Red Enchilada Sauce

If canned enchilada sauce is not your thing, here is a good recipe for a simple enchilada sauce. You can easily modify the sauce with less or more spice, depending on your tastes.

Red Enchilada Sauce

2 Tb. olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp salt (use less if your chili powder has salt in it)
1 tsp. oregano, optional
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk it with the heated oil. Add the tomato paste and whisk well. Add all the spices and whisk until well mixed. Add the chicken broth and whisk until the sauce is smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat, then turn the heat down and simmer for at least 10 minutes. You can simmer the sauce longer if you want. Taste the sauce and add more salt if desired, or more chili powder if you want the sauce to be spicier.

Melinda's Notes: I tried some different recipes, and they were all a little lacking. Adding the cocoa powder somehow elevated the flavors, making this into a good enchilada sauce.