Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Growing up in San Diego gave me a special gene that makes me immediately drawn to anything with the word tacos, guacamole, or pollo asada in it. So usually any time Mexican food is on the menu I’m happy. That said – and I’m ready to stand by this statement – Mexican just isn’t the same in Northern California. And so I’ve adapted, learning to love the healthier Mexican-inspired meals that restaurants like Mamacita and Tacolicious serve up (two good neighborhood joints).

When I stumbled across butternut squash enchiladas on a recent visit to Greens (a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in Fort Mason), I was sold. They combined my love for Mexican food, my new love for SF’s healthy twist on everything, and presented a new use for my ever-present butternut squash lingering in the kitchen all winter long. It does take a bit of time as you have to roast the squash first, which I usually do the night before, but it makes a huge batch so you’ll get tons of leftovers out of this dish.

Makes 15 – 16 enchiladas

1 butternut squash, roasted with flesh scooped out
corn tortillas
½ medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 8-oz can corn kernels, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup sliced olives for topping (optional)
¾ cup cheese for topping, plus 16 tablespoons for filling  (I use a Mexican blend or pepper jack usually)

Salsa
*ingredients below if making your own
½ cup cilantro
½ medium onion
1 lemon, juiced
2 cups diced tomatoes (with juice for smoother consistency; drained for chunkier version)
1 jalapeno pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt

To roast butternut squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the top stem of the squash off, slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, then place flesh side down in a roasting pan. Fill pan with ½ inch or water and roast until flesh is soft to touch (about one hour).  Once the squash has cooled, use a spoon to scoop out all of the flesh. Set aside.

In a non-stick skillet with olive oil, sauté the onion and garlic then add in spices. Next, fold in butternut squash and corn. Mix well so it is thoroughly combined.

If you have a gas stove, place tortillas on the stove for 10 seconds on each side, to slightly char. Then take a large spoonful of your filling and place it in the center of the tortilla, add a tablespoon of cheese (I usually just grab a pinch with my hands), then fold the tortilla up and place it in a large oven-safe dish with the seam side down.  Repeat until filling and/or tortillas are gone.  Often I just do one package of tortillas and freeze excess filling for another time.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Then blend salsa ingredients in a blender until desired consistency is achieved. During winter when tomatoes aren’t fresh I used canned tomatoes and end up with thinner salsa, in summer I lean towards making salsa fresca and hand chop ingredients.

Once all your tortillas are set, generously pour salsa over the top of your tortillas, sprinkle with cheese and olives. Bake for 20-25 minutes, then enjoy!

Tagged as: butternut squash, enchiladas, Mexican, salsa