Burrito Sauce
A thin, brothy tomato sauce poured over smothered-style burritos. The sauce soaks into the tortilla creating that soft, doughy texture you get at Mexican restaurant chains. Simple seasoning lets the tomato and salt do the work without competing with the filling.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Ladle
- Whisk
- Spoon
- Plate
Ingredients
- 1 can Tomato Sauce 15 oz
- 1 cup Chicken Broth low sodium
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt Morton brand, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon Granulated Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Granulated Onion
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Combine tomato sauce and chicken broth in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until fully incorporated.
- Add granulated garlic, granulated onion, and pepper.
- Stir to combine.
- Add salt and taste.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place burrito seam-side down on a plate and ladle sauce generously over the top.
Notes
This sauce came from a memory of a Mexican restaurant chain I used to eat at in my early 20s. They poured this loose, seasoned tomato sauce over their large burritos and the result was unforgettable — the tortilla went soft and doughy, and the salty tomato flavor cut right through the richness of the beef inside. The seasoning is intentionally simple. No cumin, no chili powder. The salt and tomato do the heavy lifting while the garlic and onion round it out in the background. If you are making smothered-style burritos from your batch beef components, this is the sauce that ties it together. A restaurant would have made this with a #10 can of tomato sauce and chicken base sitting in a steam table third pan — this is the home-scaled version of that exact setup.
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