Description
Chile Colorado is a traditional Mexican stew featuring tender beef simmered in a rich, flavorful red chile sauce made from toasted guajillo and ancho chiles, tomatoes, and aromatic spices. This comforting dish is perfect for a hearty meal served alongside warm tortillas, Mexican rice, refried beans, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
Ingredients
Scale
Chile Colorado Sauce
- 6-8 dried guajillo chiles, seeds and stems removed
- 2-3 dried ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth (or water)
- Salt to taste
Beef and Seasoning
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast or stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 bay leaf
To Serve
- Flour tortillas or corn tortillas
- Mexican rice
- Refried beans
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Toast the Chiles: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for about 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them.
- Soften the Chiles: Place the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water. Let them soak for 15-20 minutes until softened.
- Blend the Sauce: Drain the chiles and transfer them to a blender. Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and beef broth. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Heat Oil: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Season Beef: Season the beef cubes with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder evenly.
- Sear Beef: Add the beef in batches to the hot pot and brown on all sides, approximately 4-5 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside each batch after browning.
- Combine Beef and Bay Leaf: After all beef is browned, return it all to the pot and add the bay leaf.
- Add Sauce: Pour the blended chile sauce over the beef and stir to combine evenly.
- Simmer: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add beef broth or water if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Finish and Remove Bay Leaf: Remove the bay leaf and discard.
- Serve: Serve the Chile Colorado hot with warm tortillas, Mexican rice, refried beans, chopped fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.
Notes
- Make sure to not burn the dried chiles during toasting, as it will make the sauce bitter.
- Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more beef broth or water during simmering if needed.
- You can substitute beef chuck with stew beef or short ribs for similar results.
- Use fresh lime juice and cilantro for the best garnish flavor.
- This dish improves in flavor when refrigerated overnight as the sauce deepens.
