1-minute enchilada sauce from spaghetti sauce

Name: 1-minute enchilada sauce from spaghetti sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: dinner
Ingredients: 1 cup spaghetti or tomato sauce, any preferred; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon cumin; 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder; salt and pepper to taste, if needed

Published by Meaghan on July 29, 2016 · 24 Comments

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Need a quick enchilada sauce without a grocery store run? How to make 1-minute homemade enchilada sauce from spaghetti sauce.

how do you make homemade enchilada sauce?

Now, when I say “homemade enchilada sauce,” I’m taking some liberties. I’m sure that chefs who are purists about authentic Mexican and Italian cuisine are shuddering at this hack. And shudder away. This move from Italy to Mexico in seconds saves me many minutes at dinnertime and it tastes delicious.

So I’m mighty proud of this 1-minute “homemade” enchilada sauce from spaghetti sauce I created. (Disclaimer: If you have to search through your cluttered spice cabinet to find the right spices, as I do, this may take two minutes. Or, if you have trouble opening the jar of sauce, two and a half minutes.)

quick weeknight dinner

Here’s the deal. If you add spices to spaghetti sauce you get enchilada sauce. Or, a sauce that isn’t really but sure as heck tastes like it.

Because this sauce is so easy, I make enchiladas alllll the time. It’s a quick weeknight meal to make. As for the tomato sauce, use any of your favorite store-bought jars, cans or homemade. I’ve used store-bought plain sauce, sauce with basil and herbs, sauce with cheese, even sauce with wine. It all works, pretty much.

The sauce is quite forgiving. Add a little more or less of spices to your taste. Need more than a cup? Double the recipe. Or just pour a little extra tomato sauce in the bowl and use heaping teaspoons of the spices.

I added salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, basil, oregano, and chili powder to spaghetti sauce. You can also add some onion powder, if you like. I live in a house with a staunch no-onion eater, so I didn’t. (Eye roll-sigh.)

enchilada recipes

Come back tomorrow and I’ll share with you my recipe for chicken and kale enchiladas using this sauce. And if you like that, you’ll love my smoky chipotle chicken and kale pot pie.

Want to make more than enchiladas? I found a few ideas for you.

This roundup from Home Cooking Memories includes casseroles, lasagna and even mac n’ cheese.

So, if you have a spare few seconds, you can make “homemade” enchilada sauce.

Yield: 1 cup

1-minute enchilada sauce from spaghetti sauce

How to make 1-minute "homemade" enchilada sauce from spaghetti sauce, an easy shortcut recipe adding herbs and spices to store-bought sauce.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup spaghetti or tomato sauce, any preferred
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
salt and pepper to taste, if needed

Instructions

Stir the spices into the tomato sauce to make enchilada sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 47Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 187mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g

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