Enchilada Sauce substitute

Substitutes for Enchilada Sauce with ratios

1. 2Dried chilli sauce from guajillos and anchos

   Close match

   Makes about 2 cups: 5 dried guajillo chillies plus 2 dried ancho chillies, stemmed and seeded, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ cups of the soaking water

   Toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for about 30 seconds a side until they smell fragrant, cover with boiling water and soak 20 minutes, then blend with the garlic, spices and soaking liquid and strain.

   What changes

   This is better than any can. It tastes deeper, fruitier and more complex, with a soft raisin-and-coffee sweetness and only mild heat, and the colour is a darker brick red. The only cost is 30 minutes and a trip to the Mexican aisle.

   Best for

   enchiladas rojas, when you want the best version rather than the fastest, birria and braises, pozole rojo, freezing in batches

   Toast the chillies briefly and watch them - burnt dried chilli turns the whole sauce bitter and there is no fixing it, so pull them the moment they smell toasty. Strain the blended sauce through a sieve; the skins never break down fully and unstrained sauce feels gritty. Guajillo gives brightness and colour, ancho gives sweetness and body, so use both if you can. Add a splash of vinegar at the end if it tastes flat.

2. 3Salsa or taco sauce, blended and thinned

   Different taste

   1 cup salsa blended with ⅓ cup broth or water, plus 1 tsp chili powder and ½ tsp cumin

   The fastest fix if there is a jar of salsa in the fridge.

   What changes

   What changes is the flavour direction: salsa is fresher and sharper, built on ripe tomato, raw onion, lime and often cilantro, so the finished dish tastes brighter and more like a tomato bake and less like the earthy, toasted-chilli sauce enchiladas usually have. Adding chili powder and cumin closes most of that gap. Bottled taco sauce is even closer, since it is already smooth and spiced.

   Best for

   weeknight enchiladas, cheese and bean fillings, enchilada casseroles, when you have salsa but no chili powder

   You must blend it. Chunky salsa leaves pieces of onion and tomato between the tortillas, and the tortillas will not roll or lie flat, so the dish comes out lumpy and dry in the gaps. Thin it until it pours easily off a spoon. Avoid fruit or corn salsas and avoid anything labelled restaurant-style chunky unless you blend it hard.

3. 4Canned red chile sauce or Hatch red chile sauce

   Close match

   Use the same amount

   Sold near the enchilada sauce and often cheaper.

   What changes

   New Mexico style red chile sauce is made from a single variety of dried red chilli with very little else, so it is a straight swap in texture and thickness. What changes is that it is usually less seasoned - fewer background spices, a purer and slightly hotter chilli flavour, and less tomato sweetness. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and oregano per cup and a pinch of sugar and it lands exactly where you want it.

   Best for

   any enchilada recipe, New Mexico style stacked enchiladas, smothered burritos, green chile alternatives

   Check the heat level on the label. Hatch red chile is sold mild, medium and hot, and hot New Mexico chile is considerably hotter than standard canned enchilada sauce, so taste before you commit a whole pan. If it tastes raw or sharp out of the can, simmer it for five minutes with a teaspoon of oil.

4. 5Tomato paste, water and chili powder

   Close match

   Makes about 1 ½ cups: 3 tbsp tomato paste, 1 ½ cups water or broth, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp oil, ½ tsp sugar

   The bottom-of-the-cupboard version, for when there is no tomato sauce and no salsa.

   What changes

   Bloom the spices in the oil, stir in the paste and cook it for a minute until it darkens, then whisk in the liquid. Compared with the tomato sauce version it is a touch deeper and more concentrated but also thinner and less rounded, so the half teaspoon of sugar and a splash of vinegar at the end matter more here to keep it from tasting sharp and metallic.

   Best for

   emergency enchiladas, small batches, when you only have tomato paste

   Cook the tomato paste in the oil for a full minute before adding liquid. Raw tomato paste tastes tinny, and that flavour does not cook out once the sauce is thin. If the finished sauce still tastes harsh, another pinch of sugar and a teaspoon of vinegar will fix it faster than more simmering.

5. 6Marinara or pasta sauce with chili powder and cumin

   Different taste

   1 ½ cups marinara, thinned with ½ cup broth, plus 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp smoked paprika

   This is the honest least-bad option and it is worth being clear about it.

   What changes

   Marinara is built on garlic, basil, Italian oregano and often sugar, and those flavours do not disappear under chili powder, so the finished dish tastes like a slightly confused Italian-Mexican bake. It is edible and children usually like it. Add the chili powder and cumin generously, use smoked paprika to fake some of the toasted-chilli depth, and expect a sweeter, herbier result than real enchilada sauce.

   Best for

   feeding people who are not fussy, cheese enchiladas where the filling carries the dish, last resort when the shops are shut

   Thin it. Marinara is far too thick to be enchilada sauce and thick sauce is the single most common reason homemade enchiladas come out dry and doughy in the middle. Pick the plainest marinara you have rather than anything labelled basil, roasted garlic or vodka. If it is very sweet, a teaspoon of vinegar helps pull it back.