Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

I don't know where we got it, or even how long it's been sitting in our kitchen, but we were the owners of the world's most gigantic butternut squash.  It's been there for months, not rotting or anything, just sitting there, taunting me with its size.  You have to understand: this is a squash as thick as my thigh, and practically as long.  It sat in a basket for all this time because I simply couldn't figure out a use for that much squash.  Finally my mom requested a pasta dish that called for squash.  It didn't go well - badly enough that I am not going to post it on the blog because I think it was a flawed recipe - but still after making it, I had about 3/4 of the squash left.  I used up another fourth on this recipe, after searching my Pinterest boards for a recipe calling for squash!

And thus we have these: roasted butternut squash and black bean enchiladas.  Yes, it sounds a little bit like a fall dish, but the Tucker family enjoys squash year round!  The filling is delicious, with sweetness from the squash, and a little bite from the onion, not to mention cilantro, which I love.  And don't forget the cheese.

Due to lack of the right materials, I had to use some substitutions. The enchiladas are supposed to be made from corn tortillas, but I could only find flour ones at the store downtown, and it worked out fine.  The same with the toppings - they should really be served with avocado, but I couldn't find avocado.  The enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan should be a mix of Greek yogurt and salsa; I assumed we had tons of yogurt, as we usually do (Mark buys it in bulk even though no one really eats plain Greek yogurt here) but we didn't, so sour cream was a good substitute.  Aaaand I also had to use regular salsa since the green was MIA at Vincent's as well.  The next time I make these, I definitely want to try to get green salsa.  They were so delicious, but the tomato kind of overrules the softy sweet squash bites.

After spoiling my family with meat for a while, they grumbled for a while about these enchiladas being meatless, but one by one, I won them over!  Everyone liked these - I was only left with one for lunch the next day!  Healthy, delicious and vegetarian: I could think of no better way to use up some more butternut squash.  And by the way: there is still plenty of squash left.

Recipe:

roasted butternut squash and black bean enchiladas
from Yummy Mummy Kitchen
serves 4

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubed butternut squash (about 1 small - medium peeled, seeded squash)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
15 ounces canned or cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
12 ounces jarred or fresh mild green salsa
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
8 corn tortillas
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1 cup low fat sour cream

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place cubed butternut squash on a large baking pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

2) In a medium bowl, stir together roasted butternut squash, beans, chopped onion, and cilantro.  In another medium bowl, stir together salsa and yogurt.

3) Pour a thin layer of the salsa sauce over the bottom of the 10" x 7" casserole dish.  Place 1/3 cup of the squash mixture is used up.  Pour the remaining salsa sauce over the top of enchiladas.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until cheese has melted and starting to brown in places, about 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with sour cream and avocado.