Easy Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
An easy, customizable Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce recipe that only takes 15 minutes to make and tastes much better than store-bought enchilada sauce. Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.
Yields: 2+ cups; enough sauce for one 9x13 inch pan of enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons neutral-flavored oil
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1-2 cups water
Instructions
Heat the oil in a skillet or pot over medium heat. Saute the onions, jalapeño, and garlic until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt and stir in the pan for another minute so that the spices can get slightly toasted and fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and water.* Bring the sauce to a simmer and left cook 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt as needed.
Transfer the sauce to a blender and whirl until smooth. Store in a jar or an airtight container for up to 5 days. The sauce can also be frozen or canned as you would other tomato-based sauces. This recipe makes enough sauce for one 9x13 inch pan of enchiladas.