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Homemade Enchilada Sauce — From Fresh Tomatoes

homemade-enchilada-sauce-from-fresh-tomatoes

Welcome to the August 16, 2015 edition of Sunday Scratchups — your weekly recipe from scratch around grocery store sales and affordable ingredients. Or, say, garden bounty when it’s in season! This week’s mystery recipe ingredient is again: TOMATOES, just in case your garden is also exploding with fresh tomato goodness.

Make it or buy it: Homemade Enchilada Sauce

old-el-paso-sauce

A lot of the more authentic red enchilada sauce recipes just use chiles as the base rather than tomatoes, but my goal here was to use up some of these garden tomatoes, while also pleasing child palates. I’ve never been too thrilled with store-bought enchilada sauce, so I looked at the ingredient lists of some canned tomato-based red enchilada sauces (Old El Paso pictured above) and figured I could definitely scratch up something fresher and tastier!

Unlike many of the store bought varieties I looked at, my version is also gluten, corn, and soy free.

enchilada-sauce-in-food-processor

It’s also deee-licious, if I do say so myself! Seriously eat-it-with-a-spoon good, and it made for the best homemade enchiladas I’ve ever cooked. I’m going to make another batch today to freeze for homemade enchilada goodness this winter, too.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

a-handful-of-oregano

Ingredients

20-25 small to medium Roma tomatoes
1 small jalapeño pepper
1/2 a medium yellow onion
olive oil
Handful fresh oregano
6 roasted garlic cloves — see note if using fresh
juice of 1/2 a small lime
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp chili powder

Directions

roast-tomatoes

Wash tomatoes, cut off stem end, and slice in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on rimmed baking sheet. Chop onion into large chunks, add to baking sheet. Cut stem off pepper, cut into chunks, add to baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, until tomatoes are wrinkled and starting to brown.

* Note: I had roasted garlic left over from another recipe that I used in the second step below. If you don’t, just add fresh garlic cloves to the baking sheet and roast along with your tomatoes.

add-to-food-processor

Add roasted tomatoes, pepper, and onion to food processor. Add all other ingredients and blend until fairly smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste, if desired, then use in your favorite enchiladas recipe.

That’s some gorgeous enchilada sauce

homemade-enchilada-sauce-2

Plus, this homemade enchilada sauce will make your kitchen smell great from beginning to end. 🙂

So, about those enchiladas?

enchiladas

Stay tuned next week for an easy homemade chicken enchiladas recipe — And, what are some of your favorite recipes using fresh garden tomatoes?

Homemade Enchilada Sauce, printable recipes

Homemade Enchilada Sauce -- From Fresh Tomatoes

Seriously eat-it-with-a-spoon good, and makes for the best homemade enchiladas I’ve ever cooked. This sauce also freezes well.
Course sauce
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 20-25 small to medium Roma tomatoes
  • 1 small jalapeño pepper
  • 1/2 a medium yellow onion
  • olive oil
  • Handful fresh oregano
  • 6 roasted garlic cloves -- see note if using fresh
  • juice of 1/2 a small lime
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 tsp chili powder

Instructions

  • Wash tomatoes, cut off stem end, and slice in half lengthwise.
  • Place cut side down on rimmed baking sheet.
  • Chop onion into large chunks, add to baking sheet.
  • Cut stem off pepper, cut into chunks, add to baking sheet.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, until tomatoes are wrinkled and starting to brown.
  • * Note: I had roasted garlic left over from another recipe that I used in the second step below. If you don't, just add fresh garlic cloves to the baking sheet and roast along with your tomatoes.
  • Add roasted tomatoes, pepper, and onion to food processor.
  • Add all other ingredients and blend until fairly smooth.
  • Adjust seasonings to taste, if desired, then use in your favorite enchiladas recipe.

Notes

Unlike many of the store bought varieties I looked at, my version is also gluten, corn, and soy free.

More Make it or Buy It Ideas

If you’re looking for more “make it or buy it” ideas and recipes, read more here:

Anything else you’d like to see covered in these categories? Comment here!

Recipe Rating




Kk

Friday 17th of November 2023

I was very sorry to discover my blender wasn't working when I put these roasted vegetables in it. So I chopped them up and added them to the refried beans and made burrito filling out of it. This makes phenomenal filling!

Lyn

Tuesday 4th of July 2023

I really wish people would put weights of ingredients like tomatoes and onions instead of how many. Size is subjective.

Carol

Friday 24th of August 2018

Acanthus you use regular tomatoes instead of Roma's?

rachel

Friday 24th of August 2018

Sure. Just adjust proportionally and use fewer tomatoes, if you're using bigger ones.

20 Tempting Tomato Recipes - Wine in Mom

Monday 23rd of July 2018

[…] Homemade Enchilada Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes from Mashup Mom […]

Erica

Tuesday 24th of October 2017

Hi I found your recipe for homemade enchilada sauce. You noted it freezes well, can it be canned in a hot water bath.

Cindy

Sunday 19th of June 2022

@Erica, yes... hot water bath canning this is fine... pints 30 min

rachel

Tuesday 24th of October 2017

I'm sorry, I don't know -- I've never canned.