This Make-Ahead Enchilada Sauce Makes Weeknight Cooking a Breeze (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good enchiladas? ›

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.

To make your canned enchilada sauce taste homemade, grab some butter, a little flour, and some chicken stock. This trifecta of ingredients infuses a canned enchilada sauce with a satisfyingly thick texture and a rich, savory flavor.

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.

Top enchiladas with sauce just before baking – to prevent the enchiladas from becoming soggy, top them with the sauce only right before you are ready to bake. Cover pan with aluminum foil – make sure that the foil is sealed tightly over the pan to prevent the enchiladas from drying out.

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.

To prevent your tortillas from tearing or becoming soggy, quickly fry each corn tortilla in any oil you like for about 10 seconds on each side, until it starts to get crispy but is still pliable. This will add a barrier that will keep the tortilla from absorbing too much sauce, and also adds a little extra flavor.

Sugar And Flour Are All You Need To Fix Bitter Canned Enchilada Sauce.

Or you can omit the flour and instead add a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water whisked together) to the sauce once it is simmering to thicken it. Make it creamy: Whisk in 1/2 cup of heavy cream to turn this recipe into a delicious creamy enchilada sauce.

Add dairy.

Dairy is great at counteracting spiciness and can add a nice cooling effect. You can add milk, sour cream, or even a dollop of plain yogurt over each serving, but beware of adding and then cooking the dairy over higher heat, as it may curdle.

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.

What is traditional enchilada sauce made of? ›

Authentic Enchilada Sauce Ingredients

Dried chiles: I use a combination of ancho, guajillo, and árbol chiles that give a rich, savory, and complex flavor. You can find them in Mexican grocery stores or online. Roma tomato: I used only half of a large Roma tomato for a hint of sweetness and to help thicken the sauce.

The most common “red” enchilada sauce may also be called salsa roja, salsa roja para enchiladas, or mole rojo. This is a sauce made out of ancho/pasilla/New Mexico and/or Cascabel chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, cumin, oregano, etc.

Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla.

Enchiladas are laden with sauce and fillings, and you need a tortilla that will hold up to all the moisture, so you should always opt for corn over flour.

Sharon's tips. To make ahead, cover the unbaked enchiladas and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or wrap tightly with foil and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Corn tortillas are traditional for enchiladas, but flour tortillas also work. Choose 7- or 8-inch flour tortillas or 6-inch corn tortillas—they fit best in most pans. Recipes vary, but for a 3-quart rectangular casserole dish, you will need about eight flour or corn tortillas.

Unless you are baking from frozen, then you will need to keep them covered for part of the baking time so that enchiladas will cook through before drying out. If you want soft, yet not soggy enchiladas, cover for the first 20 minutes of baking, then remove the foil for the final portion of baking.

To keep your enchiladas from getting hard, spread a little of whatever sauce you are using (about ½ cup) on the bottom of the pan before adding enchiladas. This keeps the tortillas from getting tough on the bottom.