This enchilada sauce is my Mother-in-law’s recipe and before she exposed me to it, it never crossed my mind to make enchilada sauce at home. One more fun fact, my mother-in-law grew up in Colonial Juarez and she makes some delicious Mexican food! This sauce is great to make ahead which makes for quick dinner prep on the day you want to eat it.

First let’s start with the sauce. 

Red Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:
7 Tbsp flour
6 Tbsp oil
4 Cups tomato juice – (I usually substitute with 2 cups tomato sauce and 2 cups water)
4 Cups Water
2 Tbsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Taco seasoning
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt – I usually only use a dash of salt

1. In a sauce pan, mix Oil and Flour together with a whisk.
2. Whisk in part of the water, which will make it thicken up.
3. Heat on stove top until it gets nice and hot.
4. Turn down to med-low and whisk in remainder of water and tomato juice.
5. Add in chili powder, taco seasoning, sugar, and salt.
6. After it gets bubbling good, not necessarily boiling, turn it down to a simmer.
7. Let simmer about 2 hours.

Now that we have the sauce, it’s time to make the enchiladas. Here is my prep for making cheese enchiladas.  



Preparing enchiladas
1. Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish.
2. Add a layer of white corn tortillas.
3. Add a another layer of sauce.
4. Add a layer of cheese.
5. Repeat the layers with tortillas, sauce, and then cheese until you reach the top of your dish.
6. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Quinoa Enchiladas:

I recently discovered quinoa and I thought it would be a great addition to the enchiladas. I’ve included the instructions for cooking the quinoa and adding it into the enchiladas.
1. Saute 1 cup quinoa in a sauce pan on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until it starts to pop and crackle.
2. Dump the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse with water.
3. Return the quinoa to the sauce pan and add 2 cups of chicken stock.
4. Bring the quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
5. Now to incorporate into the enchiladas.  Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish.
6. Add  a layer of white corn tortillas, sauce, 1/3 of the quinoa, and a layer of cheese.
7. Repeat the layers with tortillas, sauce, quinoa, and then cheese until you reach the top of your dish.
8. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

If you look closely you can see the quinoa in the picture. My husband really liked it, and the kids were none the wiser. I think I will be adding quinoa to my enchiladas all the time. Enjoy! If you make the enchilada sauce I would love to hear how you like it.