How To: Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Welcome to my third installment of “HOW TO” Wednesdays! This 4 weeks of “how to” will be on seasonings that you can make straight out of your cupboard to save you a little cooking time or spending money. This week spices things up with some Homemade Enchilada Sauce.

We used to have cans…and more cans…and more cans of enchilada sauce on hand. We would double or triple stock up on the stuff since we used enchilada sauce in a lot of recipes. Obviously, we love tex-mex food, spicy food, enchiladas, spicy soups, and much more…so I have no idea why I had not been making my own enchilada sauce any sooner! Our friend Alison, food blogger at gimmesomeoven, was the first one to make me realize that I could make my own homemade enchilada sauce. Ever since I have been hooked! We like ours especially spicy, but depending on the pepper you use will depend on the heat levels. We actaully had some dried ghost peppers that were given to us…so our personal version had an especially potent bite…yikes!


Check out my other favorite homemade seasonings: Italian Dressing Seasoning, Pumpkin Pie Spice and Garlic & Herb Seasoning (how-to coming soon)!
Homemade Enchilada Sauce

modified from gimmesomeoven

What You’ll Need:

  • 4 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 2 small dried chiles, rinsed, soaked (soaking liquid reserved), and minced
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. oregano
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

How To: Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add chiles and garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds. Then add in flour and spices and cook for another minute.
  2. Add in bouillon cubes and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 15-18 minutes until thick.
  3. Reserve in an air tight container and refrigerate for later use.

How To: Make Homemade Italian Dressing Seasoning

Welcome to my first installment of “HOW TO” Wednesdays! The next 4 weeks of “how to” will be on seasonings that you can make straight out of your cupboard to save you a little cooking time or spending money. This week is one of my favorites, Homemade Italian Dressing Seasoning.

I love making my own salad dressings. Not only can I make them just the way I want them to taste, but making homemade dressing also allows me to cut out extra salt and sugar found in pre-made dressings. I also love using fresh seasonings in so much more than salads. I add them to pasta sauces, marinades, casseroles, and crock pot meals all the time. I usually have a few already mixed seasonings that I will create in batch one day so that I have a reserve for when I need to make quick dinner. My favorites to have on hand are: Italian Dressing Seasoning, Garlic & Herb Seasoning (how-to coming soon), Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice (how-to is here!), and Homemade Enchilada Sauce (how-to is here!).

Italian dressing happens to be one of my favorite salad dressings and seasonings. Usually it is my “go-to” during the summer when we are cooking on the grill all the time. Just marinade a few chicken breasts overnight and *bam* you have a healthy dinner ready to be grilled up and eaten. I also love a salad with fresh greens and a few veggies and this is always my dressing of choice. So, here is “how-to” #1!!

Homemade Italian Dressing Seasoning

What You’ll Need:

- 1 tbsp garlic salt
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp ground oregano
- 1 tbsp parsley flakes
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. salt (you can adjust to your own preferences)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil leaves
- ¼ tsp dried thyme flakes
- ½ tsp dried celery seeds

-For seasoning: You will need an airtight container to store seasoning until use.

-For dressing: You will also need 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of water, 1/2 cup olive oil.

How To: Make Homemade Italian Dressing Seasoning

Makes approx. 4 ounces of seasoning

  1. Mix all of the spices in a small bowl until well mixed. You can taste test to made sure you have the desired amount of salt & sugar .
  2. If using as a seasoning for later use, store in the an air tight container.
  3. For making into salad dressing, mix together the dry seasoning with 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/2 cup olive oil (you can substitute canola oil for olive oil). To make this really easy, add all of the ingredients into your salad dressing bottle & shake until well mixed.

My Tools:

KitchenArt Adjustable Measuring Spoon

Stainless Steel Prep Bowls Set with Lids

Tablecraft Salad Dressing Bottle W/Cork