Enchilada Sauce

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Enchilada Sauce in a jar is a great meal starter, and this simple pressure-canning recipe for enchilada sauce will allow you to make it ahead and preserve it on your pantry shelf.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Canning Time50

Total Time1 40

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Tomato Sauce

Servings: servings (8 pints)

Equipment

Ingredients

12 dried New Mexican chile peppers
2 cups boiling water
4 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 cups coarsely chopped onion about 4 large onions
6 cups canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground red pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep the Chiles

Begin by rinsing any dirt off the dried New Mexican chiles and patting them dry with a paper towel. Place a griddle or large skillet on high heat and toast the chiles for 8-10 seconds on each side, just until they begin to puff and blister. Be careful not to burn them, as this will make the sauce bitter.
Once cooled, remove and discard the stems and seeds from the chiles, then tear them into large pieces and place them in a medium-sized bowl.
Cover the chilis with the 2 cups of boiling water and let them sit for about 20 minutes, until softened. Drain the chiles, but be sure to reserve 1 cup of the soaking liquid for later.

Make the Sauce

In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (about 6 quarts), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the coarsely chopped onions. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Once softened, uncover and continue cooking, stirring often, for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the onions become a deep caramel color.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, brown sugar, chili powder, salt, cumin, ground red pepper, and the softened chiles (along with the reserved soaking liquid). Remove the pot from the heat and let everything blend together.
Working in batches, transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. (Alternately, use an immersion blender.)
Pour the pureed sauce back into the Dutch oven and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring often. The sauce should thicken and darken in color as it cooks.

Pressure Canning

Fill your pressure canner with about 2 inches of water and bring it up to a gentle simmer (around 180°F).
Ladle the hot enchilada sauce into the warm jars, leaving about 1-inch of headspace at the top. Remove any air bubbles, and wipe the rims of the jars clean. Center the lids on the jars and screw on the bands until they are fingertip-tight.
Place the jars on the canner rack, making sure they aren’t touching each other. Secure the lid on the canner, vent steam for 10 minutes, and then bring the pressure to 10 pounds (psi) for a weighted-gauge canner or 11 pounds (psi) for a dial-gauge canner. Process the jars for 50 minutes, adjusting pressure to altitude (see notes).
Once the canning time is up, turn off the heat and let the pressure in the canner return to zero and cool completely. Allow the canner to cool for 5 more minutes before removing the lid. Carefully remove the jars and transfer them them to a towel on the counter to finish cooling completely.
Check seals, clean jars, and store.
Properly canned and sealed jars will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months, and be good to eat as long as they're sealed. Refrigerate after opening.

Notes

Pressure Canning Altitude Adjustments

With pressure canning, the processing times stay the same at higher altitudes, but the pressures change. Here are the altitude adjustments for pressure canning:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure

Nutrition