This enchilada sauce is amazing. It is made from homegrown Roma tomatoes, onions, and garlic. I use it for red sauce enchiladas (beef, pork, or cheese and onion) but can also be used as a sauce in top of tamales. A homemade enchilada sauce that is shelf stable for up to 2 years after water bath canning. There are zero chemical preservatives in this sauce. The ancho chiles give it a mildly sweet flavor and the chiles arbol add a tad bit of heat.
Print Recipe
Enchilada Sauce- Water bath canned
Equipment
- sheet pan
- Large stock pot
- Small cast iron skillet
- Blender
- Strainer
- Funnel
- Jar lifter
- Water bath canner
Ingredients
- 10 lbs Roma tomatoes (fresh or frozen)
- 1 yellow onion
- 10 cloves garlic
- 8 Dried ancho chilis
- 2 Dried Chile arbol
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tbsp Chipotle chili powder
- 2 tbsp Ground coriander
- 2 tbsp Ground cumin
- 1 tbsp Sea salt
- 3/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Place quartered tomatoes, quartered onions, and whole garlic cloves on a sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to char on top and skins are pulling away from the flesh.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, heat a small cast iron skillet over medium heat. Toast the chilis on both sides being careful not to burn them. Once toasted, rehydrate the chilis in a bowl of hot water. Once the chilis are rehydrated, remove stems and seeds.
- Remove sheet pan from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
- Using a tongs, gently pull the skins off of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic and chilis into the blender. Make sure to use any juice that is let on the sheet pan.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the blended mixture into the stockpot.
- Turn burner on to medium heat and add oregano, chipotle chili powder, coriander, cumin, sea salt, and vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- While the enchilada sauce is simmering, prepare the hot water bath.
- Fill water bath canner and turn on to boil the water.
- Wash all jars, bands and lids in very hot soapy water.
- Place the lids into the boiling water bath to sterilize them.
- Using a funnel, fill each jar with the enchilada sauce, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles with a clean knife or bubble popper. Wipe the rim of the jars and carefully place the lids onto the jar. Tighten the bands only fingertip tight.
- Place the jars into the boiling water canner making sure that there is at least 1 inch of water over the top of the jars.
- Place the lid on the canner and set a timer for 40 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat. Leave the jars in the canner for a few minutes while preparing a cooling space.
- Place a cutting board on the counter and cover the cutting board with a tea towel. This is where the jars will rest and cool for 24 hours.
- Carefully remove the jars using a jar lifter and place on the prepared cooling surface. The jars should seal fairly quickly but can take up to 12 hours.
Notes
The boiling water time (processing time) for canning is dependent on altitude. The time listed above is for sea level up to 1000ft.
