Smoky, rich, spicy red enchilada sauce made with simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes. Perfect for taking your enchiladas to the next level.
ONIONS + GARLIC
- 3 Tbsp vegetable broth (or sub water or neutral oil, such as avocado)
- 1 cup white or yellow onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
PEPPERS
- 7 mild dried chilies (such as New Mexico (our preferred), Ancho, or Guajillo)
- 1-2 dried arbol chilies* (stems removed (for heat // add more or less to adjust spice level)
- 2 cups vegetable broth (or store-bought – we like Imagine brand // or sub water)
- 1 cup water
SPICES
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano if possible // optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add vegetable broth (or water or oil), onion, and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and slightly browned.
- Add dried chilies and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Then add vegetable broth and water (see photo). Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, cumin, paprika, salt and oregano (optional). Stir, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes or until peppers are tender.
- Transfer to a high-speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more paprika or cumin for smokiness, salt for saltiness, or a pinch of cayenne pepper for spiciness (although it should be plenty spicy).
- Use immediately. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Notes
*In place of the arbol chilies, you can also sub 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce or 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (per 2 arbol chilies) when blending for added spice. Omit if you don’t like spicy sauces.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 7 servings)
Serving: 1 half-cup serving Calories: 50.1 Carbohydrates: 9.7 g Protein: 1.6 g Fat: 0.7 g Saturated Fat: 0 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.14 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.06 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 285 mg Potassium: 206 mg Fiber: 2.9 g Sugar: 4.2 g Vitamin A: 4591 IU Vitamin C: 4.71 mg Calcium: 23.63 mg Iron: 0.97 mg