I love enchiladas. Of all Mexican and Tex-Mex foods, they are probably my favorite dish. However, I don’t bother buying the sauce in a can anymore because it is so easy to make at home. It is also a fraction of the cost of buying it in the store. Plus, it gives you control over the ingredients, so you are getting a much more nutritious product.
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
30 ounces tomato sauce
2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons taco seasoning blend
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons vinegar
Combine all ingredients, except vinegar, in an large pot – I like to use my enameled cast iron soup pot to prevent the acid in the tomato from leaching a metallic flavor from the pot. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat and simmer over low for 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and continue to cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and you’re all done!
The sauce freezes very well – I like to make a big batch and then portion it up for future meals. I use Mason jars to freeze mine – just make sure you leave enough room for it to expand as it freezes.
This recipe is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday 2/24
Delicious Obsessions was founded by Jessica Espinoza in 2010. Jessica is passionate about real food, natural living, and more. She helps people see how to eat nourishing food, without breaking the bank. Her motto is "baby steps" -- making small, lasting changes, one at a time, is the best way to ensure long-term success. This website contains "affiliate links" where appropriate, on which, I may earn a small commission or referral fee on your purchase. This has no effect on your price. The monies earned help maintain and support this website's hosting, maintenance, and the development of free content. The content shared on this site is for informational and educational purposes only. Statements/products discussed have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease or illness. Please consult your own health care practitioner before making changes to your current diet or before beginning any herbal or vitamin supplement regimen or exercise program.
The cocoa powder and coriander are a surprise! I’m going to try this. Michael hates canned enchilada sauce. Seems like you should be able to can this with a hot water bath. Thanks for sharing!
Given all the recent talk of fermenting, I imagine this would be something for which you could switch out the vinegar for whey and get the lacto-fermented benefit. Have you tried that?
Hi Soli – Thanks for the comment. I don’t know about lacto-fermenting enchilada sauce. There’s no reason you couldn’t do it, but when I make it, it’s usually used right away for enchiladas, in which I think the baking would destroy the bacteria in they whey, or I put it in glass jars and freeze it. The vinegar is actually added for flavor and it helps mellow the spices towards the end of cooking. Since it needs to cook for a little while longer after adding the vinegar, I don’t think it would do much good to add the whey since the bacteria would be destroyed in the heat. But, maybe my understanding about the bacteria in whey is off? From what I’ve been told, the good bacteria is killed when heated. Is this right?
I think it would be, yes, and didn’t think about that part. There is not really anything in there which would be harder to digest.
[...] adapted the enchilada sauce recipe from Delicious Obsessions and the recipe for the cranberry salsa is from Savoring Every Bite. We made this cranberry salsa [...]