Do you love Tex Mex food? We sure do here at our house! If you’ve been following us over the years at Cold River Homestead on Facebook or Instagram, you’ve probably seen quite a few Tex Mex meal photos!!! Be it enchiladas, burritos, or the ever so popular huevos rancheros, we are huge fans of this style of food! Sooooo, this week, I am going to share with you one of our favorite sauces… my homemade, super simple ranchero sauce (enchilada sauce) made from basic ingredients that many people have as kitchen staples!
This sauce comes together in 15 minutes and spruces up any Tex Mex meal!
Perfect for a weeknight Tex Mex meal!
Now, yes, typically ranchero sauces are made with fresh or dried peppers (be they guajillo, jalapeño, ancho, etc). However, I don’t always have these around (or can’t always get these), so in this recipe, we are taking a more pragmatic approach by using chili powder.
Whaaaaa???
Does it produce a delicious and super functional sauce that works for your weekday enchiladas, smothered burritos, huevos rancheros, Mexican pizzas, or even chilaquiles?
Absolutely!
Is it the most authentic?
Perhaps not.
However, stick with me. Give the sauce a try. It’s tasty, quick, and easy!
Did I also mention that this sauce is amazingly low in calories? Coming in at a mere 64 calories per generous serving, it leaves you more calories for extra cheese and tortilla chips! Yippee!!!
Now… Are you ready to get started?
Let’s first assemble our ingredients….
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Ingredients for our Ranchero Sauce
- olive oil (I use extra virgin in this recipe)
- fresh minced onion
- minced garlic cloves
- chili powder… the spice blend typically used to make chili. It can either be store bought or homemade. I use this recipe from Whole New Mom for homemade chili powder.
- ground cumin (aka cumin powder)
- all purpose flour
- tomato passata (pureed tomatoes) or plain, unflavored tomato sauce
Here is what I use for tomatoes in my ranchero sauce:
It comes in a 500 gram box, and the only ingredients are pureed tomatoes and salt.
You will also need the following items:
- salt, ground black pepper, and turmeric powder
- bouillon (optional but highly recommended… use your favorite vegetable or chicken bouillon)
- water (this will range from around 3/4 cup to 1 cup, but it will depend on the thickness of your tomato sauce/passata and the thickness you desire your sauce to be)
How to serve the ranchero sauce
Use this tasty mild enchilada sauce to top your favorite dishes!
From enchiladas
To smothered burritos
Or variations of huevos rancheros!
This versatile sauce will soon become a favorite in your household as well!
Did you know you can find this and many of my other recipes on Pinterest?
Ranchero Sauce (Homemade Enchilada Sauce)
Notes
This is a mild enchilada sauce, but feel free to crank up the heat if you prefer!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 500 grams tomato passata or plain, unflavored tomato sauce
- 3/4 to 1 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon bouillon powder (veggie or chicken, optional but highly recommended)
- dash turmeric powder
- dash ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium to medium low heat.
- Add in onions and cook a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add chili powder and ground cumin and cook until onions are soft.
- Add garlic and flour, continuing to stir frequently. Cook for around 30 seconds.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add tomato sauce and 3/4 cup water, stirring constantly. Sauce will begin to thicken as it comes to a simmer.
- As sauce thickens, adjust with additional water until you achieve your desired thickness. (I tend to use between 7/8 and 1 cup water.)
- Add salt, bouillon powder (if using), turmeric powder, and ground black pepper.
- Give it a final taste & adjust any seasonings to your liking. Or add in some spicy heat if you prefer!
- Use the sauce for enchiladas, smothered burritos, huevos rancheros, Mexican pizzas, chilaquiles, or whatever you wish!
Nutrition Facts
Ranchero Sauce (Homemade Enchilada Sauce)
Serves: 8
|
Amount Per Serving: around 1/3 cup
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 64 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 4g | 6.2% | |
| Saturated Fat 0.6g | 0% | |
| Trans Fat 0 | ||
| Cholesterol 0 | 0 | |
| Sodium 533mg | 22.2% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 7.2g | 2.3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 1.9g | 4% | |
| Sugars 3.2g | ||
| Protein 1.4g | ||
| Vitamin A 0 | Vitamin C 0 | |
| Calcium 18mg | Iron 1mg | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Jungle Living with Jill
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