Red Enchilada Sauce

Red Enchilada Sauce ~

A few simple ingredients and about 10 minutes are all you need to whip up a batch of bold-flavored enchilada sauce that will have you ditching the canned stuff for good!

Homemade enchilada sauce is very easy to make. It’s tomato sauce simmered with sauteed onions and savory spices. That’s it. 

Confession: I used to not see the point in making my own enchilada sauce. I mean, the canned sauces are pretty convenient, and honestly, I wasn’t convinced there was much of a difference. 

I was wrong.

Homemade red enchilada sauce makes all the difference! 

The key to elevating your Mexican dish to whole other level with this sauce is choosing a high-quality chili powder. This is the spice that permeates throughout the sauce so use the best available.

Try it with Beefy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas, nachos, taco salads, fajitas, and more! Save any leftovers to drizzle over Tofu and Broccoli Frittata or Saturday Morning Tofu Scramble.

Why you will love this recipe:

• authentic Tex-Mex flavor
• easy to make in minutes
• simple pantry ingredients
• freezes well – allow to cool completely before freezing
• vegetarian and vegan

Ingredients for Red Enchilada Sauce:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

How to make Red Enchilada Sauce:

Into a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, stir in the all-purpose flour and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, until slightly darkened.

Add tomato sauce, water, sea salt, ground cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to combine. 

Continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Sauce will thicken slightly.

Adjust seasoning to taste. The sauce is now ready for use in any recipe that calls for red enchilada sauce. 

 

Cheers!