As you know, we love Mexican food! These Enchiladas with Homemade Red Sauce are so much better than ones made with canned enchilada sauce! This sauce is really easy to make, as well!
Cinco de Mayo is fast approaching. Can you even believe it? Time flies!
Do you use canned enchilada sauce? If you do, you need to try this recipe! It is really easy and the taste is unbelievable! Of course, the other added bonus is that you control ingredients in your meals!! No artificial anything!
If you are a fan of enchiladas, Check out my Stacked Enchiladas! They are very popular!
What you need
- dried peppers
- garlic
- onion
- tomatoes
How to Make this homemade Enchilada Sauce recipe
- Buy a mixture of peppers, I use what I can find. Today I found Chile Arbol and Guajillo. I also use serrano and ancho when I can find them.
- To prepare the enchilada sauce, all you need to do is char the peppers.
- Let peppers cool and char the vegetables in a cast pan, or on the grill.
- Add all of the ingredients to the pan and cook for about 30 minutes.
- When the vegetables are soft and the peppers are reconstituted, process in your blender until smooth.
- I clean the pan in between. Then add a few teaspoons of olive oil to the pan
- Then, strain the sauce through a fine colander.
- Discard the solids.
- Cook it down for another 30-minutes, or so, until it gets nice and thick. That’s all there is to it!
*** See recipe notes for important substitutions!!
How to Store leftovers
You can place the enchilada sauce in a sterilized jar and store it in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. It also freezes beautifully! Freeze it in the jar, or place it in plastic bags. Freeze sauce at least 1 year.
Thawing Sauce
When you want to use frozen sauce, thaw completely in the refrigerator and then reheat.
You can also add a few tablespoons of water to a saucepan. Cover pan with lid and slowly thaw sauce, over medium low heat. If sauce need to thicken a bit, because of the added water, remove lid and cook on medium low, stirring occasionally, until desired consistency.
For step by instructions, via video, head over to my YouTube video! There is also a video for assembling and cooking the enchiladas.
How to use it
Use this enchilada for any type of enchiladas you like, such as chicken, beef, pork, cheese, bean. You can also use it for taco dips, make an enchilada pasta dish, an enchilada or tamale casserole, and lots of other recipes.
I hope you enjoyed the post today for Enchiladas with Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe. Share a photo with me if you make this sauce and give those share buttons a click!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more instructional videos! Recipe for pork enchiladas is here.
Enjoy! And have fun cooking!
Red Enchilada Sauce on YouTube!
Ingredients
- 3 dried ancho clillies *see notes
- 3 dried guajillo or pasilla chillies
- 2 fresh tomatoes *see notes
- 1 c crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
Instructions
- Toast peppers in a dry cast iron pan on both sides, remove and let cool.
- Quarter onion. Peel garlic. Halve tomatoes. Toast the onions, garlic and tomatoes in the same pan.
- Remove to a medium saucepan.
- Once peppers are cool enough to handle. Remove seeds and stem end and place in the saucepan with the onions and tomatoes.
- Add crushed tomatoes , marjoram and oregano. Almost cover the vegetables with water and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or so until the peppers have reconstituted.
- Place the contents in a blender and cover the blender with a kitchen towel, in case it splatters so you won't get burned. Blend on high at least a minute.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the solids. Discard the solids.
- Add a few teaspoons of oil to a frying pan and heat over medium high heat. Add the strained sauce and fry for a few minutes.
- Reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes until sauce has thickened and coats the back of spoon.
- Let the sauce sit at least 2 hours for the flavors to mingle.
- The inspiration for this sauce came from the Mexican Food Journal Link below
- http://mexicanfoodjournal.com/red-enchilada-sauce/
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something. See FTC Disclosure, here.
I see your sauce is pictured in canning jars. Do you use a pressure cooker or a boil bath & either way, what’s the time, etc. for those methods?
I don’t process this sauce. I put it in jars and refrigerate. I usually use it up within a couple months. You could use a pressure canner. I don’t think the acidity is high enough for this sauce to be shelf stable in a water bath canner. Thanks for checking out the recipe!
Nothing beats the taste of homemade sauce! Love this easy recipe and I would love to make this at home soon.
Thank you Priya! I appreciate your comment! Have a nice weekend!
I love homemade enchilada sauce and your recipe looks so delicious! I love how thick and vibrant it is. I can’t wait to make it! Let’s see if Christopher can take the heat!
If you make it according to this recipe, he won’t mind it. Eric even eats it! For Jake and I, I made a batch last week with double the peppers and then it was hot!
I definitely always try to make sauces rather than buy, but haven’t ever tried making enchilada sauce yet. This looks great, though, so I must give it a try!
Oh, you will love it, Caroline! It’s really super easy, too! Thanks!
May be I am picky, more often than not I am unhappy with the store bought sauces. Never thought of making these though . Definitely going to try .
Agreed about store bought sauces! I think you will love this one! Thanks Syama!
This is definitely added to our list of homemade sauces. I like your recipes, you always make it simple, easy and delicious.
Thank you so much, Arjhon! I am glad the recipes are helpful to you!
This sauce looks so rich and tasty and so much better to make it yourself. Perfect to make with home grown tomatoes too!
Oh, yes! I always use homegrown, either frozen or fresh! Thanks, Amanda!
That is so perfect! I love enchiladas and tacos. I actually put enchilada sauce on my taco instead of taco sauce or salsa. I’ll get some major use out of this recipe.
Great! I’m so glad you like it, Jack!
Well explained. Nothing can beat homemade sauces. I’m in complete sync with you. Love the clicks.. Beautifully narrated excellent share !!
Thank you so much, Jolly! High praise indeed! Have a lovely weekend!
I usually just buy canned enchilada sauce but the taste of homemade can’t be beat. Thank you for such a detailed recipe, can’t wait to try making my own sauce!
Oh, Lalaine, it is far superior to canned, you have to give it try! Thanks for the comment!
I always prefer homemade over store bought. the flavors are always more deep and less salty. This recipe looks delicious
Thank you very much, Kallee! Have a great weekend!
I’m totally going to have to add this to my collection of homespun condiments. This is one thing I’ve yet to make myself and I can’t wait! It looks so rich in flavor !
It truly is! You won’t be sorry, giving this a try! Thanks, Dana!
Homemade sauces are always so much better! I have some dried guajillo chilis so I can’t wait to make this!
I have used straight guajillos before. If I don’t have a mixture of peppers, I just use what I have in the house! It always turns out awesome!Thank you, Ellen! Enjoy!