Easy Enchilada Sauce

This delicious tomato-based enchilada sauce is super simple and takes less than three minutes to make!  Delicious on enchiladas, tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, and sandwiches.  Naturally oil-free, gluten-free, and vegan. 

I recently shared my Red Chile Sauce with you. It’s a delicious sauce made with steeped and blended dried red chiles. It’s delicious on a wide variety of traditional Mexican foods, including tamales, enchiladas, bowls, burritos, and more. 

So, you may be wondering what the difference is between Red Chile Sauce and this Easy Enchilada Sauce. I’ll do my best to explain.

Red Chile Sauce is the authentic and traditional Mexican sauce for tamales and enchiladas. However, over the years and through many many iterations – in the United States and around the world – many people opt for a tomato-based sauce.

From my perspective, there are three primary differences between these two delicious sauces – ingredients, time, and preference. 

As I stated before, Red Chile Sauce is made by steeping dried red chilies on the stove or in a pressure cooker. Simply heat the broth, red chilies, and seasonings in a pot and allow them to steep for about an hour. If you’re short on time, you should allow them to steep until they’re softened, but at least thirty minutes. The chilies are then pureed in a high-speed blender until nice and smooth.

On the other hand, this Easy Enchilada Sauce is made with tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and spices.  Crushed tomatoes contains a little more texture, while the tomato sauce is more smooth.  If it’s too thick, add in a tablespoon or two of water or broth. Both work great and are delicious!

Essentially, the biggest advantage for this Easy Enchilada Sauce is that it’s really quick and easy. Since the ingredients are already cooked, the sauce is ready in less than three minutes. But the other reason you may choose one or the other is the flavor. And this is a very personal preference. So you may want to ask yourself these questions.

• What flavors do you prefer?
• What are you used to?
• When you go to your favorite Mexican restaurant, how do they serve their enchiladas?
• Do you prefer an authentic red chile sauce or do you prefer a tomato-based sauce? 

Just like my Red Chile Sauce, this Easy Enchilada Sauce gives you great options. It’s easy to make in advance and stores extremely well in the refrigerator. You can enjoy it on tamales and enchiladas, which are also great make-ahead meals.

Besides tomato sauce, the remaining ingredients are simple pantry seasonings – smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

The method couldn’t be more simple. Stir the tomato sauce and the seasonings together. Then taste and adjust the seasonings until you’re satisfied with the flavor.  That’s all there is to it. I promised you less than three minutes, didn’t I?

Oh, you should know that this Easy Enchilada Sauce can be made as mild or spicy as you prefer. Simply use a spicier chili powder (like chipotle chile powder or ancho chile powder) or sprinkle in a few more crushed red pepper flakes. If you like your food on the mild side, you may choose to omit the crushed red pepper flakes altogether.

Like chili and many soups, I find that this sauce is best made the day before, or at least an hour before using. Time really allows the flavors to develop and deepen. But it’s also quite delicious right at the start.

I’d like to share one interesting note about this and other sauces. When using this Easy Enchilada Sauce on top of enchiladas, it sometimes gets soaked up into the tortillas. This is especially true if you’re using corn tortillas like I do. If you prefer more sauce, I recommend making a double batch so that you can serve Easy Enchilada Sauce on the side.

I hope you enjoy this Easy Enchilada Sauce as much as I do.  

I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!

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Ingredients

• 16 ounces (2 cups) tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes*
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together all of the ingredients.
2. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If the sauce is too thick, add in a tablespoon or two of water or broth.
3. If not using immediately, transfer to a jar or air-tight container and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. 

Notes

* You can use either tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes to make this Easy Enchilada Sauce.  Crushed tomatoes will have a little more texture while tomato sauce is much more smooth.  If it’s too thick, add in a tablespoon or two of water or broth. Both work great and are delicious!