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!!
Liked this recipe?Do give it a star rating in the comments !
Print recipe
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.
Red enchilada sauce is made with red chilies (in this recipe, ground red chilies or chili powder). Green enchilada sauce is made with green chilis, tomatillos, and sometimes jalapeños, so it tends to have a larger heat range. It can be spicy, but doesn't have to be.
Traditionally, homemade enchilada sauce is made with tomato sauce. What is this? However, I got the brilliant idea to substitute in some salsa to bring another level of flavor to the sauce. I used a homestyle salsa, but you can pretty much use any flavor you want, including roasted garlic and pico de gallo.
Fry each of your tortillas in hot oil before adding in your enchilada filling. This will help keep the tortillas from soaking up too much of your sauce too quickly, which can also cause them to break apart.
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.
Salsa. Salsa can also be used as a substitute for enchilada sauce, especially if you enjoy a bit of heat and chunky texture in your dishes. Look for a salsa that closely matches the flavor profile of traditional enchilada sauce, such as a red salsa with a medium to hot spice level.
You might also call it “enchilada sauce” since it tastes very similar to the stuff you can buy in cans labeled “enchilada sauce.” Whatever you call it, this red sauce is a simple combination of tomato purée, vinegar, and spices, and you can clone it with minimal effort.
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.
Dishes such as enchiladas can be authentic or of the Tex-Mex variety. Authentic Mexican enchiladas have a variety of ingredients wrapped and often fried. They can be topped with cheese, chicken, lettuce, or sauces. Tex-Mex enchiladas are typically baked and are made with beef and cheese.
Two tortillas made from 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, but full of great flavor.
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.
Red chilies make red enchiladas sweeter and milder than green sauce. However, you can adjust the spiciness. Additionally, you can prepare them with cooked peppers. On the other hand, enchiladas with green sauce are made with raw and fresh green ingredients, such as tomatillos or green chilies.
If you love enchiladas suizas, part of that love surely comes from the creamy suiza sauce used. Most suiza sauces contain tomatillos, peppers, cream, and seasonings and/or herbs. This recipe has all that and an additional less common ingredient—canned fire-roasted tomatoes.
The biggest difference between the two condiments is that enchilada sauce is made of cooked ingredients whereas salsa verde is concocted of raw ingredients (Don't worry, we'll get into what those ingredients are soon). Another key difference is the consistency.
There's nothing to stop you from pouring enchillada sauce over your spaghetti (or any other kind of pasta) . 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.
LA VICTORIA® Red Enchilada Sauce Mild is a perfect blend signature spices and red chiles for a mild flavor profile for those who want great taste without too much heat.
It may seem like enchilada sauce and salsa are the same thing since they are often made with similar ingredients, but they are not the same. Salsa usually has tomatoes, onions, peppers (both sweet and hot), and vinegar or lemon juice. Sauce for enchiladas is chili based and tomatoes are optional.
Address: 5789 Michel Vista, West Domenic, OR 80464-9452
Phone: +97313824072371
Job: Education Orchestrator
Hobby: Lockpicking, Crocheting, Baton twirling, Video gaming, Jogging, Whittling, Model building
Introduction: My name is Rob Wisoky, I am a smiling, helpful, encouraging, zealous, energetic, faithful, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
