Enchilada Sauce
Published Sept. 22, 2023

- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼cup chili powder blend
- 1teaspoon garlic powder
- 1teaspoon onion powder
- 1teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican, crushed into a fine powder
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 3cups low-sodium chicken, mushroom or vegetable stock
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently until clumps have disappeared and mixture is bubbling, about 1 minute. Add chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, pepper and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until a thick paste forms. Use the back of a spoon to smash and smear the paste onto the bottom of the pot, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, stirring until caramelized, about 1 minute.
- Step 2
Whisk in chicken broth until no lumps remain. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Private Notes
Comments
Unlike users who comment without actually making the recipe, I made this and it is delicious.
I live in Santa Fe, NM, and found this a quick & easy red sauce, way better than canned, bottled or packaged sauce powders and easier than using chile puree. Had to add a bit more oil to whisk the chile powders & spices into the roux but otherwise it worked as advertised. Used 5T of hot & mild local red chile powders and ancho powder. The tomato paste adds richness to the sauce without making it tomato-y. This sauce will reflect the quality & flavors of the chile powders you use. Experiment!
I made it this morning, and it’s great! For me, the powdered spices made it a quick recipe. I know I can use fresh garlic and onion and chiles, but today, this was far better than canned enchilada sauce or powdered.
delicious! fun to fool around with different chile types too!
Note to self…next time use a mixture of several chili powders rather than ALL chipotle chili powder. I love heat but this turned out really spicy even for me. I’m hoping it mellows out when I make the enchiladas.
I thought the consistency of this sauce was spot on and had a great flavor but it did come out incredibly spicy. I used regular chili powder which I assumed was pretty tame but I guess I had a spicy batch. Fine for me as I love heat but not edible for my better half.
