GORDON RAMSAY RECIPES INGREDIENTS: homemade enchilada sauce

A deeply satisfying meal is never far away if you have a jar of this easy-to-make homemade red enchilada sauce in the fridge.

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me why I like to make things like enchilada sauce from scratch. My simple answer? Because I can. Of course there are added benefits like knowing exactly what’s in it, being able to control sodium levels, or the fact that is usually ends up tasting way better. But really, I do it for the simple satisfaction that it gives me to know I can make it myself.

I’ve been making my own green enchilada sauce for a few years, but I just started experimenting with red versions. I’m kicking myself for waiting so long, because this sauce is ridiculously good – I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go back to canned sauce. It’s earthy and smokey and perfectly balanced. The flavor is big and bold, but not spicy (although you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper if you want more heat). It’s also really easy to make – even easier than marinara! And the satisfaction you’ll get from making your own enchilada sauce? Priceless.

I’ve been on a meatball kick lately, and adore cooking them in this sauce and serving them over soft polenta. It’s equally as delicious over spinach, poblano, and cheese enchiladas.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Small packets of dried ancho chile peppers can often be found in the spice or Mexican section of your grocery store. I’ve also had good luck finding them in bulk bins.

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 4 cups

Ingredients

4 dried Ancho chile peppers, stems and seeds removed
2 cups water
1 can (15 ounces) fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 clove garlic
½ teaspoon cumin
½ cup low sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt

Preparation

In a large pan set over high heat, toast the peppers 1-2 minutes or until warm and fragrant. Add the water and reduce the heat to low. Cook 10 minutes, or until peppers are soft and plump.
Add the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, and 1 cup of the cooking liquid to a blender container. Cover and blend on high until smooth.
Return to the pan and add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer; cook 10 minutes. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and season to taste with salt.

Notes

Sauce will keep refrigerated for about a week or can be frozen for several months.

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Meatballs in Homemade Enchilada Sauce

I love serving these meatballs and sauce over creamy polenta with lots of garlicky sautéed spinach.
The sauce will reduce and thicken as the meatballs cook; if you prefer a thinner sauce, stir in ½ cup to 1 cup of chicken stock.

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork or turkey
1 small onion, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
2 carrots, shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, minced
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups homemade enchilada sauce (recipe above)

Preparation

Add the pork (or turkey), onion, carrot, garlic, and jalapeno to a mixing bowl. Use your hand or a sturdy wooden spoon to combine. Mix in the breadcrumbs and egg.
Gently roll the mixture into 16 balls (about 2 inches each) and arrange in a large pan. Pour the enchilada sauce over top. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through – about 15 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 320 Fat: 6.6 Carbohydrates: 25.8 Fiber: 2.7 Protein: 35.4

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Shredded chicken enchiladas covered in a mildly spicy, creamy poblano sauce. Make plenty, because they’re even better the next day!

Remember that time I gave away a Vitamix blender, despite not actually owning one myself? Well, the nice people at Vitamix saw my post and decided that they should remedy that situation. They sent me my very own Vitamix 5200, along with the challenge of using it in healthy recipes every day for a week so that I could get used to it and learn how versatile it is. I’ve had it for about two weeks now, and I’m definitely loving it! Even reading through the cookbook that it came with was exciting – there are so many things that this little machine can do, it almost feels like it’s straight out of The Jetsons or something. I’ve found myself reaching for it way more often than I ever imagined I would. (For example, all those onions I wrote about over the weekend? They’re chopped up and packed away neatly in my freezer, where they’re taking up far less space.)

This week, I thought I’d share a few of the recipes that I made last week. Don’t worry – you don’t need a Vitamix to make them yourself, a regular blender or food processor will work, too (there might be a few tweaks needed, but I’ll make sure to point them out in the recipes.) Here’s the exciting part though – they’re giving me a second one to give away to one of you! I’ll post more details about that later this week, so be sure to check back.

After breaking the blender in with a batch of frozen margaritas, I settled down and decided to make some actual food. These enchiladas covered in a mildly spicy, creamy poblano sauce, were inspired by some that I recently had at a restaurant. The sauce whips up easily in the blender while the chicken cooks on the stove, then it gets popped into the oven just long enough to melt some cheese on top. I was really excited by the idea that the Vitamix is so powerful that it can heat food up, so I used it to get my sauce piping hot. Since most blenders won’t be able to do that, you can transfer the sauce to a pot and heat it up on the stove, or add another 15-20 minutes to the baking time to ensure that the sauce is heated through.

(Speaking of being able to make things hot, if you have a Vitamix and haven’t made hot chocolate in it yet, what are you waiting for?! I’ve been making this Vitamix hot chocolate from Nutmeg Nanny just about every night. It’s so delicious, and even skim milks ends up getting a super frothy cappuccino-like foam on top.)

Chicken Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce

I prepared the poblano sauce for these enchiladas in my vitamix, but you can also use a regular blender or food process. Just puree the ingredients until smooth (juice the lime instead of adding it whole) and heat the sauce in a pan until warm. I added a jalapeño because I like things spicy, but you can leave it out if you don’t want the extra heat.

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 8

Ingredients

For the Enchiladas:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon green chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
3 enchilada size tortillas
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
red onion and cilantro for garnish, if desired

For the Poblano Sauce

2 cups chicken stock
2 poblano peppers, stem and seeds removed
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño pepper, stem and seeds removed (optional)
1 lime, peeled
1 cup light sour cream
⅓ cup cilantro
salt to taste

Preparation

Heat your oven to 350ºF. Rub the chicken breasts with chili powder.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep sided skillet. Add the chicken and cook until just browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Add the chicken stock and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked through and the liquid has reduce to about 2 tablespoons. Cool and shred.
While the chicken cooks, prepare the poblano sauce by adding the chicken stock, poblano, garlic, jalapeño (if using), and lime to a vitamix blender. Blend on high for 4-5 minutes, or until steam starts to escape from the lid. Add the sour cream and cilantro; blend another 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt. (You can also use a different blender or food processor to blend the ingredients until smooth, then heat the sauce in a pan.)
Pour about ½ cup of poblano sauce into the bottom of a baking pan.
Divide the chicken between the tortillas and roll; place into the prepared pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with finely diced red onion and jalapeno, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 517 Fat: 24.8 Carbohydrates: 31.4 Fiber: 1.5 Protein: 41.8

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Looking for more homemade enchilada sauce? How about one of these?

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Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Tag: homemade enchilada sauce

Meatballs in Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Chicken Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce

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