Vegetarian Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

I’ve been on an enchilada bender lately since they are so healthy, delicious and so easy to make. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the pre-processed store-bought brands, and it turns out that most of them are made with sugar or high fructose corn syrup and fatty oils, all of which I am trying to avoid. After trying a few recipes found online, I ended up developing my own sugar-free, veggie-friendly recipe.

FYO, this sauce is also great on eggs or just use as a dip with your favorite tortilla chips.

Vegetarian Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

Prep time

12 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

42 mins

Once you try this recipe, I guarantee you will never buy the canned stuff again. It’s cheaper to make yourself, it tastes better, and best of all, all you need is an onion and some garlic, the rest of the ingredients are staple pantry items.

Author: Contrary Cook

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Yields: 2 Pints

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onions, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I use La Costena brand)
• 6 ounces (1 small can) Tomato Paste
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon cumin (Simply Organic is a quality brand)
• ¼ Teaspoon Oregano
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• ¼ teaspoon koser salt

And here’s how you make it:

1. In a medium saucepan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté garlic and onion and until the onions are soft. Set this mixture aside in a separate bowl.
2. In the same saucepan (no need to clean it) heat the other 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
3. Sprinkle in the flour a little at a time, constantly stirring with a wire whisk until slightly brown, about 4 minutes. We’re making a quick roux here and the bottom might look a little brown and crispy, but no worries, we’ll scrape away all that tasty good stuff later.
4. Add chili powder and stir for another for 30 seconds.
5. Add the vegetable stock, chipotle peppers, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, vinegar, and the onions and garlic. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Use a fork to stir and loosen the brown bits on the bottom. The chipotle peppers in sauce are very spicy, so if you’re afraid of heat, you may want to cut that measurement (3 peppers and some sauce.) Store the remaining peppers and sauce in a ziplock baggie and store in the freezer for the next batch.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered. The sauce will thicken.
7. Let cool and then add sauce to your blender or food processor to smooth the ingredients. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.
8. Enjoy in your favorite enchilada recipe!

Notes

Store the enchilada sauce in pint-sized mason jars in the fridge (the perfect amount for a pan of enchiladas) for up to two weeks. It will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. This recipe makes 2 pints…one for now, one for later.