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Meaningful Eats

Gluten-Free Enchilada Sauce

8 people
Makes about 2 cups of sauce.
The best homemade gluten-free enchilada sauce! This recipe is easy to make and way more flavorful than any store-bought sauce. Plus you can rest easy knowing it's 100% gluten-free!
Use this sauce to make these delicious gluten-free enchiladas!
Course Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine American, Mexican
Diet Diabetic
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 jalapeño seeded and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan, add the onion, jalapeno and oil. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables have softened, 8-10 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, sugar and salt and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. (Optional but recommended: Carefully pour the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth.) Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). 
  • Use the sauce in enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas and more. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Ingredient Notes:
  • Onion/jalapeno: I love the flavor of fresh vegetables in this sauce. After the sauce has simmered you will blend it until it's smooth. The onions/jalapeno will blend up and help thicken the sauce!
  • Tomato sauce: Use a canned tomato sauce you like the flavor of.
  • Chicken stock: You can easily use vegetable stock (or even water) if you prefer. Using a stock will lend more flavor than using water.
  • Salt: Be sure to add an extra pinch of salt to the sauce when it's all finished if needed!
Tip: For a mild sauce remove the ribs/seeds from the jalapeno. For a spicer sauce leave jalapeno seeds and ribs in.

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 576mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 913IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg