Homemade Ranchero Sauce

When I was a kid I would always order chimichangas when we dined out at Mexican restaurants.  That's when you could eat whatever you wanted and the no one, including your favorite jeans would give you any grief about what you ate, how much cheese it had on it, or whether or not it was fried.  I always picked the beef chimichangas with the Ranchero Sauce.  That was my fave.  I noticed sometime back, when looking over the menu, that the chimichangas came with the option or queso or chili sauce.  No mention of the beloved, red ranchero sauce.  I asked Mr. Devilish Dish if he could work on that.  I said, "I'll come up with a somewhat healthier option for a chimichanga if you can come up with a ranchero sauce that I like."  Game On!  This is one of my favorite recipes that he makes.  I think it would be great served on just about anything from enchiladas to burritos, but my favorite is serving it on top of his famous BAKED CHIMICHANGAS.

One of my favorite sauces.  It is especially
good served atop Baked Chimichangas.

The ingredients. It's one pot cooking after
you get the chiles roasted and peeled.
(You can grill them or roast them in the oven)

Once the onion and garlic are
sautéed, the sauce comes together
quickly and easily.

If you have an immersion blender
you can puree the sauce right in the pot.
If not you can carefully transfer to a blender.

Now you have a smooth, vibrant red, delicious sauce.

This is so good on tacos, burritos, enchiladas,
or my favorite way: 
BAKED CHIMICHANGAS!

HOMEMADE RANCHERO SAUCE

2 poblano peppers, blackened and peeled
1 jalapeno pepper, blackened and peeled
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of one lime

Blacken peppers on a cookie sheet under the broiler until the skins begin to blister and blacken.  Remove to a paper lunch sack, close sack and let sit for several minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic.  Sauté for 2 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients except the peppers. and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove the skins and seeds from the peppers.  Coarsely chop them and add them to the sauce.  Cook another 5+ minutes until sauce thickens slightly.  Process sauce in a blender or food processor until desired consistency.

Prep Time:  Approximately 30 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 20 minutes

NOTE: This recipe was originally published on 10/2/13 and updated on 3/5/26