Red Enchilada Sauce

I am so glad I read the other reviews before I made this dish. This recipe makes an excellent enchilada sauce with a few changes: 1) use tomato paste instead of sauce 2) use chicken broth instead of water 3) blend the salsa to make it smooth 4) double the chili powder and 5) cook the sauce for several hours, adding broth to maintain a smooth consistency. I made this sauce with Gerry's Chicken Enchiladas, also on this site.

First let me start by saying I am 1/2 Hispanic 1/2 White. This does NOT taste authentic as far as enchilada sauce goes, it DOES however taste really really good. Usually when I try any new recipe here I'll tweek it a bit to my own taste. This is so far the only recipie I have ever come across that I did NOT want to change anything. It is great !!EDIT: I have used 1 can of tomato juice and ommited paste/water. If you do it this way, I'd suggest a long simmer.Also my choice is CALVIN AND CLEOS™ salsa. Tried Pace™/Old El Paso™, even my own home made, but commercially, theres tasted best in at least this recipe. Be warned, the awsome smell it creates may drive you crazy for a while....dang it I'm hungry now ...Gonna make some again this weekend.............. Quick recipe. Make enchilada filling from 2lb hamburger, 1 medium onion, 1lb velveeta cubed, or shredded, and about 1/2 cup of this sauce, roll your filling up,Pour about a cup on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, Place rolled enchiladas in cake pan, pour the rest of this sauce over it all, and top with shredded cheddar, bake for 30 min @ 350. YUMMMM.

If you really like Mexican food, authentic Mexican food, don't use this recipe. It tased more like an Italian sauce, nothing near an enchilada sauce.

This recipe is a keeper. Like other reviewers, I will no longer be using canned enchilada sauce. I never liked using it because it has MSG in it. Now I can make my own MSG-free sauce. I did cut the chili powder in half, since my family does not like real hot things. It turned out to be the perfect amount of spice for us. The first time I made this, I used tomato sauce and it was very watery. The second time I made it, I used tomato paste. I noticed the recipe called for 6 ounces of tomato sauce. Since sauce comes in 8 ounce cans and paste comes in 6 ounce cans, I decided to try it with the paste. It worked out so much better!!! The sauce was not watery like when I used the tomato sauce.

I have been using this recipe for about 6 months and it is the best enchilada sauce I've ever had. True in flavor and fairly easy to make. I normally double or triple it so I can freeze the extra for future use (even better reheated). I let it simmer for about an hour or two just to get it to a thicker consistency and let the flavors meld. I always add some crushed dried chipotle chile pepper and it adds a great smoky flavor. Also a bay leaf or two- just don't forget to take them out before serving. This is a keeper for life- Thanks!!

I made sure to read other reviews before starting. I also decided to use tomato paste rather than sauce. I measured out the 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock and added slowly until the sauce had the right consistency (about 1 1/4 cups). I didn't care for the chunky texture the salsa gave, so I used a hand blender to smooth out the sauce. I have to say this was so easy and I will not bother to purchase canned sauce any longer.

My husband dozed off to sleep dreaming of this sauce after a wonderful cheese enchilada dinner. Thank you so much! I added about 2 tsp. of chicken boullion to the water and used about 1/2 cup of fresh Texas 1015 sweet onion. For the enchiladas, we lightly fried corn tortillas, keeping them soft, and filled them with grated colby/jack cheese and more of the sweet onion. We drenched the pan of rolled enchies with this superb sauce, topped with monterrey jack and baked at 400 until bubbly (10 minutes).

I thought the flavor of this sauce was great, though I did double the chili powder. And, do we think the cook really meant to use tomato paste? I think yes, as the 6oz amount refers to the can size of tomato paste. If she had meant sauce, then wouldn't she have said 8 oz? I made it with the tomato paste, and used 2 cups water, and it was just right.

Excellent! I used a bit more chipotle salsa than was called for, and a touch more chili powder. Definately an improvement over canned sauce!

I really liked this sauce. I read the reviews before I made it and several mentioned that it tasted more like a marinara sauce. I noticed that a lot of people used their Hispanic background as qualification for ripping on this sauce, so I'll use my status as an Italian girl to say this: What the heck kind of marinara sauce has chili powder and cumin! Those are both pretty strong, non-Italian flavors. Anyway, I find this a great alternative to those nasty canned sauces at the store. I only gave it four stars because I didn't feel like it made enough for a 13X9 dish of enchiladas. I'll double it next time. I may even try canning this. Yummy! Update 1/5/11--I have made this several times (omitting the basil) and it is always delicious. Tonight I made it again and when I was cleaning up after dinner I realized that I had forgotten to add the salsa. Yeah, a pretty big oversight. But I'm happy to report that it was still super yummy! It's just good to know.

This recipe is what we call gringo food. All you need is to soak a few red chile pods, preferabally from Hatch, New Mexico, in hot water. Put into the blender with onions, garlic, and salt to taste. Puree, and then put in a strainer and squeeze out the juice and viola enchilada sauce! The recipe has too many ingrdients and taste like it came from a can.

Much better than canned and it's simple to make!

Very good sauce! I tweaked it a bit, using chicken broth instead of water, tomato paste instead of sauce, and taco sauce instead of salsa (I didn't have any salsa on hand). I also increased the cumin and chili powder to give it more of a kick and I added 1 square of unsweetened baking chocolate to deepen the flavor. Next time I think I'll omit the basil, too. I mixed some of the sauce with my shredded chicken (leftover meat from Roast Sticky Chicken on this site) before rolling in tortillas with shredded cheese. Topped with the rest of the sauce and lots more cheese, then baked at 375 for about 20 minutes. YUM! ** Update - I shared some of the leftover enchiladas with my parents and my father just texted me that they are "Out of this world" and "Must have the recipe"!! WOO HOO!!!

I made this with my canned tomato sauce from my 2010's garden. And I used fresh herbs and spices. I cooked it on low for about 30 minutes, It was already thick because I make my tomato sauce thick. It was great! And I needed something quick because I was making chicken enchiladas and I did not want to go to the store. Thanks for posting

Very watery and tasted like Italian spaghetti sauce maybe more like a stir in like a Tossed cold salad..

This enchilada sauce is EXCELLENT. My family LOVED it, even my semi-picky son who doesn't like spicy enchilada sauce, enjoyed it. It was easy to make, so easy that I won't be using those "bitter" can sauces again. It had a milder flavor than I expected, but WOW! I added a little bit of chopped cilantro and 2 tsp of sugar. At first I thought it was going to be too thin of a sauce, but I left it alone and it cooked up just fine. I will definitely make this recipe again and again. Thanks!

pretty good, strong tomato flavor. next time i would try cutting back on tomato paste, but recommended, better than a can any day!

Hmmm. This tastes fine, but is too runny to be considered "sauce." I wish I would have read some reviews beforehand, but b/c I was racing against the clock, I didn't. Many reviewers suggested that the ingredient list is inaccurate. I agree. Tomato paste is sold in 6 oz. cans & tomato sauce in 8 oz. ones. Those who subbed tomato paste for sauce yielded excellent results. I ended up adding a bit more salsa (1/2 c. total), hoping my sauce would thicken, but had no luck w/ that. I then dissolved 1 T cornstarch in 1 T cold H2O, added this "slurry" to my sauce, brought to a slight boil & thickened this way. Next time, I'll substitute tomato paste! And, despite GABESGIRL's comment about this not being authentic.... I can't attest to whether this is or not (I'm not of Mexican descent), but I CAN say it was not bland in the least (or sweet...). I considered Mrs. Epsy's enchilada sauce, but it seemed too spicy for my mom's palate (I was hosting my parents for dinner). Yes, maybe this is bland compared to the "real" thing, but it was perfect for what I needed it to be - a mild, sligtly seasoned sauce to top my spinach enchiladas wtih. NOTE: I subbed dried minced onion for fresh (why chop 1 t worth???) and this seemed to work just fine. :) Oh, and use Mexican oregano. It has a stronger flavor and therefore holds up MUCH better to the strong flavors of SW cooking. Thanks for sharing, Sal. I'm adding your recipe to my "keeper" file right now! :-)

Excellent! I tripled the recipe since I was making 3 pans of enchiladas the next day. I made the following changes. Ran the salsa through the food processor until smooth. Added a few more cloves of garlic & used a shallot finely minced instead of an onion plus some onion powder. Used tomato paste like the other reviewers recommended instead of sauce. Doubled the cumin & used a more chili powder. Plus added some chipotle sauce. Used 4 cups of chicken broth instead of water & let the whole thing simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Made chicken & beef enchiladas the next day. They were to die for. Thanks for the great post.

This is a great Enchilada sauce! I used to always make my enchiladas with a mix sauce, which I was happy to have, but then when I moved to England, there were no mixes to be found. So I made this sauce out of desperation. Now the mix sauces taste terrible in comparison! This sauce has raised the bar for me! :-) Thanks! I'll never go back. :-)

I can’t thank you enough for this wonderful recipe. This is the best especially if you use a chipotle salsa. I didn’t use all the water; just one cup and I added a little sprinkle of flour to thicken it up a bit. I know enchilada sauce is supposed to be thin, but since I can customize it, I prefer a thicker sauce. My husband is usually the chef of the house, but I like to give him a break and make him my guinea pig. I made simple beef enchiladas with leftover beef brisket and cheddar cheese. I baked the enchiladas in your sauce and my husband will not stop praising me about it. I am not the experimental type, but I love a good recipe. This is now his favorite meal. Thank you for sharing Sara!

...traditional enchilada sauce never uses tomatoes...

This was delicious and everyone loved my enchiladas! I followed some of the advice of others and added a bay leaf, used tomato paste not tomato sauce, and used chicken broth not water.

A lot of reviewers have said this is too watery so I reduced the water by 1/2 cup and discovered after baking that this almost ruined the sauce. Do NOT reduce the water. Instead, add the full amount and simmer for the required time. Enchilada sauce is SUPPOSED to be thin. Second, be sure to use quality salsa. I recommend a roasted chipotle salsa. This was an excellent sauce recipe, easy to make, and not too spicy. My husband is very fussy and he liked it too.

I did not have enchilada sauce on hand and found this recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand except parsley (seriously, who needs parsley for anything). This recipe was quick and easy and it tasted much better than the canned stuff you buy at the store. I will use this again! I, too, like super hot, so I just added sliced jalapeno's to the top of the enchiladas and then always use more hot sauce when I eat it. Instead of parsley, you can always add cilantro after baking your enchiladas. Yum!!

Very good! I added a bit more salsa though to thicken is up a bit (1/2 cup total).

I thought this was really good! I was making a dish that called for a can of enchilada sauce, but I didn't have any so I thought I'd give this a go! The only thing I changed was that I only used a scant cup of water (instead of 1 1/2 cups) because I didn't have that much time to let it sit and simmer. It tasted great!

This is better for an italian sauce, just leave out the chili powder. I am a Texas girl and this recipe was not good at all. My husband is a fan of enchiladas, and he asked me why did i use spaghetti sauce? I will never make this again it was awful and I am not sure why it has five stars?! Maybe some people do not know what an enchilada sauce is suppose to taste like......

This was a good recipe. I used tomato paste instead of sauce and used chicken broth instead of the water. Also to spice it up a bit I added a little more chili powder, some cayenne pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce. I also simmered a lot longer than said. A lot of people are saying this tastes like a pasta sauce. Which I tasted it after about 10 min of simmering and it did taste more like a pasta sauce because the tomato flavor was very prominent. I think the key is to simmer longer to let the flavors meld together more. I simmered aprox. 45 min. and the tomato flavor had melded with everything else and it tasted like an enchilada sauce. Good recipe. I will come back to this recipe when I need and enchilada sauce.

This was fantastic, I'll make this regularly! I did follow the advise from the review from mbphilli which was to use paste instead of tomato sauce, to use chicken broth instead of water, to blend the salsa with my immersable blender, and to double the chili powder. I will follow all these suggestions next time too. they also suggested to cook for several hours but I wasn't able to take that much time so I did let it simmer 1 hour instead - it really came out fantastic!

I did not need an authentic enchilada sauce, just something quick to add a kid-friendly zing to "Mild Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas" on this site. A few alterations to this recipe: cut back on chili powder to appeal to kids’ taste buds (1/2 tsp. and will cut back to 1/4 tsp next time), and 1 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes, pureed, and two heaping tablespoons of tomato paste. Omit water. Simmered for 20-30 minutes, and used in place of chopped tomatoes in aforementioned recipe.

At first I thought everyone was being a little arrogant with their comments of "I grew up in Mexico and this is NOT enchilada sauce!", but this recipe just needed...more. More spices. More heat. More onion. More. It's a nice ingredient list, but I would double everything except the water and tomato sauce. Also, I made chicken enchiladas, so I cooked my chicken in the sauce; two birds, one stone!

Fantastic! I simply replaced the tomato sauce with tomato paste and it was wonderful. Great taste and consistency. We had it over tamales last night and are having it with enchiladas tonight! I won't buy or make any other sauce for a while, I'm sure!

I ommitted the basil & parsley & cut down the oregano to 1/2 teaspoon as others have suggested to keep it from tasting "too Italian". I forgot to reduce the water to 1 cup. Next time I will make sure to do that. I had to add cornstarch to keep it from being so runny.

I will never purchase canned enchilada sauce again! I used this recipe last night while making enchildas with Charley's Slow Cooker Mexican Style Beef (also on this site) recipe; the combination was fantastic. Thanks, Sara, I can't wait to try this sauce in other recipes as well.

Very good enchilada sauce. I'm not even a huge red enchilada sauce fan but this was very impressive. Used this in "Beef Enchiladas" also on this site!! The only thing I changed was using tomato paste instead of tomato sauce and not only was it very tasty, but the consistency was great too! Thanks for the tips former cooks and thanks for the recipe Sara!

First a tip to all of the people who have been saying that it tasted too "Italian"...omit the basil and parsley, and if you have been using whole (leaves and pods) oregano instead try using about half the amount of Ground oregano (strangely, there is a Very big flavor difference between using ground oregano as opposed to whole oregano) and you're usually OK. Personally, I don't use the basil myself and I only use a small amount (maybe 1/4 tsp.) of Ground oregano. I also use chicken stock instead of water just for the added flavor. This recipe always comes out wonderfully for me =) Thanks!

This is a wonderful recipe. I wouldn't recommend any changes. A previos reviewer wrote "use less tomato paste next time." It doesn't call for tomato paste in the recipe, only tomato sauce.

This is one of the best enchilada sauce recipes I have found. I made the drip beef sandwiches, also found on this site. We had the sandwiches one night, and I used the shredded beef for the filling in my enchiladas the next night. When the sauce recipe called for water I added the left over broth from the beef instead. I used warm corn tortillas and filled with beef. rolled them and put them in a pan with a little of the sauce in the bottom. Pour the rest of the sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake covered for 30-35 min. at 350.

I read the other reviews and in order to avoid the "rague" flavor I omitted all the "Italian" seasonings (parsley, basil,oregano). I also followed the advise and used tomato paste as well as chicken broth. I also doubled the chili powder and onions. with those alterations it turned out great and much more authentic

Extremely tasty and so much healthier than that store-bought stuff. I followed suggestions to use tomato paste instead of sauce and upped the cumin and chili powder a little....and I added several good dashes of garlic salt...but other than that, followed all directions. I mixed a little into my browned meat and then just filled flour tortillas with the meat and shredded cheese and covered the enchiladas with the sauce, sprinkled more cheese on, and baked for 20 min. @ 350. Yummy dinner!

WOW! Keep this recipe as a staple in your fridge! You'll use it often. As others suggested, I increased the amount of chili powder. How much you increase it will depend on which type of chili powder you use (mild or hot) and how hot you want it. Also use chicken broth instead of water and using tomato PASTE instead of sauce makes this recipe rich, rich, rich! I used the black bean and corn style salsa, running it through the food processor to puree it before adding to the pot. Thank you, Sara!!!

This was my first attempt at making enchilada sauce. I prefer not to buy sauces if I don't have to, too processed. It was delicious! Even my father who hates "new" food and is weary of anything I cook because I like things spicy loved it! He went back for seconds. The only thing I did was use a few shakes of sea salt rather than the measured out 1/8 tsp of salt. Less sale is better.

I made sure to read the reviews and decided to make it with the tomato paste also. The sauce came out awesome! It was a bit like pasta sauce but with a mild kick. I made it ahead of time and simmered it for a few hours, half by itself and half with shredded chicken in it for extra tenderness. Great sauce!! I loved it and will definately use this one again. I also added a little bit of taco seasoning for just the right amount of spice for me. YUM!!

Made as written. Tasted like spaghetti sauce with the oregano and basil. Made it again, doubled onions, added more cumin, chili powder and used tomato paste in place of tomato sauce. Also used chicken broth (homemade) the second time in place of water. This still tasted much like an Italian sauce to me, so I think I'll keep searching. Okay, this time I added about 2T of cilantro and some "Spanish Paprika". It did seem to help, ALOT. So I guess as a base recipe this is OK, but I did change it tons to be more my style.

This sauce has the perfect flavor and is easy to make. I have never liked canned enchilada sauce and will never, ever buy it again. This sauce tastes like high quality restaurant sauce. I used it in the Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas and it was supreme.

A 5 star recipe. This enchilada sauce was amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and it was fantastic with my echiladas. Thank you Sal!

After reading LOTS of reviews, they are correct by saying that this doesn't taste authentic but it was delicious! I made a few tiny changes: After combining all ingredients, I put everything in the blender to make it smooth (not just the salsa) and added some cayenne, crushed red pepper, and cornstarch to thicken since I did not want to use tomato paste and I like a little heat. I increased the onion to a little over 1/8th of a cup and the olive oil to 2(ish) tablespoons. It simmered for about 45 minutes. The salsa I added was homemade. We ate this poured over black bean and green chilies enchiladas and topped with colby-jack cheese. There were no leftovers!

I couldn't believe how incredibly easy and delicious this was! I used this over the chicken enchiladas from this site and it tasted so authentic! A small jar in the grocery store is almost $5, this cost me roughly $1 to make and it tasted so much better!

Loved it. I don't hink I will buy the canned sauce any more!

This was wonderful. I substituted 1/2 tsp onion powder for the onions, omitted the olive oil, doubled the amount of cumin, and used a bit more tomato sauce. I did not even bother cooking on the stove top. I poured the mixture over a pork roast in the crockpot, cooked all day on low, and then shred it with a bit of fresh cilantro and lime juice for a fabulous shredded pork to use in burritos.

I thought that this was very good. I simmered it for a good amount of time and I did double the chili powder, as others suggested. I also should have doubled the recipe for my 9 x 13 pan full of enchiladas(12), but that is probably b/c I used it for seasoning the filling as well. I was able to dilute it enough for this time, butnext time will double so I can have extra. We will be making this again!! : )

FIVE STARS!!! This is an excellent alternative to the regular old canned stuff. I love that I can make it right out of all the stuff in my cabinet. I did make a few changes. I subsituted the tomato sauce for paste & the water for chicken broth. It did end up just a tad thicker than I wanted so I just thinned it with water. Great recipe... not sure I'll ever buy the canned stuff again!

This is very good, and becomes AMAZING with the addition of one more ingredient... Take 2-3 dried guajillo peppers, which are smoky, not spicy. Put about a cup or so of water in a small frying pan, and rehydrate peppers at a slow boil. You should have about 1/4 of water left at the end, which can be added to the enchilada sauce. Then, scrape the meat of the peppers off their skins, and stir these in too - yummy! (And be careful, these peppers are dark red and will stain your cutting board, fingers, etc...but they are ssooooo good, and good in chili too!)

We loved this sauce!! So simple to make and followed the recipe to the letter. I did let "brew" on simmer about double the time suggested. I also doubled the recipe to use with the Chicken Enchiladas I recipe found on this site. What an awesome pairing!! I admit I was skeptical about the "Italian" spices but happily (and somewhat relieved) found they combined and brewed just perfectly with no resemblance to pasta sauce. If you use this recipe to make the one mentoned, may I suggest also preparing the Mexican Rice II recipe and the Canned Corn Casserole recipe also found on this site for an awesome, complete mexican dinner. Also, if you start wit boiling chicken first in water seasoned with chicken bouillon or chicken broth, you can use the same stock water for preparing each of these recips from that point forward using the stock where water is mentioned. :O)

This was soooo good!!! Served over homemade tamales. I used ground red pepper and added a little cocoa. It was very spicy, but that's how we like it. I put it in food processor after cooking to give more of a sauce consistancy. I will definitely make this again. Forget the can stuff forever!!!!!!!!

This is good as far as being a tasty red sauce is concerned. But growing up in a latino household...this is not grandma's enchilada sauce. It tastes like an italian styled sauce more than a latino one. But it is good, with a few tweaks. As others, I used tomato paste instead of sauce, broth instead of water, and doubled the chili powder and cumin. Used it with Shredded Beef Enchiladas, also on this site.

Very,, very tasty... used this on the cheater's enchiladas instead of green sauce and it was great. Makes the kitchen smell nice, too.

I did change this recipe a little...I doubled the recipe & used 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of water...It was a little brown and watery so I added one 12 oz can of tomato paste to thicken it up and give it more of a red color...I also put the salsa in the food processor to make it smoother & I added a little more salsa than was called for...I put it on enchiladas & this was delicious! I usually do not care for enchiladas but I ate until I was so stuffed I couldn't eat another bite...I am glad I doubled this recipe so I can freeze what is left over...This recipe was fast & easy...I will never use any other sauce on my enchiladas...If I could give more stars I would!!

Outrageously simple and delicious. Better than any canned sauce out there. It makes any dish you use it on extra-special. Thanks Sara!!

This was very good. Made exactly according to the directions. Only gave 4 stars because I thought it was a bit thin, but the flavor was yummy and perfect over the top of the Chicken Enchiladas by Julie Moutray on this site. Thanks for submitting Sal. I will definitely make again.

This is very good. I used Goya brand salsa and added additional chili powder as other users suggested. I also used tomato paste, not sauce.

I just made this sauce and I used chicken broth instead of water like many suggested. It is sooooooooo Yummy and it's not even finished cooking. I don't like canned sauce (tastes like metal to me) and now I never have to buy it again! Thanks for a great sauce!

This is the first time I've made an enchilada sauce and this is AWESOME! Had I known how easy it is to make, I would have never bought the canned stuff. I doubled the recipe with a few exceptions...I used 4 tsps. onion, one 8 oz. can tomato sauce (that's the size they come in in my part of the world...6 oz. would be tomatoe paste), and I used chicken broth instead of water (if I had pork broth, I would've used that instead). I used my immersion blender to blend it to a nice, smooth consistency so didn't have the 'Ragu' effect that one writer mentioned. I am using my enchilada sauce for a posole recipe that I am sure will be magnificent. I'll report back.

This is a very easy sauce to make....and it does taste better than the can stuff you get at the store. I am still looking at for that authentic sauce that you get at mexican restaurants. I liked it....and will use again.

Perfect! I added 1/2 teaspoon of cilantro.

Simply amazing sauce!!!

This is one of the best enchilada sauce recipes I've ever tasted. It beats just ab0ut an sauce I have been served in a mexican restaurant. I may substitute fresh cilantro for parsely next time I make it. Jorge

I had a hard time making sense of the split reviews for this recipe. After having made the sauce, I feel that if you are looking for an alternative to an enchilada sauce in jar, this is a terrific recipe. If you are looking for an "authentic" enchilada sauce, look elsewhere. Since I fall in the former, I found that this recipe was easy and tasty.

I was a little disappointed in this sauce because it smelled so good when I was making it and it didn't taste the way I expected it to. I should have listened to the reviews and added more chili powder. (at least another teaspoon) I also found that most of the sauce evaporated while it cooked and left the tortillas a little dry. If the sauce was spicier and if I had used a smaller pan and less enchiladas (I made 8) I think it would have been perfect.

Delicious. I doubled it and added 1T of white sugar and that made it a little tastier :)

This recipe made a weird sauce. It tasted too Italian, just like pasta sauce with chili mixed in. Maybe I'm spoiled because I live in California but I don't see why people love this. Luckily I made it last night for enchiladas that I plan to make tonight. So when I get home and reheat it, I will add some more cumin, more salsa, and maybe a touch of cinnamon to make it more Mexican and less Italian.

this was nice and easy to make. I did add some tomato paste bc I felt it was way to thin so I added little bits till it was think enough for me. I didn't add as much chili powder bc it would be to spicy for my 18 month old. He loves this stuff! people will like more or less of some seasoning but that is really your call when you making it. I like more cumin and garlic in mine ; )

This sauce was great! I used tomato paste instead of sauce and used chicken broth instead of water. It was excellent!

You definitely need to thicken this - I doubled it, used chicken stock instead of water and added a little tomato paste - it was very tastey and I will make again.

I used rotel instead of salsa but this sauce was still amazing. I used it in conjunction to the addictive sweet potato burritos and made sweet potato enchiladas, yummy!

This was jut OK to me. It was very simple to make, but I don't love oregano or basil....makes this sauce taste too Italian. I may use this recipe again, but add a tad more garlic, and omit the oregano and basil.

Based on other reviews I used 6oz tomato paste and replaced the water with chicken broth. I had to scale back the chili powder due to my children so I added a little extra cumin and some onion salt. This is so much better than the canned sauces! I do understand the mixed reviews, the basil does give it an italian flair, next time I will replace the basil with cilantro (fresh is possible) and I expect instant perfection.

pretty good, i agree that its not the normal enchilada sauce but gave me great ideas. I made as written added a little more cumin and chili powder than needed. also added red pepper and chipotle. it was really good with the changes

The sauce was excellent, but I felt like I needed to make some changes otherwise it wouldn't have received high marks! I exchanged the tomato sauce for a 6 oz can of tomato past and used a can of chicken broth which I think gave it a much richer taste than if I would have used water. It was thick and rich. Excellent! I will never purcase enchilada sauce again.

This is good stuff! I took some suggestions from some other reviewers - used tomato paste, cut back on the oregano and basil, added a little bit more chili powder and cumin. I also think that whatever salsa that you use probably affects how good this turns out. I used a chipotle salsa - mmmmm! I used this sauce with the "chili potato burritos" recipe found on this site. It all got rave reviews when I took the leftovers to lunch the next day!

fabulous! Made exactly as described and it was perfect! Thank You!

Ouch. This is so not what I am used to - which is okay as long as it works. This didn't do it for me. This reminded me of pasta sauce. You are far, far better off getting the cellophane packets located in the 'international' section of the supermarket that are marked "Enchilada Sauce" and just add vegetable oil and water or tomato sauce. Those pkgs are fairly inexpensive and are really the best way to go for a good, red enchilada sauce from scratch.

I did not think this was authentic at all. I think the oregano & basil gave it more of a italian feel.

Sal...this is wonderful! I made what I call "enchilada chicken" with this sauce. I made the recipe as listed. I did use tomato sauce, and noticed it was a bit to thin so I added a can of mushroom soup. BANG! That made it just right...thickness perfect. I then added one boneless chicken breast cut into chunks and cooked the sauce w/the chicken chunks for about 20 minutes on the stove top. We put this sauce over bismatti or white rice,grated sharp cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips. My husband requested we keep this recipe around, and to make it again for our next family gathering! Thank you for this tasty, yummy recipe!

The only reason I'd take away a star is, I found it was really runny. And, typically I don't read the reviews before making the recipe. That being said, when it was on the stove boiling I thought it was soup. I added some tomato paste, like others.. and it thickened it up. I like my food -burn your tastebuds-hot so I added a couple teaspoons of tabasco and some additional chili powder, as well as some cayenne pepper. Yum!

This was so good. I slurped it straight from the saucepan. A great way to make quick cheese enchiladas. Much better than store bought--very easy too. I omitted the parsley flakes because I didn't have any and it was still delicious.

I think this is a solid recipe and I love that it is all the things you "should" have on hand in your kitchen. I do have to say that I find it funny when users rate recipes poorly after modifying them to begin with. How does one know if the recipe is good if you don't actually follow the recipe. So funny!

This was a wonderful sauce. I was making enchiladas one night and decided I didn't want the sour cream sauce like normal and I found this one. Not too spicy, not too bland. It was just right for me.

Yum! I made this sauce exactly as is, except I used chicken stock instead of water. Oh my goodness!!! My husband, who typically does not like most enchilada sauces went nuts over this! After the sauce simmered for a half hour, I pureed it with my immersion blender to make it smooth and creamy and it was perfect. For my enchilada filling, I sauteed some onions and garlic and added left over shredded/roast chicken meat. To give it flavor, I added several spoonfulls of my enchilada sauce. I dipped corn tortillas in the sauce, placed the filling in, rolled up and placed in a baking dish that had the sauce on the bottom and topped my enchiladas with the remaining sauce. Perfection. I will never attempt a different red enchilada sauce again. I found the best!

Like other reviewers: We will NEVER use canned sauce again. This MAKES our enchiladas--it's so perfect. Even when I didn't have all of the spices and had to play around with the recipe with what i have, it comes out excellent every time. The author does mean tomato paste, as stated earlier.

Being from California, I'm used to good mexican and can handle the spice. I don't know if I somehow ended up with strongest chili powder on the planet, but this sauce ended up INEDIBLE! My boyfriend just licked his finer after serving himself and began coughing and I ate one piece of zucchini and cannot get rid of the pain in my mouth. So much for dinner tonight.

Wanted something without sour cream or goofy ingredients, so found this one. Very excellent! I saw the 1.5 cups of water, so like others I used Paste instead of Sauce, but that was the only deviation. Turned out yummy. I used this on "Beef Enchiladas II" recipe. For half the enchiladas I mixed some wolf brand chili in the sauce and poured it over because I wanted some chili-style too. VERY GOOD. Thanks for the recipe!

Very easy and good tasting. Canned enchilada sauce is not as good and much more expensive. For convenience sake, I doubled the recipe and froze some.

Custom version of an enchilada sauce I like to use in most mexican recipes, most often would be the Fabulous Wet Burritos. After finding out how easy to make my own was, I've never bought another canned sauce again.

This is the first enchilada sauce recipe I have tried at home and it is great and easy. I followed the recommendations of using tomato paste instead of sauce, doubled the chili powder, replaced the water with broth and let it simmer for a long time. It didn't taste like pasta sauce as a few review said. Perfect!

This recipe is truely the best. It really makes a difference in the outcome of your enchiladas. I didn't change or add anything. Don't make enchiladas without this sauce recipe!

Outstanding enchilada sauce, Sara! I added a bit more cumin (personal preferance) Thanks for sharing.

I used this recipe as a guide to make enchilada sauce for my kids. When I make enchiladas for myself or guests, I only use NM red chile puree that I make on my own (chile pods I sun dry myself), and never just some random chile powder. I rarely cook with chile powder, unless I'm making chili dogs or frito pie, so I had no idea how much to use. This sauce recipe will be extremely thin/runny if you don't start off with a little flour browned in oil. I also used canola oil instead of olive oil. Since I wasn't making spaghetti sauce, I left out the basil, parsley, and oregano. If I wanted to use oregano in this recipe, I would use only Mexican oregano. I also left out the onions (my kids don't like them) and the salsa. I used a pretty good quality chile powder, so it was able to stand on its own pretty well when using my own enchilada sauce making techniques. I basically only needed the recipe to help me figure out how to make a sauce that wasn't too spicy for my kids. I never thought of adding tomato sauce, so that was an idea I thought may work. Armed with the tomato sauce info and chile powder measurements, I was able to make a sauce that my kids could eat. Even though I didn't follow the recipes exactly, I learned that adding tomato sauce cuts down on the spicy factor. Thanks for sharing your recipe.