Description
Chile Colorado is a flavorful Mexican beef stew made with tender chunks of chuck roast simmered in a rich, smoky sauce of dried guajillo and ancho chiles, fire-roasted tomatoes, and aromatic spices. This hearty recipe blends mild heat with deep, complex mole-inspired flavors, perfect for serving over rice, with warm tortillas, and fresh toppings like avocado and cotija cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
Chile Sauce
- 8 dried guajillo chile peppers
- 4 dried ancho chile peppers
- 1-3 arbol chile peppers (optional for heat)
- 1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes, with juices
Beef and Seasoning
- 3 pounds chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon or better than bouillon
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional but recommended for mole flair)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional but recommended for mole flair)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups reduced sodium beef broth
For Serving (Optional Toppings)
- Mexican rice
- Warmed corn tortillas, tostadas, or tortilla chips
- Beans
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped avocados
- Cotija cheese
Instructions
- Prepare Chilies: Cut the tops off all the chilies using kitchen shears. Slice each chili along one edge to open like a book and scrape out all the seeds. Reserve some seeds if you want to add extra heat to the dish later.
- Toast and Soften Chilies: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and briefly toast the chilies until fragrant, being careful not to burn them. Add enough water to just cover the chilies without touching the pan bottom, then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chilies soak to soften while prepping the beef.
- Prep Beef: Trim excess fat from the chuck roast and cut it into 1-inch pieces. In a plastic bag or large bowl, whisk together the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the beef pieces and toss until evenly coated; set aside.
- Make Chile Sauce: Remove the softened chilies from the soaking water and place them in a blender with 1 cup of the soaking liquid and the canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Blend until smooth, leaving a small vent for steam to escape. For a smoother sauce, strain through a fine mesh sieve, pushing the puree with a spatula and discarding solids.
- Sear Beef: Rinse and dry the Dutch oven. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the flour-coated beef in a single layer, sear until browned on all sides, then transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining beef.
- Sauté Onions and Garlic: If needed, add a drizzle of olive oil to the Dutch oven. Cook the chopped onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add minced garlic and ground cumin, and sauté for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Combine Ingredients: Return the seared beef to the pot with the onion mixture, then pour in the chile sauce. Add oregano, coriander, smoked paprika, beef bouillon, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, bay leaves, and beef broth.
- Simmer Stew: Cover the Dutch oven and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and replacing the lid to prevent burning. Remove lid, increase heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the sauce thickens to your liking. Adjust seasoning with salt or reserved chili seeds or cayenne pepper for heat, if desired.
- Finish and Serve: Discard bay leaves. Serve the chile colorado with Mexican rice, beans, warmed corn tortillas or tostadas, and your choice of toppings such as sliced radishes, cilantro, avocado, and cotija cheese.
Notes
- For a spicier dish, add more arbol chilies or reserved chili seeds at the end.
- Toast chilies carefully as burning them will make the sauce bitter.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, blend in batches and strain sauce for smoother texture.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day when flavors meld.
- Use reduced sodium beef broth to control salt levels in the dish.
- Optional sugar and cinnamon add depth and mole-like complexity to the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approx. 230g)
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg
