This white enchilada sauce starts with a light butter-and-flour roux, then gets its creamy finish from sour cream. Green chiles bring gentle warmth and Savory Dust adds cumin-led seasoning. Keep the sauce loose enough to spread over filled tortillas before baking. The 20-minute timing covers the sauce; assembling and baking enchiladas is extra.
Make it with Savory Desert Dust. Measure the Dust as listed, then taste before adding more seasoning.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons (45 ml) unsalted butter
3 level tablespoons (45 ml) all-purpose flour
2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, plus 2–4 tablespoons (30–60 ml) to thin if needed
1 can (4 ounces / 113 g) mild diced green chiles, drained
2 level teaspoons (10 ml) Savory Desert Dust, plus up to 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) if needed
3/4 cup (180 ml) full-fat sour cream
Directions
Make a pale roux. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep it pale; lower the heat if it begins to brown.
Whisk in the broth. Add the 2 cups broth a little at a time, whisking smooth after each addition. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then cook for 4–5 minutes, whisking often, until lightly thickened.
Add chiles and Dust. Stir in the drained green chiles and 2 teaspoons Savory Dust. Simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the bubbling stop.
Fold in the cream. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the warm sauce into the sour cream in a bowl. Gradually whisk that mixture back into the pan, off the heat, until smooth. Do not return it to a boil.
Loosen and use. If needed, whisk in extra broth 1 tablespoon at a time so the sauce pours easily. Taste before adding up to 1/2 teaspoon more Dust. Spoon over prepared enchiladas for baking, or serve immediately over hot cooked vegetables.
Yield: About 3 cups; enough for 8 medium enchiladas.
The Dust In This Recipe
Savory Desert Dust
$12.99
Make it with Savory Desert Dust. Measure the Dust as listed, then taste before adding more seasoning.
✦Aromatic & SavoryA layered Latin-inspired profile with warm spice and real depth.
✦Dates Do MoreOrganic Coachella Valley dates round out the spices with earthy sweetness.
The base is broth thickened with a light butter-and-flour roux and finished with sour cream. It has no tomato or dried red chile base. Savory Dust gives the sauce a warm ivory color with fine spice flecks, while diced green chiles remain visible. It will not be paper-white.
HOW DO I KEEP THE SOUR CREAM FROM CURDLING?
Use full-fat sour cream. Finish cooking the flour-and-broth base first, remove it from the heat and wait until it stops bubbling. Whisk a little warm sauce into the sour cream before combining everything. That gradual warming and the off-heat finish help keep the sauce smooth. Avoid a hard boil after adding the sour cream.
HOW MUCH SAUCE DO I NEED FOR ENCHILADAS?
The estimated 3-cup yield is enough for about eight medium enchiladas in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread roughly 1/2 cup underneath and spoon the remainder over the filled tortillas. Follow your enchilada recipe for filling and baking; the 20-minute time here covers only the sauce. Use fully cooked meat fillings.
HOW THICK SHOULD IT BE BEFORE BAKING?
Aim for a sauce that coats a spoon but still flows easily across a tortilla. It thickens as it cools, and tortillas absorb moisture in the oven. Whisk in extra broth a tablespoon at a time if it looks like a thick paste. Cook the roux base to the right consistency before adding sour cream rather than trying to reduce the finished dairy sauce.
CAN I MAKE IT VEGETARIAN, AND WHAT ALLERGENS ARE IN IT?
Use low-sodium vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for a vegetarian version. As written, the sauce contains milk from butter and sour cream, wheat from all-purpose flour, and mustard in the current Savory Dust ingredient list. Check broth and all other labels for additional allergens. A broth swap does not remove dairy, wheat or mustard.
CAN I MAKE WHITE ENCHILADA SAUCE AHEAD?
Refrigerate promptly in a shallow, covered container at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 3 days. Discard after more than 2 hours at room temperature, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). For smoother make-ahead results, refrigerate the cooked base before adding sour cream, then finish it when ready to use.
HOW DO I REHEAT IT, AND CAN I FREEZE IT?
For a base stored without sour cream, reheat it thoroughly to a boil, remove from heat and add the sour cream as directed. Reheat finished sauce slowly while stirring to at least 165°F (74°C), checking with a thermometer; it may separate slightly. Freezing the finished sour cream sauce is not recommended for texture. Keep it refrigerated, never in the pantry.
