Why are you buying enchilada sauce?
We just got back from vacation late Friday night and I was going to make dinner for the family to give Valerie a break. Simple bean and cheese enchiladas; refried beans, corn tortillas, pepper jack cheese, and enchilada sauce. We had the first three things in the house, but no enchilada sauce.
I considered driving out to the grocery store to pick up some more enchilada sauce, but decided to do a quick Google search first to see if there was a recipe to make our own. Third link down, I found this recipe for homemade enchilada sauce. The ingredients were as follows:
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 4 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 tsp. oregano
- 2 cups chicken broth
I had all those spices in the house and the 15 minutes necessary to simmer the sauce. The result was delicious. Two cups of rich, spicy enchilada sauce for probably $0.20 worth of ingredients. Compare that to spending about $1.29 per small can of store-bought sauce (and needing two for a full batch of enchiladas).
Just like making your own bread with a breadmaker, making your own enchilada sauce is a simple way to eat better and save a few bucks in the process.