Roasted Enchilada Sauce

I’ve been working on my enchilada game lately, as they are one of my favorites to try at Mexican restaurants. But there is an art to making great enchiladas, and the sauce is the key. It will truly make or break your enchiladas. So I did some testing and created two delicious recipes for you to try. They are both fan favorites in my house and real crowd pleasers.

Ingredients-

Red Enchilada Sauce:

2–3 tablespoons olive oil

6 roma tomatoes halved

1 onion, sliced thin- 1/3 inch thick

6 garlic cloves

1–2 jalapeno’s – halved. (one is mild, two is spicy)

1 hatch chili, or poblano pepper or mild chili or a red bell pepper

2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

handful cilantro- optional

Green Enchilada Sauce:

2–3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb tomatillos, rinsed, halved

1 –2 jalapeno’s, halved and seeds removed

1 hatch chili (or sub another medium-sized chili) halved, seed removed

1 poblano chili (or sub another medium-sized chili, or green bell pepper for mild version), halved

1 onion, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon oregano

handful cilantro

1–2 teaspoons honey or sugar

Directions-

Preheat oven to 425F

Drizzle oil on the bottom of a sheet pan, coating it well.

Place roasting ingredients tomatoes (or tomatillos) chilies, onion, garlic in a single layer, in a sheet pan, over the oil. Roast in the oven until tender and caramelized, checking at 15 minutes, stirring things if need be, then roast another 10-15 minutes.

Roast until the tomatoes and peppers are collapsing, the onions and garlic are tender enough to blend. Let cool.

Scoop the roasted veggies into a blender. Add 1/2 cup water to the sheet pan and scrape up all those browned bits and pour this into the blender. Add the spices, salt and optional cilantro.

Blend until your desired consistency- this can be really smooth or leave it a little chunky. If you like a looser sauce add a little more water.  

If making the red enchilada sauce, add a teaspoon of vinegar, or more to taste, to give a little brightness, especially if your tomatoes are very sweet.

If making the green enchilada sauce, I find adding a teaspoon of honey, helps to balance out the tartness of the tomatillos. Add more to taste.  No need to add vinegar here.

Use immediately, or store in the fridge for 4 days.

Or freeze in a mason jar, leaving 1-inch headroom for expansion.