This Mexican tomato sauce (recado | recaudo) is the most basic condiment to have in your kitchen if you love Mexican food. Recado is used daily in Mexican households to prepare rice, stews, soups, antojitos, and more. Make a batch at home with only a few ingredients in a matter of minutes.
Tomato Sauce for Stew, Soups, Rice, and many other Mexican Dishes
There is a saying we have in Mexico that says: “Recado hace guisado”. That means that the end result of what you’re cooking depends on how well your tomato base sauce is done. “Recado” (or “recaudo”) can be raw, fried, or cooked like in this recipe. The ingredients are tomato, onion, and garlic.
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Some people don’t even know it has a name; they simply learn how to cook dishes using this sauce that is so essential in our cuisine. The most popular version is the raw salsa made in a blender and then poured in to cook with the rest of the ingredients.
Here are a few examples of recipes using this salsa: Vermicelli Soup/Sopa de Fideos, Mexican Rice, Beef Soup/Caldo de Res, Meatball Soup, and Entomatadas, just to name a few. It’s a great idea to make some and freeze them or prepare it for canning when tomatoes are in season or if you find tomatoes on sale at the supermarket.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mexican Tomato Recaudo.
Before I share my recipe, I will answer the questions I usually get about this homemade recipe.
What is recaudo?
Also known as recado is a simple Mexican tomato sauce that mixes tomatoes, onions, and garlic. This simple salsa can be fried, boiled, or use raw. Recaudo is a basic condiment that adds flavor to recipes like rice dishes, fideos, and soups, to name a few. Plus, it makes for a great cooked salsa to add to your potato tacos and Mexican flautas.
Can you substitute ingredients for Mexican tomato recaudo?
This sauce I am sharing is the most popular recipe. However, there are many variations around the country. For example, in some areas of the south, people add other ingredients like peppers to add medium heat or cumin.
Recaudo has variations depending on the areas and taste preferences. My recipe is basic and the most traditional, even though you will find recipes with saffron, chili powder, and chicken stock in the mixture.
How to store your Mexican recaudo
This Mexican tomato sauce will last about 4 days. Use as needed for your soups or other recipes. Store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator o freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to make Mexican tomato sauce
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this dish:
- Tomatoes
- White onion
- Garlic cloves skins removed
- Water
- Salt to season Optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves in a large stockpot or saucepan. Cover with water, place the saucepan lid on, and cook over high heat until it starts boiling; once the water starts boiling, reduce heat to simmer.
- Cook until tomatoes are soft and skins are peeling.
(Please check the ingredients list below)
- Carefully place only the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a blender and puree until you have a very smooth sauce.
- Using a strainer, pour into glass jars. Once they’re completely cool, store your Mexican tomato sauce in your refrigerator. The sauce will last about 4 days. Use as needed for your soups or other recipes.
Provecho!
Mely,
What To Serve With Mexican Tomato Recaudo
This Mexican tomato sauce is a great base for many soups like noodle soup and meatball soup. Another way of using this basic salsa is in the entomatadas recipe made of corn tortillas. However, my favorite way to eat this salsa is with fry tacos, shredded cabbage, and queso fresco.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes:
If you enjoyed this recipe for Mexican tomato sauce, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
I hope you make this Mexican tomato sauce! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
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📖 Recipe
Mexian Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 20 oz. of Tomatoes
- ¼ of a medium white onion
- 2 small garlic cloves skins removed
- Water
- ½ teaspoon of salt to season Optional
Instructions
- First, place tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves in a large stockpot or saucepan. Cover with water, put the saucepan lid on, and cook over high heat until it starts boiling; then reduce heat to simmer. Cook until tomatoes are soft and skins are peeling.
- Then, carefully, place only the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a blender and puree until you have a smooth sauce. (Add a few tablespoons of water to the blender, only if your blender is having a hard time processing the sauce)
- Lastly, using a strainer, pour into glass jars. Once they’re completely cool, store them in your refrigerator. The sauce will last about 4 days. Use as needed for your soups or other recipes.
Notes
- You can use plum or round tomatoes to make this sauce.
- You can core the tomatoes and make a small “X” cut at the bottom of each tomato to easily remove the skins after cooking once they’ve slightly cooled. However, I have a powerful blender, so I skip this step.
- This sauce is also prepared raw and then fried with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan until it is fully cooked.
Maryse
Perfect. Thank You!!! 🙂
Clint
Is this what American Mexican Restaurants pour over burritos? If not, what is that?
Mely Martínez
Hello Clint,
I actually have never tried a burrito in a American restaurants. I had seen them, and they look like that enchilada sauce from a can.
Clint
Thanks for the reply! I might have been a little too vague. The suburban, neighborhood Mexican restaurants all throughout the US. Not necessarily a Moe's or lousy American burrito place like that. For reference, here is a photo from one of my local Mexican restaurants. Any insight here?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipO_cIigWXAdEOfKDR6kl9AyiCUJMHUd4ooXzXVi=s680-w680-h510
Mely Martínez
Hi Lint,
That one looks like a salsa using a mix of tomatoes, jalapeños, and maybe an ancho chile to get that dark brownish color. You can use this recipe and add Jalapeño pepper and one ancho chile in the pot where you are going to cook the tomatoes, onion, and garlic. The one that you tried is not spicy. right?
Rick
looking for something like this but with onions and celery to go on top of pork chops had it a long time ago or should I just wing it?
Mely Martínez
Hello Rick,
Just add them to the dish.
Esmelda Mitchell
I have so many tomatoes and what to do with them? Well today I am making large batches of this tomato sauce and freezing it. I did this last year and it worked out great for my rice, fideo, soups etc. Love your blog..
Mely Martínez
Hello Esmeralda,
That is such a great idea. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Mely
Juan
I live in Mazatlan, just made this sauce for the first time, when
I called it "recado" my Mexican friends had absolutely no idea
what I meant. I found recipes for a totally different sauce from
the Yucatan called recado rojo. Colour me confused.....
It's good though!!
Mely Martínez
Hello Juan,
Maybe they have known it in that area as recaudo. But, if your friends are young, I'm pretty sure they have not idea about it. That is mostly abuelitas kitchen lenguague.
Rebecca
Can this sauce be frozen?
mmartinez
Hello Rebecca,
Yes, it can be frozen.
Beth
I freeze this in my glass canning jars (leaving room for expansion) and it works out great!
mmartinez
Hello Beth,
You can make all the amount indicated and freeze the already made tortillas. You can also store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just reheat them and they are ready to enjoy.
Nola
I'm going to make this next time I make Mexican Rice! I enjoy your recipes so much, thanks for sharing them!
La Gringa Poblana
Blended raw and fried I use this for fideo seco, sopa de cualquier pasta, arroz, sopas. The smell when it hits the oil is intoxifying.
Leen
Fideo soup