Easy Red Enchilada Sauce
Our red enchilada sauce only takes about 15 minutes to make and is a great replacement for the canned stuff. It tastes amazing on all of your favorite Tex-Mex dishes.
Can we all agree that Tex-Mex cuisine is pretty amazing? It’s got quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, nachos, pico de gallo, guacamole, and the list goes on.
My family loves Tex-Mex, and we make it any chance we get. While we’re not super picky about what brand of enchilada sauce that we use, sometimes it’s just easier to make it from scratch.
I started doing this years ago and it’s great for those times when I forget to grab a can at the grocery store. It only takes about 15 minutes to whip up, so it’s ready to go while we’re prepping dinner.
Our red enchilada sauce is smokey, a little spicy, and works on all your favorite Tex-Mex meals.
Kim’s Tips for a Successful Sauce
Ok, ya’ll. This sauce is fairly simple, but there are a few things I want to mention so you’ll know what to expect going into it.
Know your chili powder. Not all chili powder is created equal. Some is dark in color and some is bright red. One brand might be really spicy while another has a smokier flavor. It’s really important to know which one you’re using before adding it to the sauce. Chili powder is one of the main ingredients, so it’s best to start with less and add more if needed.
Use tomato sauce. We’re using tomato sauce in this recipe not tomato paste. One small, 8-ounce can is all you need. That’s going to act as the base. Please don’t mix those two ingredients up.
About the broth. You can swap the chicken broth for another kind of broth if you’d like. It will change the flavor of enchilada sauce a bit.
How to make tomato enchilada sauce:
All in all, the whole recipe only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Usually, when John and I are making dinner together, one of us preps the enchiladas, while other makes the sauce.
Start by warming a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil to the pan and let it heat for about thirty seconds.
Sprinkle in the flour and whisk it with the oil for 2 to 3 minutes. You want to cook it long enough so there’s no longer a raw flour smell. If the flour isn’t cooked long enough, it will taste raw in the enchilada sauce.
Next, toss in the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin and allow them to cook for another thirty seconds to one minute. This releases more of their flavors and gives the sauce a more pronounced taste.
At this point, you can pour in the broth and tomato sauce.
- You can use chicken, beef, or vegetable broth. Usually, the broth we use depends on the type of enchiladas we’re making (chicken broth for shredded chicken, beef broth for shredded beef, etc.).
Whisk all the ingredients together until everything is well combined and smooth. All that’s left to do, is let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce reaches a thickness you like.
Pour it over the prepped enchiladas or mix it with some prepared minute-rice to create your own Mexican rice for a side dish.
Storage
Store any leftover enchilada sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the cooled sauce for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, canola, vegetable, avocado, etc.
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder, add more for extra spicy
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, or substitute with vegetable broth
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
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Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, then whisk in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.2 tablespoons cooking oil2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Add the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. Whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute to toast the spices.2 tablespoons chili powder½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon garlic powder¼ teaspoon dried oregano¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Pour in the broth and tomato sauce, and whisk until the sauce is smooth. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the enchilada sauce thickens to your liking.1 cup low-sodium chicken broth8 ounces tomato sauce
Notes
- The sauce can be stored in a sealed container, in your fridge, for up to three days.
- Any of the spices are adjustable to taste. I recommend that you start with less chili powder and add more if needed.
- Don’t skip the salt. It brings out the flavor in the sauce.
- You can make this sauce as thick or thin as you like. For a thicker sauce, simmer for longer. For a thinner sauce, add more broth 1 tablespoon at a time.
- If the sauce has small lumps of flour, pour it through a mesh sieve. That will remove the lumps and leave you with a smooth sauce.
This. Is. So. Awesome! Mexican food is an oddity here in Greece, but we can definitely use this amazing sauce in countless other recipes like in sandwiches, gyros, casseroles or beans. Can’t wait to try this, thank you!