Spicy, smooth, delicious red enchilada sauce that goes equally well with classic chicken or roasted vegetable enchiladas.
I considered posting this red enchilada recipe in the same post as the butternut squash enchiladas I am sharing later this week, but since this is going to be my go-to enchilada sauce recipe forevermore, on second thought I concluded that the sauce is in fact worthy of its own moment in the spotlight.
This sauce turned out so incredibly good and the enchiladas were truly to die for! Making your own sauce is a bit of extra work, but I would trade the 15 minutes of lightly active time it takes to make this sauce for the enhanced flavor it gives any day. Luckily this red enchilada sauce recipe can easily be doubled for a larger batch of enchiladas, or so that you can freeze half for later.
Unfortunately tomato paste is normally sold in a can. Tomato products are one of the main foods that you want to spend extra cash to get BPA free cans. The acidity in the tomatoes results in more BPA leaching out than most other canned goods.
This summer I am going to make it my mission to pack away as many homemade jarred tomato recipes as possible, but for now, BPA free store-bought tomato paste will have to do. It works sooo well in this recipe though that it tastes like its made from scratch and no one will ever know the difference. Try it and you’ll never go back to store bought enchilada sauce again!
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup minced onion
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp. chipotle ancho chilies in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. cumin
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste
- Heat oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté onion until starting to soften. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes longer until garlic is starting to brown. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and use in enchilada recipe. Can be easily doubled and frozen for up to 3 months.
[…] extra time to make, but the end result is worth a little extra effort. I highly recommend making red enchilada sauce instead of using the canned stuff. It really only takes a few extra minutes and adds so much extra […]