Today I am sharing a recipe of homemade Vegan red enchilada sauce recipe which gets its deep red color and distinct flavor from a secret ingredient used. Make this at home and you will never buy store-bought one’s again.
Enchilada sauce is a tomato based red sauce which is the commonly used in Mexican cooking. It’s extremely versatile and not confined to only making enchiladas. You can use this enchilada sauce in almost anything you want , example – pasta, pizza, wraps , baked dishes , or on the side as a dip .
I discovered about this tip on our trip to Mexico in 2013. Being an ardent Mexican cuisine fan , I have made enchilada sauce at home for years now , yes it was satisfactory but not the best. Tasted more like pasta sauce , which isn’t wrong but something was missing. I just couldn’t figure out what was it until the chef at a restaurant in Mexico was kind enough to share this game changing secret ingredient. Are you ready to know what it is …. it’s cocoa powder . Are you surprised . I had the same reaction, whoa.. cocoa in the sauce.. so interesting and out of the box for me and I couldn’t wait to return back and experiment it. It took me about 2 tries to get the proportions right, the way I always expected it to taste and bingo I had the most amazing home made enchilada sauce . I was feeling so accomplished. And soon this sauce became our house favorite.
Moreover I have made a healthier version of this sauce- how ?
I have swapped all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour
Added mexican spices which completes this sauce .
This sauce is vegetarian and vegan.
You might ask , but this sauce is vegetarian , and sorry to break the bubble but authentic Mexican restaurants add chicken broth in it . You might want to check it with your servers before ordering it.
Why home-made
For all reasons above. You can control everything going into this sauce.
Make ahead of time
Make a big batch of this sauce and freeze in portion size ziplock bags or containers for future use. Stays good up to 3 months in the freezer and 5 days in the fridge.
For this vegan enchilada sauce , I have used fresh tomatoes – blanched and pureed .
Feel free to use store-bought tomato purée .
Pictorial process of blanching and cooking is shown below –
Blanching is a technique used to peel the tomatoes easily, tomatoes are boiled for a minute or two then given a ice bath to stop further cooking.
In a large pot , bring some water to boil which is enough to cover the tomatoes . Meanwhile take a knife and make a X slit under each tomato , this will help it peel faster .Once you see a rapid boil add in the tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute or until the skin starts to split . Meanwhile fill another bowl with cold water and some ice. Now transfer the boiled tomatoes carefully in the cold water bowl .
Let it sit there for a minute, now carefully peel when cool , it should peel off easily .
cook the flour , add tomato purée , spices and cocoa , cover and cook – its that simple!!
thick rich sauce is ready!!
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3.50 from 8 votes
Vegan enchilada sauce
this healthy vegan enchilada sauce is versatile and can be made ahead of time.
Course dip, sauce
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Adjustable Servings -3cups
Author Khushboo
Ingredients
850grams/ 7-8 medium size tomatoes or 28 oz / 1 lb ready tomatoe puree
Blanch and puree the tomatoes – pictorial shown above .
Heat oil in a pan on low – medium heat.
Add in the flour and cook it for a minute stirring constantly .
Slowly add in the tomato puree ,stirring constantly to avoild lumps , now add the water and spices , sugar , salt . give it a quick stir .
Cover and let it cook on medium heat for 10 -12 minutes. Stir occasionally .
Tate test and adjust the spices and water .
Once thickened to desired consistency , switch off the flame . The sauce will thicken more after cooling. Use immediately or let it cool down and store for future use.
Notes
Tomato quality differs, taste test and adjust liquid and spices. I have used raw sugar, use any granulated one. Make ahead of time and freeze.
Tomato sauce is a good way to replace enchilada sauce if you're looking for a milder alternative. It's easy to take a pre-made tomato sauce and spice it and add other ingredients to get closer to a real enchilada sauce.
Red enchilada sauce may also be called salsa roja, salsa roja para enchiladas or mole rojo. It is a sauce made out of ancho/ pasilla/New Mexico and/or Cascabel chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, cumin, oregano, etc. all blended together then simmered until thickened.
The filling here is a hearty mixture of mushrooms, peppers, and black beans. I roll it up in corn tortillas and then smother them with red enchilada sauce and homemade vegan nacho cheese. Before serving, I sprinkle garnishes like jalapeños, radishes, and avocado on top.
The main difference is that red sauce is made from dried red chile peppers instead of green peppers, and the spices used are sometimes slightly different.
Thankfully, you probably have something in your pantry or fridge that you can use in its place. Let's look at four possible substitutes for tomato sauce: The two best are tomato paste and canned tomatoes, while ketchup and tomato soup can be used for certain recipes when you are really in a pinch.
The most important tip for avoiding soggy enchiladas is to briefly fry your tortillas in hot oil before you fill and roll. This creates a little bit of a barrier so that the tortillas don't soak up too much of the sauce and therefore start to break down.
Salsa roja ( lit. 'red sauce') is a type of spicy red sauce in Mexican cuisine. It is made of jitomate (red tomato), ground with onion, garlic, chilli, salt and pepper to taste.
To make your canned enchilada sauce taste homemade, grab some butter, a little flour, and some chicken stock. This trifecta of ingredients infuses a canned enchilada sauce with a satisfyingly thick texture and a rich, savory flavor.
Enchilada sauces are smooth, chili-based sauces that include salsa roja (red enchilada sauce), chile con queso (cheese-based sauce), verde sauce (green enchilada sauce), and mole sauces.
They are called 'divorced' enchiladas because one is covered in green salsa and the other in red salsa! Subscribe to our free CTP download, to be kept up to date with all cookery items.
Made with ground organic corn, filled with a blend of organic black beans, tofu and veggies, covered with our traditional Mexican-style enchilada sauce. Gluten free, vegan and dairy free, this frozen meal is full of great flavor.
In Mexico most of the ingredients are fresh, versus all the canned stuff in the US. In Mexico, enchiladas are typically made with corn tortillas, while in the US they use a lot of flour ones. However, I think that a huge difference is that what's thought to be Mexican food in the States is basically antojitos.
If you have some basic pantry staples on hand, you can easily whip up a batch of homemade enchilada sauce. All you need is some tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Simply mix these ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes until the flavors meld together.
It's a pretty ideal alternative. Try this green enchilada sauce in place of red enchilada sauce the next time you make your favorite enchilada recipe. To make this recipe, I experimented with combinations of readily available chili peppers, tomatillos, broth, and flour with disappointing results.
If you taste your enchilada sauce and find it has a bitter or sour aftertaste, this could be simply due to the acidity of the peppers or tomato, if added. Not to worry. Mix in agave syrup or brown sugar, starting with 1/2 teaspoon and adding more until the taste is evened out to your liking.
Just know that it's not going to taste like spaghetti sauce. Whether jarred, canned, or homemade, the two sauces have entirely different flavor profiles.
These two sauces might overlap in their ingredients, but the key difference is that enchilada sauce is thin, smooth, and served hot. It's also considered an important part of dishes like enchiladas, while salsa roja is a cold table sauce that can be added to anything.
Taco Bell's red sauce is designed specifically to complement their menu items. It's a bit milder compared to most enchilada sauces you'd find in stores or make at home, which often have a richer, deeper chili flavor.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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