This smoky, delicious Smoky Pasilla Enchilada Sauce recipe is divine with enchiladas (of course!), as well as chicken, steak, fish, pasta, rice or simply for a dipping sauce. 
Cinco de Mayo recipes are here, there and everywhere at the moment. And frankly, there can never be too many recipes for this delicious holiday.
I love creating sauce recipes using different chile varieties, and the smoky flavor of the dried pasillas makes this recipe incredibly delicious!
Now I switch off between this new recipe and the Ancho Chile Enchilada sauce we made last year — which I use on everything from rice and pasta dishes to grilled steak and shrimp — oh yes, and on enchiladas, too!
And check out these super cool snacks from the Don Enrique line at Melissa’s Produce. They’re called Pasta Para Duros and they’re new to me, so I really wanted to share them with you!
Pasta Para Duros are super quick and easy to prepare and they’re quite fabulous dipped into this enchilada sauce, and would also be fun with guacamole or salsa. Delicious!
What a festive appetizer to serve at your Cinco de Mayo party — at any party, for that matter!
What are Pasilla Chile Peppers?
- Pasilla chile peppers are the dried form of the Chilaca chili pepper, a long and narrow pepper.
- Named for their dark, wrinkled skin, they vary in heat from mild to medium-hot, and are rich in flavor.
- In the U.S., Poblanos are often called Pasillas, but from my research, they are indeed different peppers.
While I love this Smoky Pasilla Enchilada Sauce on so many foods — chicken, meat, fish, rice, nachos, and more, I absolutely love it in my
Oh and here are a few more Cindo de Mayo favorites for you to feast on . . .
Enjoy the Smoky Pasilla Enchilada Sauce, and whatever you drizzle it on!
This is not a sponsored post and as always, all opinions are my own. 🙂
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- about 5 medium-large dried pasilla chiles
- water
- 1 cup cooking liquid reserved -- see recipe instructions
- 3/4 vegetable stock
- 4 small garlic cloves, peeled, stems and roots removed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Place the dried chiles in a medium-sized sauce pot and add enough water to cover them.
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Bring the water to a boil and then cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let the chiles hydrate in the hot water for at least 45 minutes.
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Remove 1 cup of the water from the pot and pour it a blender.
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Then remove the chiles from the pot. (You should have about 1 cups worth.) Use your hands or a paring knife to gently remove the stems and seeds. Then add the chiles to blender.
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Add the stock, garlic, cumin, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
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Purée until the sauce is completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
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Pour the sauce into a storage container and keep refrigerated until you're ready to use it.
Oh my gosh! Those pasta para duros are so cool! I can’t wait to try them!
I had no idea they’d puff up like that. So cool! And tasty, too.
Duritos are so addicting. I was just talking about them last night. We always had these at home growing up. The pinwheels and the flat long ones. I like the long ones because you can scoop up more stuff with them. Now I need to stock up on some chiles and duros because my mouth is watering. Thanks for all the great recipe ideas.
Thank YOU, Blanca. I so appreciate your continued support! XOXO
Hello. I was thinking this sauce would be great in a corn, black bean and red pepper salad or a pasta salad with beans? What are your thoughts?
Ann, my thoughts are that, that sounds fabulous! YUM! 😀
The sauce is TDF. And I saw the Pasata Para Duros at my Food City the other day – all kinds of them. I meant to ask what they are and how to prepare them. Definitely worth knowing they are good for dipping!
So cool you saw the Pasta Para Duros before you saw this. Love that I addressed this question for you. 😉 xo
The sauce looks amazing. What I’m more happy about are the fried pasta which is so common in Indian cooking too. Love this one.
Thank you so much! Yes, I’ve had some similar Indian treats/snacks and love them! 🙂