Roasted Pumpkin Seed Enchilada Sauce
While we love a traditional red or green chile sauce, we wanted to elevate our enchilada game. Enter roasted pumpkin seeds. These seeds add a crunchy, fragrant element to the typically smooth sauce. Combine with the earthy heat from our Hatch Green Chile Powder, Crushed Hatch Green Chile Flakes, and a few fresh ingredients for a creamy, unexpectedly delightful flavor profile. Enchilada night just got a whole lot tastier! Enjoy!
Takes: 30 minutes
Makes 4.5-5 cups
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds or pepitas
4 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 serrano chile
1 jalapeño chile
2 Anaheim peppers
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Desert Provisions Crushed Hatch Green Chile Flakes (more or less to taste)
½ bunch cilantro (optional)
Dash of apple cider vinegar or piñon vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roughly chop onions. Halve peppers lengthwise and remove stem (remove seeds if you want a less spicy version of this sauce). Toss chilies, onion, crushed garlic with olive oil. Roast on parchment paper on a baking sheet in the upper rack of the oven for 25 minutes. At 15 minutes, toss to redistribute and roast another 10 minutes or until onions and chiles start to blacken.
While ingredients are cooking, dry roast pepitas and Crushed Hatch Green Chile Flakes in a cast iron skillet over medium heat while constantly tossing (to avoid burning). Seeds will start to crackle and then pop and smell nutty (although these are seeds, not nuts). Continue to roast about 2 minutes after seeds begin to pop. Remove from heat and pan and place in a small bowl to cool.
Carefully remove baking sheet and place all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Add roasted pepitas, Hatch Green Chile Powder, Sonoran Sea Salt, a dash of vinegar, and cilantro (if using). Pulse until ingredients begin to create a paste. Caution: Contents will be hot if you don’t let the pepitas cool so be mindful when pulsing. Slowly increase speed and add chicken broth until fully pureed.
Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Here you can add more salt or chile powder. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days before use in an airtight container or use immediately to make enchiladas or chilaquiles.
Cook's notes: This sauce is best used with corn tortillas to make enchiladas or chilaquiles. Use your favorite enchilada recipe and sub the red or green chile sauce for our version (check out our Veggie and Black Bean Enchiladas for a must-try option). Like it spicy or more mild? No problem. Remove the seeds from the chiles if you want a more mild version or leave them in (or add more) if you want it super spicy. Not into enchiladas? You can use this sauce to poach chicken, fish, or eggs. If all else fails, pour over rice and add your favorite veggie or protein.
