CANNING: Enchilada Roja Sauce (Pressure-Canner or Freezer Recipe)
This salsa canning recipe makes a big batch of rich, smoky-sweet authentic red enchilada sauce. Once you try this rich, flavorful salsa roja you’ll want to have a few jars on your pantry shelves all the time. You can use it as the foundation for any number of quick and easy meals. Spend a Saturday afternoon making and canning or freezing this big batch of enchilada sauce, and save a ton of time on busy weeknight meals.
Of course, it makes fantastic enchiladas, but it’s a lot more versatile than that!
- Use your enchilada roja salsa as a simmer sauce for easy one-pan stovetop or baked chicken, beef, pork, or your favorite meat replacement. Makes great tacos, burrito filling, or just serve as a simple entree with a side of rice and beans or a vegetable.
- It makes a zesty sauce for Mexican meatloaf or meatballs (try thinning with stock and simmering with chopped vegetables and the meatballs for an easy caldo de albondigas, or Mexican meatball soup).
- Add salsa to canned beans and meat in a crockpot for a quick and flavorful chili base.
- Add the salsa roja to a pot of seared pork stew meat or chicken along with stock, a healthy pinch of Mexican oregano and canned hominy for an easy pot of posole (top with sliced radishes, fried tortilla strips or chips, avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime).
- Use it as sauce for tamale filling or savory baked casseroles (tamale pie, anyone?).
- Make saucy breakfast burritos or tacos with chorizo, eggs, and potatoes, or mix with scrambled eggs and make migas or chilaquiles with leftover tortillas or chips.
- Enjoy it as a dip for fresh tortilla chips or quesadillas, either straight from the jar or mixed with sour cream, yogurt, or mayo for a zesty crema.
Safe Canning or Freezing Enchilada Roja Sauce
A Note On Pressure Canners and Equipment:
You’ll need a pressure canner to can this salsa safely, but you can always freeze it in meal-size portions or wide-mouth jars (leave room at the top of the jar for expansion and fill regular-mouth jars below the shoulder), or just throw a giant fiesta with your big batch of salsa!
If you’d like a longer explanation of why you need a pressure canner, not a pressure cooker or Instant Pot to can low-acid foods, you should read this detailed article on the subject from the National Center for Home Food Preservation that I have linked. The TL;DR is that to be a USDA-approved pressure canner, the pot must accommodate at least four quart jars vertically with the canner lid closed, have a way to vent steam for the allotted amount of time before pressurizing, and a calibrated dial gauge or weight to verify that the canner is at the proper pressure for the entire processing time.
Recipe Volume and Alternatives to Pressure Canning:
The tested recipe from Ball lists processing times for pint jars only- if you want to store this in quarts you’ll need to freeze it. You can safely can it in pint or smaller jars with a pressure canner (not an instant pot or small pressure cooker). You can also freeze or refrigerate any jars that don’t fit in your canner. Store unprocessed jars of salsa in the fridge and use within 5-7 days, or in the freezer for several months.
This recipe makes 16 pints, which is one full canner load for most common medium-large to large size pressure-canners (any that will fit two stacks of pint jars). If you have a smaller canner that only does a single stack of pint jars, you can halve the recipe or process the jars in two batches (keep remaining sauce hot while the first batch is processing).
As always, can safely but can at your own risk! This is a low-acid canning recipe, so again, do not attempt to water-bath can this salsa, or to can in an Instant Pot or smaller pressure cooker. Safe recipes for water-bath canning are high-acid mixtures. Improperly canning low-acid recipes like this one puts you at risk for botulism, a potentially deadly food-born illness. There is no reason to fear pressure canning when using modern recipes and equipment, but you do need to respect the process!
The only safe way to preserve this enchilada roja sauce and any other low-acid foods is with a pressure-canner, or by freezing or refrigerating the sauce.
This recipe is also a good candidate for dehydrating or freeze-drying, if you have the right equipment. It may stain your fruit leather dehydrator sheets. I have not tried dehydrating this sauce yet, but if you do, let me know how it went in the comments!
Enchilada Roja Sauce Ingredients
This recipe is based on a tested enchilada sauce recipe from Ball, with only safe substitutions made in the seasoning, varieties of dried peppers, and total recipe volume. You can safely reduce or omit the seasonings, but do not increase quantities of onions or other ingredients or make other changes unless you are very familiar with safe, tested canning substitutions. Do not use prepared taco seasoning mixes that contain cornmeal or other starches (check the label- most packets of taco seasoning have unsafe ingredients for canning).
About Acceptable Types of Tomatoes for this Enchilada Sauce:
This makes a big batch of red enchilada sauce, and is scaled for a #10 can of tomatoes (from Costco, Sam’s Club, or your favorite restaurant store). You can also use multiple smaller cans of diced or whole peeled tomatoes (102-106 oz total volume of tomatoes) if you don’t have access to #10 cans. Don’t use tomato paste, but whole or diced tomatoes are fine. You are going to puree the canned tomatoes before adding them to the sauce, so tomato passata or puree should work too (but most tomato sauce is too thin).
You can make the sauce with fresh tomatoes, preferable Roma or other paste style, but there are additional steps if you do. To use fresh tomatoes, you’ll need to first blanch or roast whole fresh tomatoes to remove the skins, and then weigh them with the juice. Sauce made with fresh tomatoes may need to simmer longer to get the right consistency.
About the Dried Peppers for the Salsa Roja:
You can find the dried peppers at most grocery stores, or order them online. They keep well if stored in a cool, dry place, although of course freshly dried chiles will have the best flavor. The original recipe calls for just dried New Mexico chiles, but I have adjusted this to a more authentic mix of dried peppers that will give your sauce a richer, more complex depth of flavor. Don’t be intimidated by the number of dried chiles in this sauce, as they are relatively sweet and mild with a gentle, smoky heat.
Enchilada Roja Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Pressure canner (Salsa may also be frozen. Do not water-bath can this recipe.)
- 16 pint mason jars (can use half-pint jars, or a combination, but not larger jars. Processing time is the same. No tested safe pressure-canning processing time is listed for quarts- you can freeze quart jars but do not can them).
Ingredients
- 18 large guajillo or new mexico chile peppers, dried
- 3 large ancho chile peppers, dried
- 3 large pasilla chile peppers, dried
- 1 quart boiling water 4 cups
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 10 cups coarsely chopped onion about 7-8 large, but measure the cups as "large" varies
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- #10 can whole peeled tomatoes in sauce 106 oz (6# 10 oz of peeled fresh tomatoes with juice)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cumin, ground
- 1 tbsp coriander seed, ground
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne or ground red pepper can sub paprika for milder sauce
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
Instructions
Enchilada Roja Sauce Instructions:
- Pick over the dried peppers and discard any that are excessively dirty. Rinse the dried peppers to remove any dust or dirt. Preheat a griddle or large skillet and toast the peppers a few at a time. Toast for about 10-15 seconds for each side, until fragrant but not burnt. Peppers may puff or blister but do not blacken them or they will be bitter.
- Start to heat a pot or kettle to bring the water up to a boil. Let the toasted peppers cool, then remove the stems and seeds (discard or compost these). Tear or cut the peppers with kitchen shears into smaller pieces (a couple inches each) and place in a large heat-proof bowl or 1½-2 quart pot.
- Pour the boiling water over the toasted pepper pieces, cover the bowl or pot, and let the dried peppers soak to rehydrate for at least 20 minutes (you can put a heat-resistant plate in the bowl to weigh down the peppers or just stir them down occasionally).
- Preheat a large, heavy stockpot or dutch oven (large enough to hold all sauce ingredients, at least 5 quarts) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, and when the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add the minced garlic. Saute lightly, stirring for about 30 seconds, then add the chopped onion and stir again. Add the salt (this will help the onions release moisture so they caramelize without scorching) and sweat the onions for 5-10 minutes, until they are beginning to color. Add the rest of the dry seasoning ingredients (brown sugar, coriander, cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and cocoa powder), stir again, and remove from heat.
- Strain the soaked dry peppers, reserving the liquid. Puree the soaked peppers with one cup of the reserved liquid... add a little more if needed to get a smooth puree. Save the rest of the soaking liquid and set aside in case you need to thin the sauce as it simmers.
- Puree the onion and garlic mixture with the pepper puree (use a bit more of the pepper soaking liquid if you need it to get a smooth puree, but remember that the tomatoes will also add a lot of liquid). You can do this with an immersion blender in the large pot, or in batches with a regular blender- be careful of the hot liquid and use a kitchen towel to hold down the blender lid! Return the pureed pepper and onion mixture to the large pot and stir. Turn heat up to medium.
- Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a regular blender, food processor, or food mill, puree the tomatoes. You can strain them through a coarse wire mesh sieve, strainer, or metal chinois to remove the seeds and any remaining coarse bits of skin or woody stem end if you like.
- Add the tomato puree to the pot and bring the whole mixture back up to a strong simmer or low boil. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings if necessary (using safe seasonings for canning). Stir regularly and let simmer and reduce for 25-35 minutes, or until sauce is smooth, dark, and flavorful. You can partially cover the sauce to reduce splatters but don't cover it completely.
- Check the consistency- you want the sauce to lightly coat a spoon. If it's too thin, simmer longer to reduce, and if it's too thick, thin it out with a bit of your reserved pepper-soaking liquid. You can strain the entire sauce through a wire strainer or chinois if you like to get a smoother, more velvety sauce, or skip this step for simplicity. If you strain it again, use a large ladle to press the sauce through the strainer.
- Follow instructions below to pressure can your sauce. Sauce can also be frozen for several months, or refrigerated for up to a week.
Enchilada Roja Sauce Pressure-Canning Instructions:
- Fill your pressure canner with several inches of water and add the perforated bottom rack (check your canner instructions). Preheat the canner by bringing the water up to a simmer over medium-low heat. Wash your jars and lids with hot soapy water, rinse, and keep hot. Do not boil your lids (except certain types of reusable lids- follow manufacturer instructions).
- Protect your work surface- I like to use a baking sheet pan lined with an old kitchen towel. Place the hot jars on the sheet pan or counter lined with a towel- this helps protect them from temperature shocks and also makes for easier clean-up!
- Using a jar funnel if you have one, ladle the enchilada sauce into the hot jars. Leave 1" of headspace at the top of the jars (slightly more if you are using reusable-style lids with gaskets like Weck or Tattler- check and follow manufacturer instructions).
- Debubble the jars by stirring carefully with a thin spatula, spoon, or debubbling tool to release any trapped air, and wipe the top rims of the jars with a clean paper towel or lint-free cloth that has been dipped in hot water or vinegar to ensure a good clean seal.
- Place the canning lids on the clean jar tops and screw down the rings- don't overtighten, just snug. Using your jar lifter, tongs, or the canning jar rack, carefully place the hot filled jars in the preheated canner. Use a perforated disk or second jar rack for the second row of jars if you are canning the whole batch in a large canner.
- Check that the canner vent isn't clogged and close & seal the lid. Bring the canner up to pressure over medium heat with the vent open, and once the canner is venting a steady stream of steam, set a timer for 10 minutes.
- When the canner has vented for 10 minutes, regulate the heat if necessary and drop the weight over the vent (or close the petcock if you have an unweighted dial-gauge canner).
- Can at 10 PSI (up to 1000 ft) with a weighted canner or 11 PSI on a dial-gauge canner for up to 1000 ft. Ball does not specify the appropriate altitude adjustment for higher elevations, but I would consult the NCHFP charts if this applies to you (if you are canning at above 1000 above sea level you need to increase the pressure in the canner to get the same results).
- Start your processing timer for 50 minutes only once the appropriate PSI has been reached , or when the weight is jiggling to indicate that the proper pressure has been reached. Watch or listen carefully, adjust heat as needed to maintain pressure at or just above the recommended PSI. Reset the timer to zero and restart processing time if you lose pressure below the correct processing pressure at any point.
- After the processing time is complete, turn the heat off. Once the pressure canner has cooled and returned to neutral pressure (the dial will drop to zero, and no steam escapes from the weight or petcock if jiggled) you should open the canner and remove the jars (follow your canner instructions for opening).
- Remove the jars from the canner carefully. Let the jars cool in a draft-free place where they can rest overnight or for up to 24 hours. Don't touch the rings until the jars have cooled and the seals are set (disregard for reusable lids, and follow manufacturer instructions to tighten rings).
- Remove the rings and check the seals on the jars after they have rested at least overnight. Promptly freeze or refrigerate any jars that did not seal and use within a few days, or reprocess within 24 hours with new lids. Gently wash all sealed jars with soapy water, label clearly, and store in a cool, dark place. Protect jars from freezing and safely discard the contents of any jars that lose their seals in storage and sterilize jars before reuse.