Chile Colorado is a traditional Mexican dish of beef stewed in a red chile sauce. This is the best Beef Chile Colorado (aka Carne con Chile Rojo) we have tried!
It's one of my favorite dishes to order from Mexican restaurants, but now I just make this recipe at home! It's healthier than eating out, because you can manage the fat content, and you know the quality of ingredients and meat being used in it.
Types of Chiles for Chile Colorado:
You can use a variety of dried chiles for this Chile Colorado. My favorite have been New Mexico chiles and Guajillo chiles, (sometimes I use a combination of both). A few Chiles de Arbol are optional for some added heat!
They result in the same delicious flavor, but I feel like the Guajillo chiles make the dish slightly spicier, which we love! You can find them at most grocery stores in the Hispanic Food section (or order online from Amazon).
Remove seeds and stems from the chile pods, then rinse. (I like to use kitchen gloves to avoid touching the seeds.)
The Chile de Arbol is an optional addition to bring up the spice level. You can just keep them out for a milder Chile Colorado.
How to cook Chile Colorado with Beef
There are basically two major steps to preparing this dish: preparing the Red Chile Sauce, and preparing the Beef. After that, all the ingredients get thrown in a large pot and cook for a couple of hours!
Tips for making the Red Chile Sauce:
I have seen several recipes that skip toasting the dried chiles, and go straight to soaking them. I have also tried this method, and I must say I prefer the toasted chiles!
Toasting for just a couple of minutes enhances the flavor of the chiles, giving them a richer, deeper flavor! You just want to toast them until they are fragrant and lightly browned, not burned! It does brown quickly, so stir & flip them around while toasting.
Do you have to sieve the sauce?
I've made this recipe countless times, and would always used my food processor to blend the sauce. I would then use a fine mesh sieve to strain out any seeds, or pieces from the Red Chile Sauce that did not blend well.
Until recently, I used my new Vitamix on this recipe. After pushing the sauce through the sieve, I realized that straining wasn't necessary!
The Vitamix pureed it so well that nothing was left behind! So, if you have a high-powered blender like the Vitamix, you can skip this step! Or you can order one here: Vitamix E310
Tips for Beef Preparation:
- Season the cubed beef with salt & pepper, and sear it on the stovetop, with a little oil. Do this in batches on Medium-High, for about 5 minutes per batch. Make sure the pan is really HOT before you start!
- Searing the beef in batches keeps the meat from crowding the pan, and allows it to brown easier. If you crowd the pan, it will just steam the meat! (Note: We are not cooking the meat in this step, just browning the outside, so the meat will still be pink inside.)
- For this recipe, I used a large cast-iron skillet, and I seared the beef in 2 batches. As you see in the photo below, I should've probably gone with 3 batches to have even more space between the beef cubes. But, I was trying to make it in a hurry! It still turned out great, but could've achieved more browning had I not crowded as much.
- I highly recommend not skipping this step! Searing gives the beef added texture, and savory caramelized flavor! But...if you are in a hurry, you can skip this step and still end with a delicious meal!
Types of Beef for Chile Colorado:
For this recipe I used Chuck Steak, cut into 1" pieces, trimmed of excess fat. However, I have also used:
- Stew Meat
- London Broil
- Sirloin Steak
Basically, I use whatever beef is on sale or I have on hand. It really doesn't matter what beef you use, because it's going to slow cook for a few hours and result in tender fall-apart meat!
Cooking Methods for Chile Colorado:
In the recipe, I slow-cooked the Chile Colorado on the stove-top in a large pot, for 2-2.5 hours. You can also cook it in a Slow-Cooker or Instant-Pot.
Note: Using these alternative methods results in a thinner sauce, because they don't allow for the sauce to cook down as it does on the stove-top. So, add ½ cup less broth than the amount listed in recipe card (so only 1.5 cups when adding broth to the beef). You can also add some Masa Harina or Flour to thicken (as instructed on recipe card).
How to Use leftover Sauce:
After eating the beef, you may have quite a bit of sauce leftover (especially if you make a double batch like we usually do). Don't throw it away! It can be repurposed to make other meals. Here's how we have used it:
Enchilada Sauce: Use it in place of regular Enchilada Sauce to make a small tray of enchiladas.
Chili: Brown and season some ground beef with taco seasoning, then added the extra Chile Colorado sauce to it and simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Serve in a bowl and top with green onions, or try it in chili cheese hot dogs!
Chili Sauce: Use it as a chili sauce to use inside burritos (or outside for wet burritos), or drizzle over food.
Slow-Cooker Method:
- (Use ½ cup less broth for slow-cooker.)
- Follow the recipe for making the sauce and searing the meat.
- Add all of the ingredients into a slow-cooker, and cook on Low for 6-8 hours, or High for 3-4 hours.
- Note: Add ½ cup less broth when slow-cooking.
Instant Pot:
- (Use ½ cup less broth for Instant pot.)
- Turn the Instant Pot to the "Sauté" setting on High.
- Follow the steps in the recipe, but use the Instant Pot to sauté the onions & garlic, and to sear the beef in batches.
- Turn off the sauté setting, add in all of your prepared ingredients, and seal the lid.
- Set the "Manual" mode on and cook on High for 30 minutes, followed by a natural release (about 10-15 minutes)
Don't have an Instant Pot? It's AMAZING and great for cooking up delicious meals in less time! You can order one here: Instant Pot DUO60
How to Serve:
I usually serve this Chile Colorado with a side of rice, corn tortillas, and beans or veggies. If you are making it for a Mexican themed night, you can also serve with some chips & our easy authentic Guacamole!
Enjoy! 🙂
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Chile Colorado {Beef Stewed in a Red Chile Sauce}
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 12 New Mexico chiles or Guajillo chiles (dried)
- 4 Chiles de Arbol (optional, for added heat)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 6 garlic cloves whole
- 2 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)
For the Beef & Stew:
- 3 lbs. beef chuck roast or steak (cut into 1" cubes, trimmed of excess fat, seasoned with a bit of salt & pepper)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- salt & pepper to taste
Optional:
- 1-2 tablespoon Masa Harina or All-Purpose flour (as a thickener if needed)
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- Remove the stem and seeds from the New Mexico (or Guajillo) dried chiles. Rinse, and pat dry.
- Pre-heat a large skillet on Medium, and toast the chiles until lighlty browned and fragrant (1- 2 minutes).
- In a sauce pan, (large enough to fit the chiles when layed flat) bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Then turn off heat.
- Submerge the dried chiles in the broth, cover, and let soak for 15-20 minutes to soften.
- Meanhwile, use the same large skillet and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the garlic and onions on Medium heat, until the onions are transluscent (about 5 minutes).
- To a blender or food processor, add the garlic & onions, the chiles w/the broth, and the Chiles de Arbol (if using). Blend, until a smooth sauce has formed (about 1-2 minutes). Set aside. (You may have to strain through a seive, see notes.)
For the Beef & Stew:
- Using the same large skillet, sear the cubed beef on Medium-High heat with 1 tablespoon oil, until well browned (about 5 minutes). (Make sure the pan is really hot before searing, and work in 2-3 batches to not crowd the pan.)
- Add the blended sauce, the seared beef, 2 cups of chicken broth, and all of the spices to a large stock pot.
- Bring to a boil, then partially cover, and cook on low for 2-2.5 hours, or until meat is tender. (Mine took 2hrs 15 min.) *See notes if you would like a thicker consistency.
- Season with more salt & pepper to taste. Serve in a bowl or plate, with your choice of sides, and garnish with cilantro.
Video
Notes
Short on time? Skip Searing!
Searing gives the beef added texture, and savory caramelized flavor! But...if you are in a hurry, you can skip this step and still end with a delicious meal!Do you need to strain the sauce?
If you are using a high-powered blender (like my Vitamix) you shouldn't have to strain your sauce! If you use a food-processor or regular blender, just strain the sauce through a sieve to get rid of any seeds and little bits that didn't blend.Have extra sauce leftover?
After eating the beef, you may have quite a bit of sauce leftover (especially if you make a double batch like we usually do). Don't throw it away! It can be repurposed to make other meals. See blog notes on ways to use!To Thicken:
After making this recipe, if it's too "soupy" for your taste, you can thicken it by adding Masa Harina or All-Purpose Flour. Just whisk 1-2 tablespoon with a cup of the red chile sauce in a small bowl, then stir it back into the pot the last 15 minutes of cooking. (I ended up adding 1 tablespoon of Masa Harina to mine.)Alternative Cooking Methods:
This recipe can also be made in the Crockpot, or Instant Pot! As mentioned above, you can skip searing the beef if you are short on time. Note: Using these alternative methods results in a thinner sauce, because they don't allow for the sauce to cook down as it does on the stove-top. So, add ½ cup less broth than the amount listed in recipe card (so only 1.5 cups when adding broth to the beef). You can also add some Masa Harina or Flour to thicken (as instructed above). Also, after eating the beef, you may have quite a bit of sauce leftover. You can do what we did and use it to make a small batch of Red Enchiladas, or on wet burritos!- Slow-Cooker Method: (Use ½ cup less broth for slow-cooker.)
- Follow the recipe for making the sauce and searing the meat.
- Add all of the ingredients into a slow-cooker, and cook on Low for 6-8 hours, or High for 3-4 hours.
- Note: Add ½ cup less broth when slow-cooking.
- Instant Pot: (Use ½ cup less broth for Instant pot.)
- Turn the Instant Pot to the "Sauté" setting on High.
- Follow the steps in the recipe, but use the Instant Pot to sauté the onions & garlic, and to sear the beef in batches.
- Turn off the sauté setting, add in all of your prepared ingredients, and seal the lid.
- Set the "Manual" mode on and cook on High for 30 minutes, followed by a natural release (about 10-15 minutes).
Recommended Equipment:
(click the item if you need to order)- Large Cast Iron Skillet
- Large Stockpot, Instant Pot(6qt), Large Instant Pot (8qt) or Crockpot
- Vitamix Blender
Nutrition Facts
Watch the VIDEO on how to make The Best Chile Colorado {Beef with Red Chile Sauce}
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