Our Black Bean Butternut Squash Enchiladas are full of savory, sweet, spicy, earthy flavors all together in a cheesy delicious package! Say hello, meatless Monday!
These enchiladas start off with corn tortillas spread with black beans spiced up with a bit of garlic and chipotle. Next, they are filled with a butternut squash and bell pepper combo that have been roasted with our signature Off the Avenue Rub! Creamy goat cheese brings together the filling. All of this goodness is topped with homemade red enchilada sauce and a healthy dose of cotija cheese!
This is one of those dishes that is quickly mastered and happily repeated!
Ingredients:
Black Beans. We use canned black beans for this recipe, but if you’d like to cook up a pot of beans from dried beans that will work as well. One can of beans equals approximately 2 cups of beans. The beans are heated up, mashed up, and combined with spices. We call this method a mini refry!
Vegetables. Butternut Squash. This recipe calls for 3 cups of diced butternut squash, which is about one medium squash. Butternut squash can be intimidating to get into to peel and dice. We suggest poking a few holes in the squash and then microwaving for just a few minutes to make it easier to cut into. As an alternative, peeled and diced butternut squash is available in the produce section at almost any supermarket, cutting down your prep time considerably! Whole or pre-diced, the squash needs to be cut into ½ inch pieces to cook quickly and create the perfect size bite in your enchiladas.
Green Bell Peppers. The slight bitterness of green bell peppers provides a nice balance to the sweetness of the butternut squash. The bell peppers do not need very much time in the oven. Be sure to set them aside and add them to the butternut squash just about 5 minutes before the squash is cooked.
Enchilada Sauce. Red enchilada sauce adds a rich smoky flavor to this Mexican dish. While homemade sauce is the most delish and can easily be created while the vegetables roast (find our recipe here), we understand that sometimes easiest is best! For those nights, may we suggest our Simply Organic Red Enchilada Sauce. It’s not homemade, but its zippy chile flavor and organic ingredients might just make you forget that!
Spices. Whether using them in this recipe or just spicing up a can of beans as a side dish, garlic and chipotle are the perfect spice addition to the earthy flavor of black beans.
Off the Avenue is one of SpiceTopia’s signature Ventura Spices. This blend includes cumin, cayenne, and habanero sugar. For many of our customers, this rub is their go-to for grilling large cuts of meat. We think it works just as well on butternut squash. This is a spicy blend, so we suggest starting with just a teaspoon!
Tortillas. Just another thing to love about enchiladas is the versatility of the ingredients in enchiladas. The type of tortilla is just one aspect of that mix-it-up mentality that creates yummy enchiladas out of so many different things. Corn, flour, or a mix all work in this vegetarian enchilada recipe.
Cheese. Two cheeses make this recipe twice as good! The goat cheese stirred into the filling helps to make it creamy and adds a bit of tang to the vegetables. The cotija cheese sprinkled on top melts and adds that cheesy comfort we all look for in enchiladas. Either cheese could be easily swapped. A cream cheese would work inside and a cheddar on the top. A pepper jack cheese would up the spice level. If you use a different cheese, leave a comment. We’d love to hear about it!
Technique
A few tips to make your enchiladas delish the first time you create them!
The black beans are heated up and mashed with what we call a mini refry. They aren’t quite refried in the traditional way, but we do fry them.
Steps to a mini refry
- Gently heat the oil until a sprinkle of spice sizzles.
- Add the garlic and chipotle powder. Heating the spices in oil is called blooming and helps to bring out their flavors. Stir in oil for about 1 minute.
- Add the beans. Stir and then mash.
- The beans will still be chunky and grainy. Continue mashing and add ¼ cup of water at a time until the beans reach a creamy consistency.
- Remove from heat and taste for seasoning.
You may have a bit of leftover filling. We love using that filling as a topping for rice to create an enchilada bowl.
Vegan and Vegetarian Enchilada Recipe
This recipe is naturally vegetarian. To create a vegan version of this recipe, substitute your favorite vegan cheeses for the goat and cotija cheeses.
Gluten-Free Enchilada Recipe
If creating a gluten-free version of this recipe, you’ll want to make sure your enchilada sauce is gluten-free as well as your tortillas. Corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free, and many grocery stores carry gluten-free flour tortillas as well. Our Red Enchilada Sauce recipe includes gluten-free instructions.
Let’s get cooking!
Black Bean Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Ingredients
Black Bean Butternut Squash Enchiladas Recipe
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425° F.
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In a large bowl, combine butternut squash, Off the Avenue Rub, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir to evenly coat squash with oil and rub.
Save the bowl and the remaining oil and rub in the bowl to coat the green bell pepper. -
Place butternut squash on a cookie sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
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Add green bell peppers to the bowl and stir to coat with remaining oil and rub. Add pepper to butternut squash and return to the oven.
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Roast for 5 minutes.
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While the vegetables roast, heat a medium frying pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Allow oil to heat up for 1 minute. Add garlic and chipotle powder. Bloom in oil for 1 minute. Add beans. Stir and then mash. The beans will still be chunky and grainy. Continue mashing and add ¼ cup of water at a time until the beans reach a creamy consistency.
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Remove from heat and taste for seasoning.
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Remove vegetables from the oven to allow to cool.
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Turn oven temperature down to 350° F.
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Into a 10x6-inch casserole pan pour 1/4 cup enchilada sauce over the bottom.
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Add the goat cheese to the butternut squash mixture; mix gently to keep the goat cheese in good-sized pieces.
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Pour some enchilada sauce onto a small plate. Quickly dip each tortilla into the sauce. Spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans on one side of the tortilla. Add 2 tablespoons of butternut squash mixture on top of the beans. Top with 1 tablespoon of cotija cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a baking dish. Repeat until the baking dish is filled.
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Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cotija cheese.
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Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 25 minutes.
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Remove from oven and garnish with cilantro.
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Enjoy with your favorite toppings!