Easy Red Enchilada Sauce {15 minute Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

How to make can red enchilada sauce taste better? ›

But with a few extra ingredients, your canned enchilada sauce can easily pass as homemade. The key ingredients in making the magic happen here are very basic, so there's no need to be intimidated. To make your canned enchilada sauce taste homemade, grab some butter, a little flour, and some chicken stock.

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.

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.

Pungent fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and marjoram can liven up tomato sauce with their bold, distinctive flavors. Add 1 to 2 sprigs of one or more of them to your favorite sauce, cover, and simmer at least 5 minutes to allow them to infuse in the sauce. Remove the sprigs before serving.

A generous sprig or two of fresh herbs like basil, parsley, rosemary, or sage can all amp up the flavor of a jarred pasta sauce. Alternatively, some of those herbs, like parsley, sage, and rosemary, can be great minced up and gently fried into fresh olive oil before adding the sauce to the pot.

Toppings: When it comes to enchiladas, I vote the more toppings the merrier! Any combination of chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, diced red onion (or quick pickled red onions), sliced radishes, fresh or pickled jalapeños, sour cream or Mexican crema, and/or extra cheese would be delicious!

Arrange enchiladas, seam-side down, in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with taco sauce and remaining 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, until cheese has melted, about 20 minutes. Let cool briefly before serving.

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.

Substitutes for Oregano:

For Mexican Oregano the best substitute is Marjoram. For Greek or Mediterranean oregano try basil, parsley or tarragon.

Is Taco Bell red sauce just enchilada sauce? ›

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.

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.

Before you assemble your enchiladas, heat the sauce up and whisk in a little flour and sugar to taste. The flour will neutralize some of the bitterness and thicken the sauce a bit in the process.

You might want to up the spices a bit. The sauce won't taste quite like the enchilada sauce you might buy at the store, but it will still be good! Change it up: The chili powder, cumin and garlic powder are essential here, but feel free to change up the other spices to suit your preferences.

Mix in Some Sweetness

Adding some sweetness to your dish is a perfect way to tone down the spiciness and make it more bearable. Whether it's drizzling honey on top of your dish, adding a bit of sugar to the recipe, or squeezing in lemon juice to enhance the flavors; a touch of sweetness can balance out the heat.