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Meat Free Monday: Butternut Squash Enchiladas

This one is it….if you haven’t tried any other recipe we’ve featured, this one you must try.  Even the hubby said that it was….wait for it, wait for it….the best vegetarian recipe he’s had.  GASP!  And if you’ve been paying attention, he doesn’t like Mexican food, so the fact that this recipe is an enchilada threw him off a bit. 

This recipe was sent to me from my friend, Liz.  Liz and I met when we had to accompany our husbands on their business trip to Cancun (hey, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it). 

2009 01 - Cancun IG13 

As you can tell by the wine on the table, this trip was all business and no pleasure, ahem.

2009 01 - Cancun Beach1 

Anywhozit….the flavor of this enchilada filling was UH. MAY. ZING.  The mix of butternut squash, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese really complimented each other (ooo, I sound like a professional food critic!). 

butternut squash enchiladas filling

 butternut squash enchiladas inside

The only issue I had with this recipe was the tortilla shell.  The recipe calls for crisping the shell in the oven.  I think I crisped them too long and they were extremely hard and chewy…very hard to cut, so we ended up picking them up and eating them like a sandwich.

butternut squash enchiladas finished

Next time I think I will do a traditional enchilada wrap, making sure to coat it with the sauce to keep the tortillas soft. 

UPDATE: I’ve made this several times since this post and I now do a traditional corn tortilla wrap, instead of crisping them. First I pour a little of the enchilada sauce in the casserole dish. Then I warm the corn tortilla in a pan until soft (approximately 3o seconds or so). I lay the tortilla in the casserole dish while I put in the butternut squash filling and goat cheese, then wrap and place seam side down. After filling the casserole dish with all the enchilada wraps, I pour the sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese and bake. So much better!  Recipe below has been updated.

Also, the original recipe calls for microwaving the squash for 12-15 minutes.  I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but the thought of nuking something for that long just gives me the heebie jeebies.  So I roasted the squash (2 halves of a small squash, flesh side up) in the oven for about 20 minutes at  400 degrees, until tender. 

Yum, just looking at these pictures makes me want to make the recipe again, like right now!

  butternut squash enchiladas bite

I really hope you give this one a shot.  It’s simple, not a whole lot of ingredients, and the reward at the end is scrumptious!  Thank you Liz!! 

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

click here for printable version

Ingredients

  • 8 (5 inch) corn tortillas
  • 1 small, unpeeled butternut squash, seeded and cut in half
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 onion, chopped
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • 4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped – I added more because I love sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 cup enchilada sauce
  • 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese – I used shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream, for topping (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. Roast squash, flesh side up, in oven at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until tender.  Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and dice; place into a mixing bowl and set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Continue cooking until the spinach wilts. Gently fold the spinach mixture into the diced butternut squash.
  4. Pour a little enchilada sauce into a casserole dish.  Heat corn tortillas on the stove over low heat for about 30 seconds until soft.  Divide the squash mixture among the tortillas and top with goat cheese.  Wrap closed and place seam side down in casserole dish.  Pour the enchilada sauce over top, and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of cotija cheese.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven until hot, about 10 minutes. Garnish each enchilada with chopped cilantro leaves and a dollop of sour cream to serve.