Restaurant Style Enchilada Sauce from a Can (2024)

FAQs

How do I doctor up canned enchilada sauce? ›

- Add cumin, chili powder, and oregano: These spices will give the sauce a deep and rich flavor. - Add canned green chilies: This will give the sauce a bit of heat. - Add chocolate: This will give the sauce a smooth and rich flavor. - Add beer: This will give the sauce a deep and robust flavor.

To make your canned enchilada sauce taste homemade, grab some butter, a little flour, and some chicken stock. This trifecta of ingredients infuses a canned enchilada sauce with a satisfyingly thick texture and a rich, savory flavor.

Sugar And Flour Are All You Need To Fix Bitter Canned Enchilada Sauce.

Mix in the flour to thicken it, then pour in that canned enchilada sauce, and bring the mixture to a boil. After your sauce is finished simmering, it's time to build your enchiladas.

Sliced radishes, crunchy pickled red onions or jalapenos, lime wedges, and fresh cilantro lighten a heavy, cheesy sauce, lending fresh flavor and bold color. Take simple beef enchiladas in a Tex-Mex direction with dollops of sour cream and chopped raw onion.

A generous sprig or two of fresh herbs like basil, parsley, rosemary, or sage can all amp up the flavor of a jarred pasta sauce. Alternatively, some of those herbs, like parsley, sage, and rosemary, can be great minced up and gently fried into fresh olive oil before adding the sauce to the pot.

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.

To prevent your tortillas from tearing or becoming soggy, quickly fry each corn tortilla in any oil you like for about 10 seconds on each side, until it starts to get crispy but is still pliable. This will add a barrier that will keep the tortilla from absorbing too much sauce, and also adds a little extra flavor.

If it is a red enchilada sauce I would cut it with some tomato puree. Just add puree until you get the flavor you like, then adjust the seasoning with salt and maybe a little lime juice. If it is green enchilada sauce, you could roast some tomatillos, puree them and cut the sauce with the puree.

What takes the bitterness out of sauce? ›

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

If you taste your enchilada sauce and find it has a bitter or sour aftertaste, this could be simply due to the acidity of the peppers or tomato, if added. Not to worry. Mix in agave syrup or brown sugar, starting with 1/2 teaspoon and adding more until the taste is evened out to your liking.

Add seasonings - Cumin, chili powder, Mexican oregano, etc. are great ways to punch up the flavor of canned enchilada sauce. You might also consider adding a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.

A can of enchilada sauce has a long shelf life and can typically last for up to 2 years without spoiling, providing that the can is unopened with no damage. Once opened, the sauce will last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.

Tomato sauce is a good way to replace enchilada sauce if you're looking for a milder alternative. It's easy to take a pre-made tomato sauce and spice it and add other ingredients to get closer to a real enchilada sauce.