Enchilada Sauce for Canning

Enchiladas are one of my husband's favorite dishes that I make. These pseudo-homemade Mexican-inspired delicious babes have made their way into my regular dinner rotation. See my recipe for Clinton's Favorite Chinchillas here.

Recently, I found a recipe for Enchilada Sauce in a super, duper old canning cookbook and decided to give it a try. First batch was... alright. Nothing special. The second batch (after some modifications to the recipe and technique) turned out amazing and tastes even better than the filled-with-who-knows-what from the store. Don't get me wrong, I fed my family the canned version for a long time, but after making this recipe, I don't see myself ever turning back.

Please note that most recipes for Enchilada sauce call for a thickening agent, and are meant to be used "fresh" and not preserved. It's recommended that you do not include flour, butter, or milk in anything that you're canning. This recipe can be used for preserving or used right away.

From Around the House

• Immersion Blender, Food Processor, Blender or Potato Masher
• Large sauce pot or stock pot
• Sieve or fine strainer
• Stainless Steel Bowl
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Spatulas
• Water Bath Canner
• Canning Tongs
• Clean Dish Cloth
• Towels

From the Store or Garden

• Enough Tomatoes to fill your pot about 2/3 full. (I used Early Girl)
• Hot Peppers (I used salsa chiles)
• Red Onion
• Dried Oregano
• Ground Cumin
• Ground Cayenne
• Wildtree Garlic Galore Blend
• Wildtree Fiesta Salsa Mix
• 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
• 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sugar
• Salt and Pepper

The Recipe

Dice the Tomatoes, Onions and Peppers

Roughly chop your tomatoes, onions, and peppers. You don't have to core or seed the tomatoes, because you're going to strain them later. For less "heat" in your sauce, take the seeds out of the peppers. Start your Water bath.

Simmer and Blend it Up!

Toss it all in a pot and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use your immersion blender (or work in small batches in your food processor/blender) until the mixture is smooth, and there are no chunks left. Spend the time to do a good job now, it will save you time and energy later.

Strain Away!

Use a measuring cup or ladle to transfer your blended-up mixture into a strainer. You can separate the strained mixture into a stainless steel bowl or another stock pot.

Put some Muscle Into it!

Use a spatula to push the mixture through the sieve until only the seeds, peels and leftover pepper/onion chunks are left. This takes a little while, and your arm might get sore, but try to smash out as much as you can. 

Choose Your Spices

These are the spices I had on hand, so they're the ones I used. If you don't have these blends, don't worry. But I'll shamelessly plug Wildtree. Your cooking cabinet isn't complete without some Garlic Galore. Buy it now, thank me later.

Return to Stove, Add Spices

We like spicy sauce, so I added:
- A heaping palm full of Oregano
- Two teaspoons of Cayenne (heat!)
- A heaping palm full of Cumin
- Two tablespoons of Garlic Galore
- Two tablespoons of Fiesta Salsa Mix
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
- 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Sugar to taste

Simmer, Jar and Process

Allow the mixture to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you stir, take a taste and add spices to suit your flavor. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar; for tang add more vinegar or lime juice; for more spice, add cayenne.
Use a ladle to transfer to hot jars, wipe off rims, add rings, and process for 20 minutes. Cool on a towel and check the lids for a good seal.