This authentic Chile Colorado recipe uses chunks of beef and a blend of dried chiles to build a rich, deeply flavorful sauce. It’s the kind of hearty, made from scratch meal that’s perfect for cozy nights or feeding a hungry crowd.
We love it spooned over my Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice with toasted tortillas on the side for scooping and dipping.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating Chile Colorado, allow me to introduce you.
Chile Colorado is a classic Mexican stew where beef or pork is braised until tender in a red chile sauce made with rehydrated dried chiles. It’s rich, bold, and oh-so delicious. For my version, I use beef and a specific blend of chiles that I’ve found create the perfect flavor profile for this dish.
If you’re worried this recipe might be too spicy, don’t be! Traditional Chile Colorado is all about the deep red color (“colorado” means “red” in Spanish) and rich flavor, not overwhelming heat. And when I say flavor, I mean it. If you’ve never cooked with dried chile peppers before, you’re in for a treat!
This recipe is not my usual quick and easy weeknight dinner kind of thing. It cooks low and slow on the stove and the whole process is soothing and enjoyable for me. I love cooking meals like this on lazy weekends.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Dried chiles: Dried chiles add a special depth of flavor to this dish that you just can’t get any other way. They can be found at any Mexican market but many grocery stores carry them as well. I use El Guapo brand chiles and have found them at stores like Safeway, Walmart, and Smart and Final.
- Beef: You’ll need some cubed beef chuck. Make it easy on yourself and pick up chuck that has been trimmed, cut down by the butcher, and sold as “beef stew meat”.
- Produce: Some diced yellow onion and minced garlic cloves.
- Liquid: Low sodium beef broth and water for rehydrating the chiles.
- Tomato paste: To round out the flavor of the sauce and add a touch of sweetness and acidity.
- Dried seasoning: So much flavor comes from the dried chiles that all you need is a little cumin for warmth, oregano for an herby boost, and some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pork Variation
I use beef chuck for my version, but pork shoulder (also called pork butt) is a great alternative if you’d rather go the pork route — it turns just as tender and soaks up all that chile flavor. Just be sure the pork is well trimmed of fat to avoid a greasy result.
The Best Dried Chiles for Chile Colorado
Chile Colorado is a mild to moderately spicy dish and you can easily control the heat level by choosing the right dried chiles. Using a blend of different chiles is the best way to ensure good depth of flavor.
Ancho Chiles: These chiles are red-brown and wrinkly and commonly sold as “Pasilla-Ancho Chiles”. In the fresh form, this chile is the Poblano, one of my very favorites! They add mild to medium heat and rich, smoky flavor to recipes.
New Mexico Chiles: New Mexico chiles are a staple in Tex-Mex and Southwestern recipes like chili con carne, red enchilada and burrito sauces, and salsas. These long, narrow chiles have a deep red color and an earthy, mild flavor — perfect when you want richness without overwhelming heat. While commonly associated with Southwestern cooking, they’re very similar to traditional Mexican chile varieties and work beautifully in authentic dishes like Chile Colorado.
California Chiles: These chiles are the dried form of Anaheim chiles. When dried, they take on a bright red color and a somewhat sweet and mild flavor similar to red bell pepper.
Guajillo Chiles: If you can’t find one of the dried chiles listed above, guajillo chiles are an excellent substitute. They have mild to medium heat with a tangy, fruity, slightly sweet flavor.
How to Make Chile Colorado
- Rinse the dried chiles and place them in a pot covered with water. Bring to a boil, turn the heat off and let the chiles soak for 30 minutes.
- While the chiles soak, cook the onions in oil until they just begin to brown.
- Then, add the beef and garlic and cook, stirring, until the beef is browned.
- Finally, add the broth, tomato paste, and seasoning to the beef. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered.
- While the beef is simmering, remove the stems from the softened peppers and puree them in a food processor with half of the cooking liquid from the pot (reserve the remaining liquid for later).
- Press the ground peppers through a fine mesh calendar into the pot with the beef, leaving behind the seeds and any of bits of pepper skin.
- Pour the remaining half of the cooking liquid from the peppers through the colander into the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours or until your meat is tender.
Tips for the Best Chile Colorado
Strain the chiles. After blending the softened chiles, it’s vital that you strain them so your sauce will have a silky-smooth texture. You want the flavor from the chiles, but not the seeds and skins.
Don’t rush it. Simmer the stew low and slow, uncovered, to give the beef time to become super tender and allow the sauce to thicken slightly. This dish gets better the longer it cooks.
Make it ahead. Like many stews, Chile Colorado tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had time to settle and deepen. Leftovers are amazing!
Serving Suggestions
Rice Bowls: My favorite way to serve Chile Colorado is as a rice bowl with either my Restaurant Style Mexican Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice, depending how I’m feeling. Keep it authentic and garnish it with a thinly sliced radish, a little cilantro, and serve it with toasted flour tortillas.
Smothered Burritos: Wrap the Chile Colorado in a large flour tortilla with beans and rice, then smother it in extra sauce and melted cheese for a comforting, restaurant-style meal.
Taco Night: Shred the meat and pile it into warm corn tortillas with a sprinkle of chopped onion and cilantro. It’s a great way to stretch leftovers, too.
Storage Tips
Refrigeration
After it’s cooled to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and it will keep for up to 4 days.
Freezing
For longer storage, freeze your Chile Colorado for up to 3 months. Use a freezer-safe container or freezer bag to keep it sealed and fresh.
Reheating
When you’re ready to enjoy leftovers, gently reheat on the stove over low heat. Add a splash of water or broth to restore the sauce’s smooth texture, if needed.
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Chile Colorado Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 7 dried New Mexico chiles
- 3 dried California chiles
- 3 dried Ancho chiles
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or your favorite neutral oil
- 3 pounds beef stew meat, or beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 12 ounces tomato paste, from 2 (6 ounce) cans
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional for Serving
- cooked rice
- thinly sliced radish and chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
Chile Colorado
- Rinse the dried chiles and place them in a large pot or Dutch oven with the 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil over HIGH heat, then remove from the heat and let the chiles soak in the water for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the oil to a Dutch oven and place it over MEDIUM heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occastionally, until they just begin to brown. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, to brown the beef for about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the broth, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to the pot. Increase the heat as needed to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to LOW and simmer, uncovered.
- While the beef is simmering, use a slotted spon or kitchen tongs to remove the softened peppers from the pot (reserve the cooking liquid for later). Remove and discard the stems and place the peppers in the bowl of a food processor with half of the liquid from the pot (reserving the rest for later). Puree the peppers until smooth.
- Using a fine mesh colander, pour the ground peppers through the mesh and into the pot with the beef. Use a spoon to help push the contents through, leaving behind the seeds and any of bits of pepper skin. Pour the remaining half of the cooking liquid through the colander and into the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to LOW and let it simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours or until the beef is tender and the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Serve with cooked rice, if desired, and garish with thinly sliced radish and a little cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Adapted from Everydaypaleo
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