The Quick Method To Amplify Canned Enchilada Sauce - Tasting Table (2024)

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ByAustin Havens-Bowen/Sept. 16, 2023 12:30 am EST

If you're making a batch of enchiladas for an easy weeknight dinner, your go-to might be canned sauce because it saves you a lot of time. To be fair, making enchilada sauce from scratch isn't terribly difficult, but it certainly takes more work than opening a can and pouring out the contents. And while your dish will still be delicious with store-bought sauce, there's a quick method to elevate your canned red or green enchilada sauce so your dish has more layers of flavor. All it takes is a few ingredients already stocked in your pantry and a few minutes of prep time.

It won't take as much effort toamplify a canned sauce as you might think, and the flavors will pay off big time. You can use this method for both green and red enchilada sauce, so that part is up to you. Start with your favorite canned enchilada sauce, then gather the following ingredients:all-purpose flour, butter, chicken or vegetable stock, salt, black pepper, and any of your other favorite seasonings like chili and garlic powders or sazon. You can also sauté fresh garlic cloves, onion, jalapeños, or other peppers if you want a deeper flavor profile.

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Let's begin with why you should use flour, butter, and stock to make that canned sauce even better. For starters, the butter will emulsify and add creaminess to your sauce without taking away the shine from the flavors of the other ingredients. Meanwhile, the flour will thicken the sauce as the stock pulls it all together, and seasonings like chili or garlic powder add layers of flavor before the sauce even touches thecorn tortillas.

If you're using fresh garlic, onion, or peppers, sauté those first in a bit of oil, then combine the butter, stock, and seasonings. 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. We'll let you use your go-to recipe now that you know how to take the canned sauce up a notch, but your next steps will likely involve dunking the tortillas in the sauce, filling and rolling them, then topping with more sauce and shredded cheese. One final tip: You might be tempted to use all of your sauce, but don't overdo it or your enchiladas will come out of the oven soggy. It's perfectly fine to save some for the next night!