Several years ago when I made a change in my diet and decided to leave off gluten, processed foods with artificial ingredients and preservatives and most all dairy…. it was a bit difficult at times to find a cleaner version of some of our favorite foods at the supermarket.
I remember one weeknight, bean enchiladas were on the menu. I went to the pantry to grab a can of the enchilada sauce that I typically used for this dish. I was still getting used to reading labels at this point, but I turned the can around to find exactly what was in this sauce. To my surprise… there were all sorts of unclean ingredients. Preservatives and sweeteners and gluten. Yes…. gluten. You wouldn’t think that a tomato sauce would have gluten would you? Not a product I wanted to pour over my enchiladas.
So, at this point I had to figure out something else. I had a few items on hand…. Plain marinara sauce, chopped tomatoes, a small can of chopped green chilies. I had all of the ingredients for a perfect enchilada sauce.
This recipe is the same one that I still use for our enchiladas now. It is the base for my Southwestern Stuffed Peppers and the recipe I posted a few days ago….. Tex Mex Chicken Pot Pies.
It’s perfect for any southwestern type meal where a tomato sauce is required. So quick and easy to put together and much more flavorful than any canned, premade enchilada sauce you can buy. You can also rest assured that there are no fake ingredients, preservatives or gluten in this sauce and you will feel better about what you are pouring into your favorite southwestern/Mexican dish. I have pureed this sauce before using a hand held emulsion blender, but lately I haven’t because I sort of like it a bit chunky.
I suppose you could make this sauce from scratch by using fresh tomatoes and green chilies and spend half a day cooking them down to make a sauce, but I don’t usually have that much time. How about you?
I think I’ll have this for dinner tonight. 🙂
NOTE: When purchasing pre-made marinara sauce, always look for a brand that has no preservatives, processed ingredients, minimal sugars and is all natural/organic. Many pre-made marinara sauces are loaded with sugar and many artificial ingredients. I love Rao’s brand of marinara sauce. They have several flavors to use for different types of recipes. I use their plain marinara for this recipe. Also… when you buy canned tomatoes, get the “no salt added” tomatoes…..Muir Glen or Eden Organic are excellent brands.
| Homemade Enchilada Sauce | Print |
- 1 Tbsp. of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- ½ cup of yellow onion, chopped fine
- 1 jar of all natural plain marinara sauce (I used Rao's brand sauce)
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes (I like Muir Glen brand), slightly drained
- 1 4 oz. can of chopped green chilies
- 1 tsp. of Mrs. Dash brand of Southwest Chipotle seasoning
- ½ tsp. of smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. of cayenne pepper
- Sea salt or Real Salt brand and cracked black pepper to taste
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the olive oil and cook until softened. Approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chopped green chilies to the pan and stir well.
- Reduce heat to medium/low and pour in the marinara sauce and chopped tomatoes. Stir to mix with other ingredients.
- Add the chipotle seasoning, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to the enchilada sauce.
- Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use in your favorite southwestern style dish or.... store in the refrigerator in an air tight glass container for 7-10 days.
Sounds Great Alisa!!
I bet it tastes even better!
J&T