Red Enchilada Sauce For All Your Latin Dishes

Red Enchilada Sauce is the base for many Latin dishes. This easy recipe is made with powdered chili, Mexican spices and diced for a fresh tasting sauce!

Be sure to incorporate this delicious sauce in this Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole dish!

Healthy Red Enchilada Sauce in a glass jar

Red Enchilada Sauce

I’m a pro at making Tomatillo Salsa Verde and love to add it to my meals, but can you believe that I’ve never made a red enchilada sauce?

I’ve been relying on a couple of popular ready made brands that I always see in my grocery store and they taste good, but I recently noticed they are made with not so desirable ingredients like soybean oil and modified food starch, which is not food.

This easy enchilada sauce is made with simple ingredients and it’s simple to make!

Plus, the flavor is delicious!

If you want an enchilada sauce that will tempt you to use it in ways you never imagined (over scrambled eggs, as a dip for meatballs!), then you need to make this enchilada sauce!

Red Enchilada Sauce with Mexican spices

Homemade Enchilada Sauce from A Dish of Daily Life!

This recipe is from my friend Michelle who blogs over at A Dish of Daily Life.  Michelle recently had a serious surgical procedure done to alleviate some pain she has been dealing with, and thankfully she is recovering nicely, but it’s hard for her to keep the same pace she was used to prior to surgery.

When you have your own business there is no sick-pay or vacation days that you can pull from when you are forced to take a break.

All bloggers rely on traffic to pay for a multitude of things.  From the web hosting fees to the energy bill!

To help Michelle out several of her friends are sharing her recipes so she continues to get new eyes on her awesome recipes!

Have you tried her Southwestern Black Bean Corn Salad? I have and it’s fantastic!  You also might want to check out this Quick Beef Stew!  It looks like it would warm up some hungry bellies!

Red enchilada sauce recipe

Easy Enchilada Sauce

You won’t need any special kitchen equipment to make this sauce.  All you need is a saucepan, but If you have an immersion blender it’s handy for this recipe.

Although a regular blender will work just fine, so don’t stress over that tidbit.

For this red enchilada sauce Michelle added carrots!  Carrots adds a natural sweetness that cools down the chili and it also acts as a natural thickener.

It’s always a good idea to sneak in extra veggies whenever you can!

Can enchilada sauce be frozen?

Yes, Michelle says that this sauce can be made in advance and frozen.

When I made this I used it all up, but boy do I wish I would have made a double batch just to store some for another time.

To freeze, let the sauce completely cool, then put it freezer bags, vacuum bags, freezer safe glass or plastic jars.

This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups of sauce and if frozen use within 3 months.    

Red enchilada sauce over a buritto

Ways to use red enchilada sauce

I used it in place of the green sauce in this Skillet Chicken Enchiladas Recipe and also used in for these delicious low carb enchiladas.

In addition, how about –

  1. Adding enchilada sauce on eggs
  2. Enchilada sauce on  homemade tamales 
  3. Over burittos
  4. In tacos
  5. Inside quesadillas
  6. Over chicken, beef, fish or porl

Give this recipe a try.  I know you’ll love it as much as I do!

Love Green enchiladas? Be sure to try this Green Chile Chicken Enchilada recipe too!

Healthy red enchilada sauce for all your favorite Latin dishes. Enjoy over homemade enchiladas or add flavor to burritos #healthy #enchilada #Latin #Mexican | www.thefoodieaffair.com
Healthy Red Enchilada Sauce is the base for many Latin dishes. Simple to make with carrots and spices for a fresh tasting sauce! #enchilada #sauce #Mexican | www.thefoodieaffair.com

Healthy Red Enchilada Sauce

Homemade enchilada sauce made with chili powder, Mexican spices and a sweet carrot to mellow the flavors. Use in all your favorite Latin dishes.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Healthy Red Enchilada Sauce, Homemade Enchilada Sauce, Red Enchilada Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 -4 cups
Calories: 69kcal
Author: Sandra Shaffer

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil I used 2 tbl butter and 2 tbl olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 large garlic clove minced
  • 1 cup carrots diced
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chili powder about 2 1/4 of chili packets – see photo
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • In a small sauce pan heat oil over medium heat.
  • Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Saute until softened and fragrant (about 3-4 minutes).
  • Stir in flour and chili powder and then add water slowly, stirring while adding it. Whisk until all ingredients are smooth. Stir in oregano and cumin.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
  • Puree with an immersion blender or carefully transfer to a blender.
  • Season to taste with salt.

Notes

Powdered chili with range in heat, so start with a couple of tablespoons and adjust to your preference.
Add additional water or any broth to thin sauce if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 cup | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g

Disclaimer

Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.

homemade red enchilada sauce
Hugs Sandra Signature

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17 Comments

  1. This was my first time making enchilada sauce, and I’m so glad I took the time to make it myself rather than use a jarred sauce. This was so so so so good! I used a really cheap chili powder, so it had a strange bite to it – just added a little bit of sugar and it was perfect. Definitely a keeper!!

  2. Thanks for this recipe as I can’t tell you number of times I thought to have enchiladas but did not want to make a special trip to the store just to get the sauce. Just pinned!

  3. This looks delightful! We love cooking Latin cuisine at home – I don’t do the cooking though (haha I wish) but my spouse would love this. A perfect complement to our favourite meals!

  4. This sauce looks incredible! It’s always so great to have a homemade sauce that you can just whip out and make anything taste AMAZING. I bet it freezes well, too!