Having a good Enchilada Sauce is essential for almost any Southwestern-inspired meal. And this delicious sauce won't disappoint!
This sauce is so good, you can pour it on everything! Cooked tomato-based sauces, such as this enchilada sauce, are a great way to enhance southwestern-style specialties—especially tortilla-based ones. Burritos, tacos, salads, and—of course—enchiladas, just to name a few.
How to Make Enchilada Sauce
- Heat oil in a saucepan.
- Sauté onion and garlic.
- Add bell pepper and continue to sauté.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer.
- Remove from heat and use as desired.
Full directions for how to make Enchilada Sauce are in the printable recipe card below.
Enchilada Sauce FAQs
How can I adjust the spicy heat in my sauce?
The great thing about making your own sauce is that you can adjust it to your taste! It's easy to adjust the level of spiciness. For those who are wary of super-hot chili-based sauces, you can give your sauce a milder flavor by using poblano peppers rather than the smaller, hotter varieties.
How long does this sauce last?
You can keep this sauce in your fridge for up to 1 week. Since it has no preservatives, you can't keep it as long as a store-bought jar. Luckily, though, this recipe is easy to whip up whenever you need to have some sauce on hand!
Here are lots more recipes for simple sauces and such.
Recipe
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ medium bell pepper green, red, or yellow; finely chopped
- 2 cups ripe juicy tomatoes or 14–16 oz diced tomatoes (canned is ok), lightly drained and chopped
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro minced
- 1–2 fresh hot chili peppers jalapeño or serrano, seeded and minced; or 1 mild poblano pepper, seeded and minced; or 4 oz chopped mild green chiles.
- 1 tsp chili powder or to taste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a deep saucepan.
- Add the onion and garlic, and sauté over medium-low heat until the onion is translucent.
- Add the bell pepper, and continue to sauté for another minute or so.
- Then add all the remaining ingredients, and simmer over very low heat—covered—for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and use as desired in enchilada recipes.
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