enchiladas

Last Friday, I posted a picture of these enchiladas on Instagram and people went nuts. Ok, maybe not nuts. BUT this picture did get 55 likes which is like way more than I ever get. Plus 9 people commented on it. Watch out folks. I’m gonna be an Instagram star!

I get it though. These enchiladas are fabulous and they are really easy to make. When I posted these pictures, one of the things that I said was that I loved that I could make them ahead of time and then just throw them in the oven at dinner time. Meals like that make me happy.

Little side story about why I went with the butternut squash filling. A few weeks ago, Adam went on an Alaskan fishing trip. It was a boys trip with his stepdad and other boys in the family and they spent two days out on a boat in Homer, Alaska fishing for halibut, rockfish, and salmon. They all caught a ridiculous amount of fish and Adam came home with about 35 pounds of frozen fish. Now, I have a VERY tiny freezer and it is well stocked. So when he came back with all that fish I had no idea how it was going to fit.

It turns out, my husband can Macgyver about 20 lbs of fish into an already full freezer. When I opened my freezer, I was met with a wall of frozen fish. Literally. Just one wall of fish. So in order to create a little space, I started going through the freezer to see what I could use up. I found some cubed frozen butternut squash from last fall and decided it was time to put it to good use.

Long story short: Alaska + fishing + tiny freezer = delicious enchiladas.

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

6 to 8 corn tortillas
2 to 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
3/4 cup water
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp roasted garlic or 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Place the cubed squash into a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes and then flip and roast for 10 more minutes.
While the squash is roasting, make the enchilada sauce. Place the fire roasted tomatoes and 3/4 cup water into a blender. Pulse a few times and then add in lime, garlic, and rest of the seasonings. Blend everything until you have a smooth sauce.
Once the squash is done put it back into the large bowl, add in the drained and rinsed beans, and mash things up a bit. You want a few chunks left in the filling. Stir in the fresh cilantro.
Get a 9 x 13 casserole dish and pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Warm the corn tortillas a little so they are pliable and then fill with 1/4 cup of the filling. Roll the tortillas and place into the casserole dish, seam side done. Complete until the filling is gone and dish is full.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the tortillas and then cover with aluminum foil. At this point, you can keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. When you’re ready to cook them, preheat oven to 350 and cook for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and take off the aluminum foil. Let the enchiladas cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Top with more fresh cilantro if you want.

Ok, it might look like there are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps but I promise you this meal is not complicated. You can also make substitutions to fit your dietary needs. You can use sweet potatoes or pumpkin instead of the squash or you can use shredded chicken, pork, or beef if you want to have meat. You can top it with cheese if you want and serve it with sour cream, guacamole, or cashew sour cream. These also make phenomenal leftovers and once they are cooled completely, freeze really well. So go make some enchiladas and love life!