The lovely cascabel pepper offers a lot more than just good looks. Its earthy flavors, smoky and nutty, make for one flavorful sauce, especially for tortilla-based Mexican dishes like enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos. Try this cascabel sauce, too, with grilled chicken and beef. We like it without the cilantro to retain the full nuttiness, but some prefer the hint of freshness the cilantro brings to balance some of the earthiness.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Nutty, earthy and a little smoky from the toasted cascabels, with sweet charred tomato and mellow roasted garlic. |
| Primary heat source | Ten dried cascabel chiles, seeds kept. 1,000 to 3,000 SHU. |
| Heat level | Mild. Cascabels are about as hot as a poblano, so this sauce is all about flavor. |
| Texture | Pourable and fairly smooth, with flecks of seed and charred tomato. |
| Best uses | Enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos, or spooned over grilled chicken and steak. |
| Customization ideas | A chile de árbol or two for more heat, a little charred onion for depth, or a squeeze of lime with the cilantro. |
| Before you start | About 40 minutes, including 20 minutes of soaking. You’ll need a blender or food processor. |
Flavor notes
Cascabel means “little bell” or “rattle” in Spanish, after the way the dried seeds rattle inside the round pod. These chiles run just 1,000 to 3,000 Scoville heat units, about as hot as a poblano, and they’re known more for their nutty flavor than for heat. That’s why the seeds stay in here.
Toast the chile halves just until they smell fragrant and turn a shade darker, about 30 seconds a side in a hot pan. Watch them closely, since that happens fast. Burnt chiles taste bitter, and you’ll taste that bitterness through the whole batch. If one scorches, toss it and toast another.
Then give them a 20-minute soak in hot water. Dried chile skins are tough and leathery, and soaking softens them so they blend into a smooth sauce. Without it, you’d get chewy bits of skin. Save half a cup of the soaking water for the blender, since it carries some of that chile flavor with it.
For the tomatoes, the trick is to leave them alone. Set the slices in the hot pan and don’t move them for a few minutes, and you’ll see them char in spots. That charring is what gives the finished sauce its roasted, slightly sweet tomato flavor. The garlic roasts in the same pan, still in its skin, until it’s soft and blackened in spots, so it tastes mellow instead of sharp and raw.
And if you can wait, chill the sauce for 4 to 6 hours before serving. You can use it right away, but you’ll find the flavors come together after a few hours. Taste it again before serving and add a little more salt if it needs it.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these change the heat, or the depth of the sauce.
- Want more heat? Toast and soak a dried chile de árbol or two along with the cascabels.
- Want it milder? Shake the seeds out of the chile halves before you toast them.
- Making enchiladas? Simmer the blended sauce in a tablespoon of oil for about 10 minutes. It thickens a little and tastes rounder and less raw.
- Want more depth? Char a thick slice of white onion in the pan with the tomatoes, and add a pinch of cumin or Mexican oregano to the blender.
- Want it fresher? Add the cilantro, plus a squeeze of lime juice after blending.
Serving ideas
It’s built for tortillas, but it goes a lot of places.
- On enchiladas. Spoon it over and under the rolled tortillas before you bake them.
- With quesadillas and burritos. As a dip on the side or spooned inside before folding.
- Over grilled meat. Grilled chicken thighs, flank steak or carne asada.
- With eggs. Over fried eggs and tortillas for a quick breakfast, or tossed with fried tortilla chips for chilaquiles.
Storage notes
Keep the sauce in a sealed jar in the fridge, and you’ll want to use it within three to four days.
It also freezes well for a few months. Thaw it in the fridge and stir or blend it briefly, since it can separate a little after freezing.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Spicy Red Enchilada Sauce: A smoky, bold red sauce to layer over enchiladas or serve as a dip.
- Ancho Cream Sauce: A mild, creamy ancho sauce for Mexican night that the whole family can enjoy.
- Easy Mole Sauce: A simple mole with earthy cinnamon, cocoa and chili flavor.
50 quick, bold sauces and salsas: classic salsas and fun twists, BBQ sauces with a kick, and dippers with bang. Simple to make, big on flavor.
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Cascabel Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 dried cascabel peppers halved, stems removed, seeds kept
- 3 roma tomatoes sliced about 1/2 inch thick
- 2 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon cilantro chopped, optional
- 1/2 cup water from soaking the chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a lightly oiled heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. A cast iron skillet works best, but any heavy pan will do.
- Add the unpeeled garlic cloves to one side of the pan. Place the tomato slices in the pan and let them cook for about 3 minutes without moving them. Then flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until both sides are charred in spots, and set the tomatoes aside. Keep turning the garlic now and then until it is soft and blackened in spots, about 10 minutes in all, then let it cool and slip off the skins.
- While the garlic finishes, place the cascabel halves in the pan, cut side down, and toast for about 30 seconds per side, pressing them flat with a spatula, just until fragrant and a shade darker. Don’t let them blacken, since burnt chiles taste bitter.
- Put the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl, cover with hot water and soak for about 20 minutes, until soft. Drain, saving 1/2 cup of the soaking water.
- Add the chiles, tomatoes, peeled garlic, cilantro (if using), salt and the 1/2 cup of soaking water to a blender or food processor. Blend for 30 to 60 seconds, until fairly smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve right away, or for the best flavor, refrigerate the sauce for 4 to 6 hours so the flavors can come together.
Will this work with dried peppers? Not finding fresh… Thanks