Deb, here are a few that I have tried. My favourite is the Green Chile Sauce that I use on stacked enchiladas.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Enchilada Sauce
===============

Source:Barbara Hansen's Mexican Cookery

4 tablespoons oil
5 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 garlic clove

2 to 3 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil and add the flour, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add the chicken broth.

Enchilada Sauce
===============

Judy Howle
Flavors of the South
Hot and Spicy Cuisine

1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup onion, finely minced
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
10 long red chiles or 1/2 cup pure ground red
Chile
2 cups water
2-3 Tbsp. flour (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt (use less if you use tomato sauce, as it is salty)
2 fresh tomatoes, pureed or 1/2 to 1 can tomato sauce
.

1. Put chiles and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for
15-20 minutes. Remove chiles and cool under running water. Reserve
cooking water. Cut off stem, cut chiles in half and remove seeds under
running water. Cut in pieces and place in blender with 1 cup water.
Blend well to puree. Strain if desired.

2. In a toaster oven or in a skillet, brown the flour a little.

3. Place oil in saucepan and saute onion. When transparent, add garlic
and saute for one minute. Add flour to mixture and stir well for 1
minute. Add chile puree and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add reserved
cooking water plus extra water to thin if necessary. Add salt and
tomato or tomato sauce, if desired. Simmer for at least 10 minutes, or
while you prepare the other ingredients for enchiladas.
Will keep in refrigerator for 1 week or may be frozen.

Green Chili Sauce (from Stacked Enchiladas)
Source: Southwest Cookbook

1 Jalapeno chili seeded and diced
1 garlic clove crushed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tomatillos, husked and diced (or use canned)
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
2 new Mexico green or Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced.
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, place the jalapeno , garlic, green onions, tomatillos and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat' reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup about 15 to 20 minutes.

Pour the chicken stock mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the Anaheim chilies, cilantro and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add the cream and mix again. Serve warm. Keep 1 to 2 days refrigerated.

I've been using Tyler Florence's recipe for years. It's easy and good. It's from his "Ultimate" series.

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa, Beans and Rice

Ingredients

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:

1 pound tomatillos, husked (or, substitute canned out of season)
1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, storebought is fine
Chopped cilantro leaves
1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded (or, roast your own)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10 large flour tortillas
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups sour cream
Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish

Spicy Black Beans, recipe follows
Yellow Rice, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the salsa:

On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Enchiladas:

Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.

Serve hot with Spicy Black Beans and Yellow Rice, the remaining tomatillo salsa, sour cream and fresh guacamole, if desired.

Spicy Black Beans:

2 cups (about 1 pound) dried black beans, picked over, soaked overnight
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, soak beans overnight covered in water by 2 inches. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and bay leaf and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water by about 1-inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Taste the beans and season with salt and pepper.

Yellow Rice:

2 cups long-grain rice
4 cups water
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf
Put all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice has absorbed the water, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and serve.

/tricia

Here's how I make chili sauce, which is what I use for enchilada sauce:

Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

4-5 whole Ancho chilies
3 whole Pasilla chilies
2 whole Guajillo chilies
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 cups water
1/8 tsp salt, or to taste

Directions:

Slit the chilies down one side and remove all seeds (and attached membrane). Combine chilies, onion, garlic, and water in a saucepan. Simmer for 1/2 hour until the chilies are very soft. Remove the chilies with 1 cup of cooking liquid, blend them with a stick blender to a coarse chop, and then put them through a food mill or sieve to remove the skins. Return the pureed chilies to the pan and cook for 30 minutes more. Puree the entire mixture with a stick blender and add salt to taste.

Makes about 2 cups. (Note: you can use pasilla and guajillo chilies interchangeably, if you do not have both - or you can use all Ancho chilies and increase the quantity.)

__________

You can buy enchilada sauce that is similar - I think La Victoria brand uses the same ingredients that I do. This is a mild sauce, but if you want it hotter, you can add chipotle, cayenne or Chile de Arbol - chipotle chilies will give it a smoky flavor, which you may or may not want. I often make it with habanero chilies because I have been growing them, but then it gets very hot. I like to make this basic sauce and then add other ingredients to make variations. To make Yucatecan style enchiladas, I add achiote paste to it and usually some tomato paste and oregano.

Lars

I was just logging in to search for a enchilada sauce recipe. I made the butternut squash enchilada that mabelgeldine posted in the vegetarian casserole post. It was nice but I think the generic canned sauce I used was very mediocre.

Are any of these sauce the kind that can be made ahead and frozen?

GWlolo,

All may be frozen. If there is any separation upon thawing...just give a quick whisk to blend. I freeze enchilada sauce frequently - almost always have some in my freezer for a quick dinner plus Mexican is our favorite cuisine.

/tricia

Oh, they ALL sound good! Thanks all! I've cut & pasted to try them each. And I had the same question about freezing. Good to know!

I freeze Ann's Green Chili Sauce all the time. It's super easy and makes quite a bit.

I was watching to see if Teresa would post her recipe but since she hasn't I hope she doesn't mind if I do. It also freezes well.

Texas Red Enchilada Sauce
Posted by TeresaNC

2 TB butter or margarine
2 TB flour
5 t. red chili powder - plain ground red chile, not a blend with garlic, oregano, etc.
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
2 t. garlic powder
6 oz. tomato paste
2 1/4 cups water
salt and pepper

Teresa's note: instead of the tomato paste and water, I used about 3 cups of crushed tomatoes because I was making pizza sauce at the same time and had opened a huge can of crushed tomatoes

Melt butter/margarine in a sauce pan. Make a roux by browning flour in melted butter. Add spices and paste; stir until well blended into roux. Add water gradually, stirring constantly. Heat until boiling. Simmer and stir until desired thickness is achieved. Taste often and adjust spices as needed. Use immediately for a pan of enchiladas or cool, package, label and freeze.

Linda

I freeze Ann's Green Chili Sauce all the time. It's super easy and makes quite a bit.

I was watching to see if Teresa would post her recipe but since she hasn't I hope she doesn't mind if I do. It also freezes well.

Texas Red Enchilada Sauce
Posted by TeresaNC

2 TB butter or margarine
2 TB flour
5 t. red chili powder - plain ground red chile, not a blend with garlic, oregano, etc.
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
2 t. garlic powder
6 oz. tomato paste
2 1/4 cups water
salt and pepper

Teresa's note: instead of the tomato paste and water, I used about 3 cups of crushed tomatoes because I was making pizza sauce at the same time and had opened a huge can of crushed tomatoes

Melt butter/margarine in a sauce pan. Make a roux by browning flour in melted butter. Add spices and paste; stir until well blended into roux. Add water gradually, stirring constantly. Heat until boiling. Simmer and stir until desired thickness is achieved. Taste often and adjust spices as needed. Use immediately for a pan of enchiladas or cool, package, label and freeze.

Linda

I use Tyler Forence's chicken enchiladas recipe as well, but it's different than tricia's, using frozen corn, chicken breasts, chipotle peppers.

I make this enchilada sauce Makes 2 1/2 cups

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup chili powder
jalapeno pepper seeded and diced or a bit of adobo sauce if using it in the enchilada recipe
2 cup chicken stock
6 oz tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin

Heat oil and add flour, smoothing with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Cook 1 minute Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Add jalapeno or adobo sauce, chicken stock, tomato paste and cumin. Bring to boil, reduce to low and cook 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

I also make a Mexican blend spice and keep on hand to use in the enchilada recipe, tacos, taco salad and anywhere where I want a spicy, smoky kick.

2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne

I have made the sauce from this recipe many times. It's a very good enchilada sauce.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Vegetable Enchiladas

Chili powder is never as good as using whole chilies when making chili or enchilada sauce, but you can make your own chili powder from whole dried chilies by grinding them up in a coffee grinder that you do not use for coffee. Be sure to remove all the seeds first and tear or cut the chilies into pieces before putting them into the coffee grinder. You may want to toast the dried chilies before grinding them, if you find that they still have too much moisture in them. I find this helps with Ancho chilies, especially the ones that are very wrinkled. I just pass them over a flame a few times or heat them in a skillet to remove the moisture. You can also put them in a 200 degree oven for 10 to 20 minutes instead.

Lars

Thanks for the additional recipes! I'm going to eventually try them all. The fam is on a stacked enchilada kick...so I'll get through all the recipes sooner than normal! :)

This is the simple sauce used in many, many Texas kitchens. It is so very, very good.

Chili Gravy

The lifeblood of old-fashioned Tex-Mex, chili gravy is a cross between Anglo brown gravy and Mexican chili sauce. It was invented in Anglo-owned Mexican restaurants like the Original Mexican Restaurant in Fort Worth.

1/4 c lard (or vegetable oil)
1/4 c flour
1/2 t black pepper
1 t salt
1 1/2 t powdered garlic
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano
2 T chili powder
2 c chicken broth (or sub water)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and stir for 3-4 minutes, or until roux is light brown.

Add the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending. Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust thickness, if necessary. Makes 2 cups.

If you want a meat gravy, brown 1/2 pound ground beef and add 1/2 chopped small onion and add to spices before adding the broth.

I've made Walnutcreek's recipe many times when I was younger, but I used 1/8 tsp cayenne instead of the black pepper. It's very typical of enchilada sauce that I remember from when I lived in Texas.

There used to be an enchilada group at Yahoo, and it had hundreds of enchilada recipes.

Lars

A while ago I posted on the Harvest Forum looking for a canning safe recipe for enchilada sauce. I used the recipe jimnginger posted from Reading Lady and it is pretty good. I did not can it, but froze it, but will probably can some now that I have a batter pressure canner,

Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest Forum enchilada sauce

I think the secret is using lard.......
I use Wondra flour, lard and chile powder and chicken or beef broth when I am in a hurry.