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Enchilada Sauce

November 15, 2013


It’s a miracle!  A recipe that isn’t a baked good or a pancake or in some other way floury and sweet.  I’m not normally big on spicy food, but cold weather is spicy food weather, right?  Soup and spicy are my wintertime jams.

Enchilada Sauce

You know what else is my jam?  Mexican food.  I’ve been kicking myself for over a week after discovering how easy it is to make my own enchilada sauce, because I’ve probably purchased 10,000 mediocre cans of sauce in my life time.  Not only is this WAY better, I can control exactly how spicy it is and a can of tomato sauce (the base for this) for some reason costs less than half than a can of enchilada sauce.  Win!  Plus, it comes together in about as much time as it takes you to pull together enchilada filling.

Enchilada Sauce

When I was researching what goes into enchilada sauce, a lot of recipes had flour (??) and chicken broth (????!).  This sauce is already plenty thick so I had no idea what flour could bring to the table and with all these spices, you definitely wouldn’t be able to taste chicken broth, so why make something unnecessarily not vegetarian and GF friendly?  I never understand the ingredient choices people make sometimes, so I started from square one with this recipe and I couldn’t be happier.

Enchilada Sauce
Author: 
 

Ingredients
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (optional, see instructions)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ red onion, minced
  • 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 ½ tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ c water
  • Cayenne pepper or hot sauce, if desired, to desire spice level

Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil, nonstick spray, or a thin layer of water over medium heat and saute minced garlic and onion until soft.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Increase heat slightly and bring to boil.
  3. Once boiling, reduce and cook until desired thickness, approximately 10 minutes.
  4. Use as you would canned enchilada sauce or as a wet burrito sauce.

Notes
If you don’t want small onion or garlic pieces, you can push through a mesh strainer or pulse in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 50 Fat: 2g Carbohydrates: 9g Fiber: 2g Protein: 2g

 

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9 Comments
    Breakfast Enchiladas - Hidden Fruits and Veggies Dec 04, 2013

    […] made a lot of my version of Mexican food and apparently, I’m really into enchiladas lately.  Homemade enchilada sauce is just too jammin` to leave it to one meal, so it spread into breakfast time.  Okay, really we […]

    Tracee Dec 02, 2013

    Ever tried a Mexican gravy? It has less chili powder and thus, not as potent. As a semi-Mexican I prefer the chili gravy!

    Christie - Food Done Light Nov 18, 2013

    I’ve been on the hunt for an enchilada recipe my little one will like better than a Mexican restaurant one. I’m going to try this one.

    Joanne Nov 18, 2013

    I can always get excited about Mexican food! This enchilada sauce sounds pretty fabulous.

    Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl Nov 17, 2013

    I have been using enchilada sauce often so what a great idea to make my own instead of buying it. Great for saving money – thank you!

    Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens Nov 15, 2013

    Huh – never knew it could be so easy! Yep – I always just buy a can of it! No more!! I’ll make my own! 🙂
    Mexican is my ultimate favorite, too! But I can eat it all year. Not just in the winter. All. Year. Mmmm – and now I’m gonna make this!! Perfect in an enchilada bake, or Mexican lasagna! YUM!! Thanks, Kelly!

    Reba-Not So Perfect Life Nov 15, 2013

    Yum yum yum. Mexican food is my favorite. I love spice all year! That’s funny that the sauce recipes had flour in them. I bet that’s an Americanized way of doing it!

    Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl Nov 15, 2013

    I had no idea enchilada sauce could be so easy to make. I should just start making my own instead of buying it.