Enchilada Sauce

The inspiration for today's recipe comes from my favorite California resident, Jeanette. She shared her recipe for enchilada sauce after I complained about how much it cost to buy it in those little cans. Her recipe tasted so much better than the store bought! 

Jeanette is a homeschooling friend from across the country. After years of sharing parenting advice and recipes with me, I finally got to meet her when hubby's company sent us to CA for a week. I can't tell you what a treat it was to meet some of her family and go explore Santa Monica Pier and the Promenade with them. Definitely the highlight of my trip. Now I can't call her an imaginary friend any more. ;o)

Pictured below is the finished product of our Crock Pot Enchiladas. I'll be posting that recipe next.

I made minor changes to Jeanette's recipe suit our family's tastes and to make it into a bulk recipe. Notes below. 

Leni's Notes:
~When we make enchiladas, they go fast, so we always make a huge batch. Hence, this sauce recipe is a quadruple batch.
~The resulting sauce will freeze well in casseroles, but I wasn't crazy about the texture if we just froze the sauce.
~This works great with gluten free flour and regular flour, so adjust to fit your needs.
~As written, this will give a mild heat to your dish. If you like things spicier, add in more chili powder at the end to reach your desired taste.
~Makes 12 cups

Ingredients:
1/2 C oil
1/2 C flour (white, rice, GF blend - they all work)
1/2 C chili powder
32 oz tomato puree
8 C water
1/2 C dry, minced onions
4 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin 
1 tsp garlic powder


Instructions:
Heat oil in dutch oven. When oil is hot, add in flour and chili powder, whisking to combine.
Continue to heat mixture, whisking regularly, for about one minute.
Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 min., stirring occasionally.
You can start making enchiladas at this point or cool and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Enchilada Casserole recipe to come next week!