Healthy Enchilada Sauce Recipe

I love sharing healthy, simple recipes with all of you girls! I have always been passionate when it comes to healthy eating and I want to prove it can be done really easily!

There is something kind of magical about making dressings or a sauce from scratch, whether it be a healthy pasta sauce or a red enchilada sauce! Okay, it might sound silly but I promise that once you’ve tried this for yourself, you won’t want to go back to sauce from a bottle!

Healthy Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Ready in less than 30 minutes, my healthy enchilada sauce recipe is so much tastier (and better for you!) than store-bought versions. This tasty sauce is vegan and vegetarian-friendly, plus it is dairy-free too. Follow this recipe to see how to make enchilada sauce from scratch!
 

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 13 mins
Total time: 23 mins
Serves: 2 cups
Dietary preferences: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free, Gluten-free

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small brown onion, diced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 long red chilli, sliced
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 400g tinned crushed tomatoes
• 125ml tomato passata
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 125ml salt-reduced vegetable stock. 
   

Method:

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.  
2. Add the oregano, cumin, chilli and salt and pepper, if desired. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring constantly.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, passata, apple cider vinegar and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce has thickened slightly, remove it from the heat and set aside to cool.
4. Using a stick blender, blend the sauce until it is smooth. 
5. To serve the enchilada sauce, add it to your favourite recipe or pour it into airtight containers and store in the freezer for later use. Enjoy!

This healthy enchilada sauce absolutely elevates your enchiladas to a whole new level! 

Uses for enchilada sauce

Obviously, when making healthy enchilada sauce, you probably intend to use it for enchiladas! Sometimes you may have a bit of the sauce left over, though — so you might be unsure what you can do with it. I’ve got a few suggestions for different ways to use the leftover sauce: 

• Make some pita chips and use the red enchilada sauce in place of salsa. Top it with your favourite cheese and some guacamole. 
• Use this enchilada sauce for dipping. It would work really well with some baked sweet potato fries or zucchini fries!
• Add the sauce to some steamed veggies and serve with rice for a quick healthy lunch. 
• Top some grilled chicken with the enchilada sauce for a simple salsa replacement and add a sprinkling of low-fat cheese.  

So many uses for this healthy enchilada sauce!

Does this recipe have you feeling excited about making your own sauce yet?

To me, homemade sauces always taste the best and it’s great when you can use them in multiple ways. Whether you want a tasty way to use grilled chicken or you plan to make enchiladas to share with friends, this recipe for making enchilada sauce from scratch will be so helpful!

Are there any other recipes you want to see get a healthy makeover? Let me know in the comments!