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Chile Colorado with Rice & Beans Plate

Learn how to make Chile Colorado with rice and beans—a flavorful Mexican stew of beef simmered in a rich red‑chile sauce, served with rice, beans, tortillas and toppings.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients
  

For the sauce:
  • 1 teaspoon olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 small white onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 whole dried ancho chiles or mix of ancho/guajillo
  • 1 14.5‑oz can fire‑roasted tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 10‑oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (or substitute a second fire‑roasted tomato can)
  • 1 cup chicken or beef broth
  • Salt & pepper to taste
For the meat:
  • 2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
  • pounds beef chuck roast or stew meat cut into 1½‑inch cubes
  • Salt & pepper to taste
For serving:
  • Mexican rice prepared
  • Pinto or black beans prepared
  • Corn or flour tortillas
  • Sliced avocado
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Lime wedges
  • Cotija cheese
  • Sliced radishes
  • Sour cream

Method
 

Make the sauce:
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion until softened (~4‑6 minutes). Add the garlic and cook ~1 minute until fragrant.
  2. Stir in the cumin and oregano.
  3. Meanwhile, stem and seed the dried chiles (for milder sauce remove seeds). Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water to soak ~10 minutes.
  4. Add the fire‑roasted tomatoes, diced tomato with green chilies, and chicken/beef broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook ~10 minutes.
  5. Drain the soaked chiles, discard seeds/stems, place them in a blender with the tomato mixture; blend until smooth. Return sauce to pot, adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.
Cook the meat:
  1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (or use a heavy‑bottomed pot that transitions to oven).
  2. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Brown the meat in batches (~4‑6 minutes each batch) until well‑seared.
  3. Return all meat to the pot, pour over the prepared red chile sauce. Cover and bake for ~3 hours or until meat is very tender. Alternatively, you can simmer on stovetop over low or use a slow cooker (6‑8 hrs low).
  4. When done, shred or slice the beef as desired.
Serve:
  1. Plate the beef mixture alongside or atop Mexican rice and beans. Offer tortillas and toppings (avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, cotija cheese, radishes, sour cream).

Notes

Using dried chiles (ancho, guajillo) gives true depth of flavor and the signature red color; fresh chiles alone won’t replicate it.
Toasting the chiles briefly (dry skillet) before soaking enhances flavor.
Browning the meat well adds flavor and texture to the dish.
For thicker sauce: after meat is tender, uncover pot and simmer to reduce sauce.
Make‑ahead: The dish often tastes even better the next day as flavors develop.