For A Mexican-Style Twist On Pot Roast, Add One Can Of This Pantry Staple

Pot roast is one of those simple home-cooked dishes that fills folks with instant nostalgia of Sunday dinners past. It requires minimal effort but offers maximum comfort. Seared meat, veggies, and herbs, slow-cooked with a little wine and braising liquid to deepen the flavor until the protein is fork-tender and falling apart in its own rich gravy — it's delicious, but even this beloved dish can be refreshed. Revive your pot roast and spice things up a bit by adding a spark of fresh flavor and igniting a world of new leftover possibilities with this easy Mexican twist: enchilada sauce. Add just one can of this chile-laden sauce and you're in Flavortown.

Though the end result won't be your mother's pot roast, it will be an entirely new flavor profile that won't cost you any extra time or effort to try. For the uninitiated, enchilada sauce comes in a couple basic incarnations — there are others but they're not sold canned in stores. First is red, made with red chile peppers and rich spices; and second is green, made with green chile peppers and tomatillos. For this hack, lean into red enchilada sauce (green enchilada sauce is better suited to chicken or pork), as the rich and smoky, cumin-laced sauce pairs well with the deep, umami succulence of slow-cooked beef.

Once you try it, you may never go back to sleepy old pot roast again. And while this twist is definitely "¡Qué rico!" alongside those traditional pot roast veggies, it's also great with a side of warm tortillas, or when served over rice or even creamy mashed potatoes.

To incorporate enchilada sauce into your next pot roast, just add a single can to the pot, the size of which is your choice. Like your shredded meat spiced but not-too-saucy? Add a smaller, 10-ounce can directly to the pot roast cooking liquid after searing the meat, but before putting the pot in the oven. For a dish with both extra sauce and more spice, use the big 28-ounce can, tipping it in near the end of cooking. Then just let it work it's magic, penetrating and enrobing your hearty beef roast into a fall-apart-tender, super savory and spicy meal you won't soon forget.
 
Of course, you can use homemade red enchilada sauce as well, but when time is tight, a quick can from the pantry is no one's opp. To go beyond eating the pot roast as is, you can use it to make shredded beef enchiladas and work your way to filling tacos, flautas, and quesadillas with juicy shreds of this flavorful meat. Or, move on to top tostadas and nachos with your spiced-up pot roast, substituting it for birria in these shredded beef chimichangas. Alternatively, stuff the meaty pot roast into a modern, shortcut Machaca-style breakfast burrito or crispy fried taquitos.

But be forewarned, adding this little flavor bomb sauce to your pot roast repertoire will have you looking for more ways to use canned enchilada sauce. Before long, you may even find it to be the hardest working staple in your pantry. ¡Buen Provecho!