Ranchero Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
This ranchero sauce recipe is easy to make with fresh ingredients like diced tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, and garlic. Spicy and bright, it's delicious on huevos rancheros and other Tex Mex and Mexican dishes.
Equipment
- Immersion Blender (this Vitamix one is my favorite)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ medium white onion, diced
- 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, diced*
- 1 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon cane sugar, optional
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, chipotle, garlic, oregano, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened and broken down.
- Stir in the broth and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.
- Transfer the sauce to a deep bowl or large jar. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until it is nearly smooth but still has a bit of texture. Flecks of cilantro should be visible. (Alternatively, use an upright blender or food processor for this step.)
- Taste the sauce. If it’s sharp, add ½ teaspoon cane sugar to balance it.
- Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Use in huevos rancheros, enchiladas, or another of the serving suggestions in the blog post above.
Notes
Yield: about 2 cups
*If you’re sensitive to spice, use just ½ jalapeño pepper and/or remove the seeds and membranes for a milder flavor.