The enchilada sauce I buy on repeat

Red enchilada sauce is a Swiss Army knife ingredient, a fluid tool for all kinds of meals. For years I extolled the virtues of chef Rick Bayless’s Frontera brand enchilada sauce, and like a hapless commoner provoking the mirth of Olympian Gods, it somehow disappeared from shelves, mocking me with its absence. Well, I am happy to report I have found a replacement.

365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Red Enchilada Sauce isn’t going to blow your mind, and that is exactly the point. Neither did Bayless’s version for that matter. I am not asking you to eat it right out of the jar; you would be disappointed, and I would look dumb. Its value is in its reliable flavor and a ability to kick-start whatever you’re making on a busy night.

The sauce eliminates the need to source and rehydrate dried chiles, many of which require a trip to a specialty store or Latin grocer. I am happy to do this for dishes that embrace chiles’ full star power, like Chili Colorado and Salsa Macha. But for weekday cooking that only calls for gentle, earthy heat and flavor as an accent, I just don’t have the time.

Beyond the chiles, the sauce is well-balanced. It incorporates cooked tomato, which brings both umami and sweetness, some much-needed acidity, and a silkier body to the sauce. Then gentle aromatics like onion and garlic keep the flavor just vague enough to allow for infinite possibilities.

My weekend chilaquiles can swallow an entire jar, delivering just the right amount of heat and chip-bending sauciness. Or I can season chopped chicken thighs in dry spices like cumin and coriander, sear them, and then use enchilada sauce to deglaze the lot, for tacos. I have even been known to cook chicken breasts directly in it for the easiest tinga possible, or use a glug to embolden a simmering pot of beans.

And I don’t limit myself to just using it for Mexican dishes. Chicken scarpariello or cacciatore can get a running start thanks to a jar or two. Want to make the easiest shrimp and grits of your life? Enchilada sauce is there for you. Or, at least until someone decides to discontinue it. Here’s hoping.

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