What Is Enchilada sauce and How Can I Use It?
Enchilada sauce is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 50 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- Cooked chili sauce, red or green, made to be baked or simmered into a dish, not drizzled raw.
- The defining sauce for enchiladas, layered casseroles, chilaquiles and tortilla soup.
- Use plenty; tortillas soak it up, and skimping leaves dry, cracked enchiladas.
- Homemade from toasted chili powder and a quick roux tastes far deeper than tinny canned.
- Unopened cans keep a year; opened lasts about a week refrigerated and freezes for months.
What is enchilada sauce?
Enchilada sauce is a cooked chili sauce that gives enchiladas their name. It is smooth and pourable and deeply savory, built to be simmered or baked into a dish rather than spooned on raw at the table.
The classic red version is made from dried red chilies, sometimes simplified to chili powder, plus tomato, garlic, onion, cumin, and stock, often thickened with a little flour or masa. It tastes of toasted dried chili rather than fresh tomato.
There is also a green version, salsa verde style, built on tomatillos and green chilies. It is brighter and more tart than the red.
How to Use Enchilada Sauce
Its home is the enchilada. You coat tortillas in it, roll them around a filling, pour more over the top, and bake until bubbling, the method behind Quick & Easy Cheese Or Chicken Enchiladas and Black Bean Corn Enchiladas.
It is the backbone of layered casseroles, too. It soaks the tortillas and ties the layers together in dishes like Crockpot Tijuana Pie and Saucy Mexican Chicken & Black Bean Casserole.
It also turns leftover chips and tortillas into a meal. Simmer it with fried tortilla pieces and you have Chilaquiles Tortilla Casserole, and a ladle of it deepens a pot of Crockpot Black Bean Tortilla Soup.
Warm the sauce before you build anything.
A quick simmer wakes up the chili and helps it cling to the tortillas. It also lets you taste and fix the salt and heat before the dish goes in the oven.
Pairing and a Common Mistake
It pairs with corn tortillas, melting cheese, chicken, beef, beans, and a finish of sour cream or cilantro. The richness of cheese and the cool of sour cream balance the chili, which is why enchiladas almost always carry both.
The common mistake is skimping on sauce. Tortillas drink it up, and a stingy pour gives you dry, cracked enchiladas instead of soft, saucy ones.
The second slip is reaching for taco sauce instead. Taco sauce is thin and tangy and made for drizzling, so it will not bake down into the same rich, clinging coat.
Canned vs Homemade
Canned sauce is genuinely convenient and turns a weeknight dinner into a fast job. The trade-off is that many cans taste a little tinny and one-note, leaning heavily on tomato and salt.
Homemade takes about fifteen minutes and tastes far deeper. Toast chili powder in a little oil, whisk in flour to make a quick roux, then add stock and tomato and simmer until it coats a spoon.
If you only have canned, doctor it. A little cumin, garlic, and a squeeze of lime lifts a flat can out of that dull, tinny groove.
Substitutes
In a pinch, a can of tomato sauce simmered with chili powder, cumin, garlic, and a little broth stands in well for red enchilada sauce. It is essentially the homemade recipe in shorthand.
Salsa thinned and pushed smooth can work, though it tastes fresher and less of cooked chili. For green enchilada sauce, salsa verde is the natural stand-in.
Mild red taco sauce can fill a gap, but thin it and expect a lighter, tangier result than true enchilada sauce delivers.
Buying and Storing
Cans and jars come in heat levels from mild to hot, in both red and green. Read the label for chili type; a sauce built on real dried chilies beats one that is mostly tomato and starch.
An unopened can keeps for a year or more in the pantry. Once opened, move leftovers to a sealed container in the fridge and use within about a week.
Enchilada sauce freezes well. Pour it into a freezer bag or an ice cube tray and freeze flat, and it keeps for a few months, ready to thaw for the next batch.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/4 cup (60g)Quick facts
Where to find enchilada sauce: Enchilada sauce is usually found in the mexican section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Enchilada sauce is a member of the Soups, Sauces, and Gravies US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- enchilada酱
- British (UK) term
- Enchilada sauce
- en français
- sauce enchilada
- en español
- salsa enchilada
How much does enchilada sauce weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 0.25 cup | 60 grams |
Related
Soups, Sauces, and Gravies
Recipes using enchilada sauce
There are 50 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Butternut Squash, Black Bean & Tortilla Stew
Had some butternut squash, home-boiled black beans and corn tortillas that needed to be used up. This recipe sounded like a perfect fit, and it was very filling and delicious too.
Crockpot Black Bean Tortilla Soup
Crockpot black bean tortilla soup that simmers all day on enchilada sauce, tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder. Finished with crisp homemade baked tortilla strips and fresh cilantro.
Enchiladas Sabrosas
Bring some Mexican fever into your kitchen with this dish that will make your tastebuds have a fiesta!
Saucy Mexican Chicken & Black Bean Casserole
Saucy Mexican chicken and black bean casserole: shredded chicken in a creamy enchilada sauce melted with cream cheese, layered between corn tortillas with black beans, corn, and olives, under a crunchy chip-and-cheddar crust.
Chicken Spinach Enchiladas
An ooey gooey cheesy chicken enchilada. Hearty and well balanced flavorful main dish.
Black Bean Corn Enchiladas
Cheesy, juicy and delicious! Black bean, corn and salsa are a flavorful combination, melted cheese inside and outside adds extra oozy cheesiness.
Quick & Easy Cheese Or Chicken Enchiladas
Another quick and easy chicken dish that will have your kids begging for more!
Chilaquiles Tortilla Casserole
This Mexican style casserole is full of beans and vegetables, with the two layers of the tortilla pieces, vegetable mixture and cheddar cheese, loaded the tons of tasty flavor.
Tex-Mex Style Enchiladas
Classic Tex-Mex beef enchiladas with homemade meat sauce and sharp cheddar, plus instructions for both rolled and New Mexico stacked styles.
Turkey Ranchero
A scrumptious turkey dish made with enchilada sauce, plain yogurt and monterey jack cheese.
Chicken-Chili Enchiladas
Rolled tortillas stuffed with chicken, cheddar, and Monterey Jack, smothered in a chili-bean and green enchilada sauce, then baked bubbly. Freezer friendly and ready in one hour.
Brown-Bag Burritos
Make-ahead beef and bean burritos with enchilada sauce and melty cheddar, wrapped in foil for grab-and-go lunches. Eat them cold or microwave in a minute. Meal prep for the whole week.
Mexican Style Lasagne
Mexican style lasagne with enchilada sauce, black beans, cottage cheese, and cheddar, layered with uncooked noodles that bake right in the sauce. Vegetarian, feeds 6 to 8, one pan cleanup.
Anasazi-Tofu Enchiladas
Bean connoisseurs will appreciate the characteristic taste and texture talents of pinto and kidney combined within this ancient Indian entrant. Versatility of this variety is limited only by your imagination: take them for a dip: enlist them for creative Mexican food construction: they even taste good straight!
Beef N' Bean Burritos
Beef and bean burrito casserole stacked in a slow cooker with flour tortillas, enchilada sauce, ground beef, refried beans and cheddar. Sliced into wedges and served with all the fixings.
Chimicangas
Chimichangas with seasoned ground beef and enchilada sauce wrapped in tortillas and fried crisp. A Southwestern restaurant classic ready in 30 minutes.
Chili Enchiladas
Vegan chili enchiladas with marinated tofu in a soy-peanut-tomato base, rolled in corn tortillas and baked under a from-scratch chili enchilada sauce. Hearty plant-based dinner that fills 10 plates.
Freezer Mix Chilies Casserole
Chile casserole layered with beef-mushroom freezer mix, enchilada sauce, green and red chiles, corn chips, and melted cheddar. A quick Tex-Mex bake using make-ahead freezer staples.
Easy Cheesy Chicken with Chilies
Golden chicken cutlets simmered in enchilada sauce with corn, green chiles, and melted cheddar. Roll them up in warm flour tortillas for a 35-minute Tex-Mex dinner.
Fiesta Enchiladas
Fiesta enchiladas loaded with seasoned ground beef, spinach, and Parmesan, wrapped in corn tortillas and baked with enchilada sauce and Monterey Jack cheese. A crowd-sized recipe for 12.
Turkey Ole
Shredded turkey slow cooks in enchilada sauce and tomato paste, then gets smothered in melted Monterey Jack. Scoop it up with corn chips or stuff it into tacos for the easiest Crock-Pot Mexican dinner you'll ever make.
Phyllis' Mexicale Hot Stuff Party Din-Din
Layered Mexican beef casserole with tortillas, creamed corn, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and two cheeses. A crowd-feeding Tex-Mex bake that assembles in minutes.
El Paso Chicken
El Paso chicken rolls pounded breasts around a cream cheese and salsa filling, then bakes them seam-side down over rice in enchilada sauce. A Tex-Mex one-dish dinner with a creamy surprise inside.
Enchiladas (Grammy's)
Grammy's beef enchiladas with ground beef, chopped olives, and cheddar cheese rolled in sauce-dipped corn tortillas and baked until bubbly. A family-style comfort classic.
Enchiladas Nortenas with Grilled Chicken & Queso Quesadilla
Enchiladas Nortenas with Grilled Chicken and Queso Quesadilla recipe
Favourite Lentils & Spanish Rice Enchiladas
Lentil and Spanish rice enchiladas wrapped in corn tortillas, smothered in red enchilada sauce, and baked under melty cheese. A budget-friendly vegetarian main that uses pantry staples and pulls together with one pot and one pan.
Black Bean & Jalapeno Enchilada Casserole
This easy to make enchilada casserole can easily feed your whole family without rushing, and ever body will enjoy this scrumptious dish!
Phyllis's Mexicale Hot Stuff Party Din
Mexican beef casserole layered with flour tortillas, creamed corn, Rotel tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and two cheeses. A crowd-pleasing party dish with serious heat.
Turkey Enchiladas
Corn tortillas layered lasagna-style in a slow cooker with shredded turkey, kidney beans, enchilada sauce, and taco cheese. This set-it-and-forget-it Crock-Pot enchilada pie needs just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep.
Spicy Southwestern Pasta
Toasted cumin, chili powder, enchilada sauce, beans, and corn simmered into a bold Southwestern sauce served over pasta with melted cheddar on top.
Potato Stuffed Enchiladas
Vegetarian potato enchiladas with a spiced cumin-cinnamon enchilada sauce, Monterey Jack, and crumbled feta. Crispy pan-fried potatoes in corn tortillas baked until bubbly.
Santa Fe Pumpkin Soup:
Santa Fe pumpkin soup blends canned pumpkin with enchilada sauce, fire-charred red peppers, and half-and-half for a creamy, smoky bowl with Southwestern heat. Topped with sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Mexican Cheese Bread
Gluten-free Mexican cheese bread made with rice flour, soy flour, enchilada sauce, and grated cheese. A savory quickbread with a spicy kick, no wheat needed.
No Beans Beef Chili with Cornmeal
No-bean beef chili with cornmeal dumplings simmers slow-cooker style with enchilada sauce, tomatoes, and black olives, then gets crowned with soft cornmeal mounds and melted cheddar. Tamale-pie meets chili in one pot.
Spanish-Rice Enchiladas
Fat-free Spanish rice enchiladas with brown rice, fresh spinach, and cumin rolled in corn tortillas and baked in enchilada sauce. A healthy vegan Mexican dinner.
Rachels Butt Burnin Enchiladas
A spicy dinner for those who can handle the fire, but enjoy the flavor. Warning..Don't try unless you know you can eat hot and spicy foods.
Pan Burritos
Layered pan burritos with ground beef, refried beans, enchilada sauce, cheddar cheese, and flour tortillas baked casserole-style. Feeds a crowd, cuts like lasagna.
Swiss Chicken Enchiladas
Creamy chicken enchiladas filled with cream cheese, Monterey Jack, almonds, and green onions, baked in mild enchilada sauce and topped with avocado-sour cream. Enchiladas suizas in 30 minutes flat.
Pineapple Enchiladas
I would definately say that this is a good recipe to try out, very good and unique.
Genuine Texas Chili
Genuine Texas chili, the real-deal bowl of red: chuck roast and coarse ground beef simmered 3 hours with cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, and enchilada sauce. No beans, by Texas law.
Enchilada Pie
Layered enchilada pie with seasoned ground beef, green chiles, two cheeses, and flour tortillas baked in enchilada sauce. Cut into squares and topped with sour cream.
Very Cheesy Mexican Chicken Lasagna
Mexican chicken lasagna layered with chili-cumin enchilada sauce, cilantro-laced cottage cheese filling, and sharp cheddar with Monterey Jack. A 9x13 crowd dinner.
Mad Mike's Chili
Mad Mike's chili: a no-beans, all-meat Texas-style red made with cubed round steak, V8, enchilada sauce, and a mountain of chili powder. Slow simmered three hours until thick and deep.
Beefy Tortilla Casserole
Layered beefy tortilla casserole with spiced ground beef, enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, cheddar, Monterey Jack, and crunchy corn chips. Tex-Mex comfort baked in 45 minutes.
Chicken Tamale Casserole
This is a super easy and savory casserole, everyone loves it, definitely a great recipe.
Acapulco Chicken Enchilada
Try this spicy and scrumptious chicken dish that just might have you drooling when it's done cooking!
Chimichangas (Deep Fried Burritos)
Chimichangas stuffed with seasoned ground beef and enchilada sauce, fried golden in flour tortillas, and topped with cheddar, lettuce, and green onions. Crispy deep-fried burritos at home.
Crockpot Tijuana Pie
Crockpot Tijuana pie layers tortillas with seasoned ground beef, chili beans, corn, enchilada sauce, and cheese into a Mexican-inspired slow cooker casserole. Set it and forget it dinner for a crowd.
Crock Pot Enchiladas
Add some spice to your cooking with this crockpot favorite that the whole family will enjoy.
Impossible Beef Enchilada Pie
Impossible beef enchilada pie with seasoned ground beef, enchilada sauce, cheddar, and a self-forming Bisquick crust that bakes around the filling. A retro one-pan Mexican casserole.
