it over everything.

WHAT IS THE SPICY LEVEL OF RED ENCHILADA SAUCE?

The “chili powder” mentioned in the recipe is a store-bought spice blend for seasoning chili.

It’s not pure ground chile peppers or plain chile powder, which can be quite fiery. Although the chili powder I use is absolutely mild, other kinds may include some heat.

To compensate for the use of spicy chili powder, simply reduce or omit the cayenne powder in this recipe. The recipe below uses McCormick’s chili powder and is medium hot, similar to medium salsa.

ENCHILADA SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS

Enchilada sauce may be used for more than simply enchiladas! Other fantastic ways to utilize red enchilada sauce include:

• as a beef sauce on the stove (in a slow cooker or skillet)
• as a rich sauce to smother burritos with eggs and fried tortillas for Migas, or as a creamy and spicy dip to substitute taco sauce
• a soup basis for casseroles like Mexican lasagna, enchilada casserole, or Taco Stuffed Shells (30 Minute Posole)

EASY RED ENCHILADA SAUCE

1. In a saucepot, combine the cooking oil, flour, and chili powder. Turn the heat to medium and mix together the ingredients. As the mixture begins to bubble, keep whisking. Once the mixture begins to bubble, whisk it for one minute.
2. Whisk in the water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper until smooth after one minute. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes. It will begin to thicken somewhat after it reaches a simmer.
3. Salt to taste, starting with 1/2 teaspoon. In total, I used around 3/4 teaspoon. The sauce is now ready for consumption!

NOTES

For greater depth, substitute the water with vegetable broth or chicken broth; however, reduce the salt used at the end to compensate.

NUTRITION

• Serving: 0.25 Cup
• Calories: 53 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 5 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Fat: 4 g
• Sodium: 338 mg
• Fiber: 1 g

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO MAKING ENCHILADA SAUCE

1. To begin, in a pot, combine 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons chili powder, and 2 tablespoons oil. Don’t be put off by the big amount of chili powder in the recipe; it’s McCormick’s chili powder, which isn’t fiery but tasty. The cayenne pepper supplies all of the heat.
2. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil over medium heat while whisking constantly. 1 minute whisking This toasts the flour and chili powder, giving it more flavor depth and preventing the flour from tasting like paste.
3. After one minute, mix in 2 cups of water with 3 oz. tomato paste, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp cayenne (or broth).
4. Allow the sauce to thicken by bringing it up to a simmer. Salt to taste. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust as required. The salt will bring out the taste even more. You might not need any water if you’re using broth instead.
5. You’re all set to go now! Enjoy this thick, delicious enchilada sauce drizzled over all of your favorite dishes!