This Enchiladas Rojas recipe is going to knock your socks off! A handful of ingredients makes an incredible Red Enchilada sauce full of Mexican flavor that infuses everything you put it on. The smell when this is cooking is amazing!
About Enchiladas
Hey friends! If you’re like me, one of my favorite things to eat are enchiladas. Any kind will do. Do you agree? I also love entomatadas which are very similar to enchiladas (but it’s tomato based). If you haven’t had those, I suggest you check them out!
Since I eat these enchiladas so often, it was about time I shared the recipe with you! I can’t believe it took me this long.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Ingredients
There are many versions of enchilada recipes on the web but the key to making really good ones, is to make an authentic enchilada red sauce. The traditional version is made with chiles secos (dried chiles) instead of using chili powder.
Ingredients for the Sauce
- 8 guajillo or new mexico peppers
- 1 ancho chile
- ¼ of a large onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt + ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups stock (either vegetable, beef, chicken stock will do). Alternatively, you can use water plus 1 bullion cube (vegetable, beef or chicken).
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce
Ingredients for the Enchiladas
- Enchilada Sauce
- Corn tortillas
- Oil for frying the tortillas
- The filling -For enchiladas rojas de queso, use crumbled queso fresco or cotija.
- For beef enchiladas, use shredded beef (follow directions from my Carne Deshebrada post).
- For chicken enchiladas, use homemade shredded chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- For a vegan version, fill with Frijoles Refritos or Calabacitas.
- Toppings: Shredded lettuce like romaine or iceberg, queso fresco, and radishes.
** Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
Make The Enchilada Sauce
- Remove all seeds and stem from the peppers then rinse under cold water to remove any dust.
- In a medium pot, add the chiles, onions and garlic clove. Add enough water to cover the chiles.
- Cover and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until very soft and pliable. Rest chiles in the water for another 10 to 15 minutes to cool off and finish hydrating the chiles .
4. Transfer chiles to a blender or food processor and add 2 cups broth. Puree for about 1 minute. Note: you can do this in two different batches if the blender isn’t big enough for all the ingredients at once.
5. Strain the pureed chiles to remove the remaining seeds and skins (tip: push the chile mix with a spoon to get the most out of them).
6. In a large saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the pureed chiles and tomato sauce. Cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
Making Authentic Enchiladas Rojas
- Add about ¼ cup of oil to a small or medium skillet. Heat on medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (but not smoky), add one tortilla at the time and cook each side for about 4 to 5 seconds or until tortilla is lightly fried.
Note: The tortillas should still be pliable for folding so make sure they’re not fried too long. Check out this video on how I fry the tortilla lightly.
As you fry each tortilla, drain any excess oil by tapping it into the pan then place on a plate with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas and add more oil if necessary.
2. To assemble the enchiladas, dip each tortilla into the warm sauce and place on the serving plates.
3. Fill with your favorite filling. In this case we’re using crumbled queso fresco but you can use shredded chicken, beef, beans or your favorite cooked vegetables.
4. Either fold the tortilla like a taco or roll them as pictured below. I like to add a little more sauce on top for extra flavor. I can’t get enough of this enchilada sauce!
6. Sprinkle with queso fresco and other toppings you choose. I like to squeeze some lime juice to balance all of the flavors but that’s up to you. Try it out and see if you like it ?
Make Ahead & How to Store
- Make ahead: The best thing to make ahead is the sauce. Chill in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to four days. To reheat, place in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
- Freezer: Place in an airtight, freezer safe container or freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Enchiladas
Enchiladas are a dish that goes well with many things. You can serve them with Arroz Primavera or a side of Frijoles Charros. However, my perfect combination is the following:
- With a big bowl of Mexican Sopa.
- And if you didn’t use these as fillings, you can serve them with Frijoles refritos or Calabacitas as pictured below.
- Also with Champiñones (Mushrooms Mexican Style) or Espagueti Verde. Whatever you pick as a side dish, I’m sure you’ll love it!
Enjoy…
More Mexican Recipes
If you like these enchiladas, I bet you’ll love these recipes too! I hope you give them a try:
If you enjoyed this recipe I’d love it if you take 5 seconds to rate and review it below on the blog. It’s also super helpful to me and other readers if you share any changes you made to the recipe. I’m so grateful you’re here!
Print Recipe:
Authentic Enchiladas Rojas
Ingredients
- 8 guajillo or new mexico peppers
- 1 ancho chile
- ¼ of a large yellow or red onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cups stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken). Or use water plus 1 bullion cube (vegetable, beef or chicken).
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 3 cups enchilada sauce
- 14 corn tortillas
- oil for frying the tortillas
- 2 to 3 cups queso fresco, or shredded beef or chicken
- 2 cups Shredded lettuce (romaine or iceberg)
- 1 cup queso fresco
- sliced radishes
Instructions
Make The Enchilada Sauce
- Remove all seeds and stem from the peppers then rinse under cold water to remove any dust.
- In a medium pot, add the chiles, onions and garlic clove. Add enough water to cover the chiles.
- Cover and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until very soft and pliable. Rest chiles in the water for another 10 to 15 minutes to cool off and finish hydrating the chiles.
- Transfer chiles to a blender or food processor and add 2 cups broth. Puree for about 1 minute. Note: you can do this in two different batches if the blender isn't big enough for all the ingredients at once.
- Strain the pureed chiles to remove the remaining seeds and skins (tip: push the chile mix with a spoon to get the most out of them).
- In a large saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the pureed chiles and tomato sauce. Cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
Make The Enchiladas Rojas
- Add about ¼ cup of oil to a small or medium skillet. Heat on medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (but not smoky), add one tortilla at the time and cook each side for about 4 to 5 seconds or until tortilla is lightly fried (See notes section)
- As you fry each tortilla, drain any excess oil by tapping it into the pan then place on a plate with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas and add more oil if necessary.
- To assemble the enchiladas rojas, dip each tortilla into the warm sauce and place on the serving plates.
- Fill with your favorite filling. In this case we're using crumbled queso fresco but you can use shredded chicken, beef, beans or your favorite cooked vegetables.
- Either fold the tortilla like a taco or roll them as pictured below. I like to add a little more sauce on top for extra flavor.
- Sprinkle with queso fresco and other toppings you choose. I like to squeeze some lime juice to balance all of the flavors.
- Buen provecho!
Muy Delish Notes:
- Frying the Tortilla:The tortillas should still be pliable for folding so make sure they’re not fried too long. Check out this video on how I fry the tortilla lightly.
- Make Ahead:The best thing to make ahead is the sauce. Chill in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, place in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. The sauce can also be frozen in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Add Your Own Private Notes
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.
Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
My husband made this last night we did have to make some adjustments. The written directions don’t say to remove the chilies from the cooking water so my husband added it all. Then he read the part that said to add 2 cups of broth so he used Better than Bullion veggie paste to the liquid and that helped. The taste was off so he had to add cumin powder chili powder and salt and that helped a lot . Apparently he just told me he didn’t use a mesh stainer so that likely affected things as well. He said he would make it again the correct way.
Outstanding – thanks for all the effort putting these recipes together on your site.
No, that was too much tomate sauce.
Hi Josie, did you try the recipe? Thanks for the feedback
Thank you so much! I wanted to mix up Thanksgiving this year so I made these and they were delicious!!
I love that you made the enchilada sauce from scratch. I’ve yet to be impressed by canned premade sauces but this one was fantastic and brings such immense flavor to the dish!
I love the rich Mexican flavors in these enchiladas!
These look amazing, and super comforting. You can’t beat homemade enchilada sauce.
Such amazing flavours but most importantly so tasty! My whole family love this enchilada recipe.
What a great recipe! Your step by step instructions are ultra easy to follow and the flavors came out so good. Can’t wait to make it again!
Love all your recipes Ana. Good luck to you and your family in Portugal.
Thank you so much Sara! I look forward to testing and creating new recipes for all to enjoy! Stay safe! xo, Ana
I gave you five stars even though I haven’t made this yet because your recipes are always so clear and concise and foolproof! Plus I love your helpful tips and photos.
Wishing you and your family many blessings in this new chapter of your life. I’ll be looking forward to reading about your adventures.
Hi Rita! Your well wishes and comment mean so much! Thank you!!! I will definitely be keeping people updated on the new adventures. If you’re ever in Portugal, be sure to let me know!
XO, Ana
These enchiladas taste amazing! The red sauce has the real authentic Mexican flavor that my mom used to make. I made it with rotisserie chicken and can’t wait to make them again!
Thank you so much Monica! I’m so happy this recipe reminded you of your mom! It always warms my heart to hear this 🙂
Wish you all the best!
Ana