Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is green enchilada sauce made of? ›

What is green enchilada sauce made of? Green enchilada sauce, or verde sauce, primarily consists of tomatillos, green chilies, onions, garlic and lime juice. Sometimes spices such as cumin are included, as well as cilantro.

For a quick green enchilada sauce

All you need to do is cook the store-bought salsa verde with store-bought stock to the right consistency. Then add some lime juice and salt to your taste. You can also make the salsa verde from scratch, and use it to make enchilada sauce as well.

Add stock - Chicken, beef, or vegetable, stocks pack a ton of flavor - because they are prepared by simmering bones and vegetables in water for hours, often with herbs and spices until the flavor is extracted - and can instantly elevate the flavor of canned enchilada sauce.

Red enchilada sauce may also be called salsa roja, salsa roja para enchiladas or mole rojo. It is a sauce made out of ancho/ pasilla/New Mexico and/or Cascabel chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, cumin, oregano, etc. all blended together then simmered until thickened.

If you are making enchiladas, you may be wondering, “Which sauce should I use?” This is an excellent question, and the most straightforward answer is whatever you prefer. If you are making beef enchiladas, it is more common to pair them with a red sauce, and chicken enchiladas usually have a green sauce.

No need to buy pre-made enchilada sauce with this tutorial for homemade enchilada sauce from just a jar of tomato sauce! Just mix on the stovetop and you have enchilada sauce ready in under 10 minutes for a delicious base for your next Mexican fiesta!

Red enchilada sauce is made with red chilies (in this recipe, ground red chilies or chili powder). Green enchilada sauce is made with green chilis, tomatillos, and sometimes jalapeños, so it tends to have a larger heat range. It can be spicy, but doesn't have to be.

Typically, green enchilada sauce is mostly used when cooking enchiladas, while salsa verde is used on a variety of dishes, including tacos, just like any other salsa or hot sauce.

Shortly, they share almost the same ingredients: green tomatoes (tomatillo), garlic, onions, water or chicken stock, salt, serrano or jalapeño chiles. But some recipes call for cummin, cilantro, lime juice, black pepper or sour cream (like enchiladas suizas). Also another difference is the texture of the sauce.

Toppings: When it comes to enchiladas, I vote the more toppings the merrier! Any combination of chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, diced red onion (or quick pickled red onions), sliced radishes, fresh or pickled jalapeños, sour cream or Mexican crema, and/or extra cheese would be delicious!

How do you thicken green enchilada sauce? ›

Or alternately, you can thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cold water and cornstarch whisked together, then added to the sauce once it has reached a simmer). Storage instructions: Let the sauce cool to room temperature.

Before you assemble your enchiladas, heat the sauce up and whisk in a little flour and sugar to taste. The flour will neutralize some of the bitterness and thicken the sauce a bit in the process. This can be a good thing, too, as canned enchilada sauce is usually a little thin in consistency.

Fry each of your tortillas in hot oil before adding in your enchilada filling. This will help keep the tortillas from soaking up too much of your sauce too quickly, which can also cause them to break apart.

Taco Sauce

It's meant as a condiment rather than a cooking sauce. Fortunately, that problem can be pretty easily fixed by adding water, stock, tomato juice, or another thinning agent. You might need to add a few more spices or aromatics to your meal, but you'll be able to get a similar flavor.

Salsa verde is really easy to make from scratch, all you need are tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro. To make the salsa verde, you will need to cook the tomatillos, which you can do by either boiling them, broiling them in the oven, or pan roasting them.

Typically, red hot sauce is flavored with ripened red chilis and is typically a lot hotter than green. Red also typically has what many people describe as a more “earthy” taste, while green tends towards a “fresher” taste.