Today, I’m over at Keeper of the Home sharing a super easy Enchilada Pot Pie recipe that was an idea cooked up by my youngest son. He’s such a genius!
The base of the recipe calls for enchilada sauce, of course. But rather than rely on those canned sauces with sketchy ingredients, I took some time to perfect a delicious healthy enchilada sauce that can easily be adjusted to thick or thin, whichever you prefer – and it only takes 30 minutes or less to put together!
I know, I know. Time is always an issue. Believe me, as a Stay-in-the-Car Mom, constantly carting boys here and there, I’m pressed for time too. But seriously, let me share 3 great reasons to commit 30 minutes to make your own enchilada sauce: (recipe below)
1. Again, have you taken a look at the ingredients in canned enchilada sauces out there? yikes!
2. It’s super easy and a big batch can easily be divided up and kept frozen for months. bonus!
3. The taste is amazing and for me, that’s reason enough to make my own homemade sauce! yum!
So I encourage you to schedule a little time on your next prep day to cook up a batch or two of this sauce recipe I’m sharing below. Then be sure to pop over to Keeper of the Home for my awesome Enchilada Pot Pie recipe. This hearty satisfying meal will bring a smile to your family’s faces and perhaps a sweat to their brows, depending upon how hot you make the sauce!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock
- 3/4 cup organic tomato paste (or use tomato sauce, see *note below)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent (4-5 minutes). Then add garlic and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Add chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt. Stir using a wooden spoon, cooking for about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken stock and tomato paste, or for a thinner sauce, see recipe variation below. Continuing to stir to combine. Bring sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to gently simmer covered for 15 minutes.
- Adjust the seasonings, adding more salt to taste and additional chili powder to increase heat, if desired.
- If you prefer a non-chunky sauce, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much sauce as possible.
- Then serve atop your favorite enchiladas. Or try it in my Enchilada Pot Pie or Enchilada Casserole recipes. (Recipe inspired by Emeril Lagasse.)
Notes
* Recipe Variation: If you prefer a thinner enchilada sauce, you can substitute the tomato paste called for in this recipe with 2 cups of organic tomato sauce. Just be sure to reduce the chicken stock to 1 cup. Also, because tomato paste is much sweeter, you may wish to add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup or honey to add a little sweet undertone.
Also note: This sauce tastes best the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to meld. So I recommend making it the night before you plan to use it, or why not make a big batch to save time on future recipes.
To store for future use, allow sauce to cool and then add to mason jars or freezer-safe containers. Sauce can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for several months.
P.S. Not only is the enchilada sauce perfect for freezing, but so is my Enchilada Pot Pie recipe. Just check out the recipes notes at Keeper of the Home for details.
Kelly,
From Keepers at Home I followed your link to see how you make enchilada sauce, because I could so benefit from such a recipe!!! However, your recipe on the website says “recipe ingredients” only. Would you mind sharing that with us? Please =)
Hi, Karen. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note. There was a snafu with ZipList (my fault) and the recipe didn’t save properly. The recipe is now fixed. Apologies for the inconvenience. I appreciate you letting me know about the error! Thanks again!
Blessings, Kelly 🙂
There’s no recipe showing up in the recipe box. 🙁
Hi, friend. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note. There was a snafu with ZipList (my fault) and the recipe didn’t save properly. The recipe is now fixed. Apologies for the inconvenience. I appreciate you letting me know about the error! Thanks again!
Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Check the recipe in this post. Neither the recipe ingredients or instructions are listed.
Hi, friend. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note. There was a snafu with ZipList (my fault) and the recipe didn’t save properly. The recipe is now fixed. Apologies for the inconvenience. I appreciate you letting me know about the error! Thanks again!
Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I didn’t understand how the follow up emails worked and accidently unsubscribed me from it. I do want the follow up to just this post.
Hi, Sheree. I think you should get this reply, but I’ll email you as well. The recipe is fixed now. Apologies for the inconvenience. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Thanks for all your great recipes! I can not wait to try them! My husband does not like his food hot or to spicy, and this recipe calls for 3 Tbsp of chili powder…I am wondering if this amount of chili powder results in a mild or medium taste? Thank you!
Hi, Marie. This is a pretty mild sauce, because I am a wimp about spicy food. However, you could reduce the amount to 2 tbsp just to make it even more mild. Blessings, Kelly