Description
Mexican Chile Colorado is a rich and flavorful beef stew cooked in a vibrant red chile sauce made from guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles. This traditional dish features tender chunks of beef chuck roast slowly simmered until fork-tender, delivering a bold and comforting meal perfect for serving with tortillas, rice, and beans.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Broth
- 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 cups beef broth
Chiles and Sauce
- 6 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 4 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 1 dried pasilla chile, stem and seeds removed
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
Other Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Chiles: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast the guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant, being careful not to burn them. Transfer the toasted chiles to a bowl, cover with hot water, and let soak for 15–20 minutes until softened.
- Make the Chile Sauce: Drain the softened chiles and place them into a blender. Add garlic cloves, quartered onion, ground cumin, oregano, and 1 cup of beef broth. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to remove skins and seeds, ensuring a silky smooth texture.
- Brown the Beef: Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches to avoid overcrowding, browning all sides well. Remove the browned beef cubes and set aside.
- Cook the Sauce: In the same pot used for browning beef, pour in the prepared chile sauce. Cook over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly and deepens in color.
- Simmer the Stew: Return the seared beef cubes to the pot with the thickened chile sauce. Pour in the remaining beef broth and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and let the stew simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce is rich and flavorful.
- Serve and Enjoy: Ladle the Chile Colorado into bowls. Serve warm with tortillas, Mexican rice, and beans for a complete meal. Garnish with fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and diced onions if desired for added freshness and flavor.
Notes
- Toast dried chiles carefully; burning them will cause bitterness in the sauce.
- Soaking chiles in hot water makes them easier to blend and mellows their heat.
- Browning the beef in batches ensures better caramelization and flavor.
- Straining the chile sauce gives it a smooth, velvety texture.
- Low and slow simmering allows the meat to become tender and infuses it with the chile flavors.
- Customize garnish with fresh herbs and lime to brighten the dish.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Mexican Chile Colorado, beef stew, guajillo chile, ancho chile, pasilla chile, traditional Mexican recipe, slow simmered beef, chile sauce
