A few weeks ago, I thought I saw enchilada sauce on a shelf at Deal Super, a nearby grocery store that carries a lot of American products. And maybe I did. If so, I should have bought every can on the shelf. But then again, maybe I didn’t see it. Sometimes everything blurs together when I’m shopping.

Anyway, when I got ready to make cheese and onion enchiladas, no enchilada sauce. Sooooo…. welllllll…. I made my own. I read a number of recipes and most of them seemed too labor intensive. Making homemade cheese enchiladas is a lot of work without a long, drawn out sauce process.

I put a few recipes together and through trial and error came up with a quick and tasty version, if you are ever in need. Here’s the recipe; it’s quick, simple, and tasty–although a bit unconventional, if you are a true TexMex cook. But the proof is in the pudding… my husband says it’s his favorite.

Coming soon… the recipe for the cheese enchiladas.

Bonnie’s Homemade Enchilada Sauce

2 medium onions, diced

3 cloves of garlic, diced

3 cups chicken stock (canned is good)

3 T tomato paste

1 T cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 T butter

1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne powder (to your liking)

pinch of dried chili flakes

pinch of sugar (a bit more if the sauce is bitter from the tomato paste)

Directions

Add diced onions and garlic to a large skillet with the butter and saute until soft and translucent. Do not brown or burn. Add chicken stock and tomato paste and spices. Stir to combine and gently simmer for 15 minutes.

Now you can let this cool and blend for a smooth sauce or use it chunky as is. I used it chunky. I like the onions in the sauce over the enchiladas. You can use it right away or keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. It will taste better the next day after the flavors fuse.

This will cover a casserole dish of 8 large enchiladas.