Butternut Squash Enchiladas are filled with tender butternut squash, black beans, and rice before being drenched in enchilada sauce and baked with cheese on top. They’re delicious, vegetarian, and so filling!
Butternut Squash Enchiladas are the perfect Meatless Monday meal to warm you up during the chilly months! Filled with taco seasoned butternut squash, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, and rice, each enchilada is so comforting and never skips out on the flavor.
I’m a huge fan of loading butternut squash into cozy meals once fall arrives. I’ll add it to chili, curry, and even smoothies for slightly sweet and earthy flavors! It’s the most perfect fall ingredient (sorry, pumpkin!) and is a great way to impart extra vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants into these tasty weeknight enchiladas.
Even if you think you don’t like squash, I dare you to take one bite of these cheese and sauce-covered butternut squash and black bean enchiladas and not love it. They’re zesty, smoky, tender, and so filling!
Recipe features
- Each tortilla is stuffed with a mix of sauteed butternut squash, black beans, rice, cheese, and tomatoes for tons of flavor.
- Assemble, store, and bake them the next day for an easy make-ahead meal.
- A cozy, comforting vegetarian meal you can serve to the whole family!
Ingredient notes:
- Butternut squash - Buy pre-chopped or frozen butternut squash to save time or peel and chop it yourself. No squash at home? Swap it with 1 or 2 sweet potatoes instead.
- Seasonings - Use dried garlic powder, pre-mixed taco seasoning, and smoked paprika.
- Black beans - Canned beans are all you need. Pinto beans are the best replacement.
- Rice - You can use plain white, basmati, or brown rice or give the meal a little more flavor with cilantro lime brown rice or Spanish rice instead. Quinoa would also be delicious!
- Enchilada sauce - Use a store-bought red enchilada sauce to keep the recipe quick and easy or make homemade enchilada sauce instead.
- Cheese - Any shredded melting cheese, like cheddar or a Mexican blend, will do.
- Tortillas - Use 10-inch flour tortillas so the enchiladas don’t fall apart.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook the squash. Add the squash to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the pieces are tender.
Step 2: Make the filling. To a bowl, add the beans, tomatoes, onion, and rice. Add the squash once it’s cooked.
Step 3: Assemble the enchiladas. Fill a tortilla with the butternut enchilada filling, sprinkle cheese over top, then roll up the tortilla. Place it fold side down in a baking dish. Repeat this step until you run out of tortillas.
Step 4: Bake, then enjoy. To finish, pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas in the baking dish, add the remaining cheese on top, then bake. Dress up the finished enchiladas with cilantro and sliced avocado, then enjoy!
Expert tips and FAQs
- Make sure to chop the squash into bite-sized cubes for easy eating.
- Add more to the filling, like diced jalapeno, corn, sauteed ground beef, or wilted greens.
- To make these enchiladas vegan-friendly, simply use your favorite vegan shredded cheese or omit the cheese entirely.
What’s the best way to cook butternut squash?
Sauteeing peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash on the stovetop is a quick and easy method. If you really want some deep and rich flavors, roast the seasoned squash with oil on a sheet pan in a 400ºF oven before adding it to the enchilada filling.
What goes well with vegetarian enchiladas?
Any Mexican-inspired side you love! Serve them with fried tomatoes with corn salsa, grilled corn kale salad, or guacamole salsa with tortilla chips to keep things light.
Can you make them ahead of time?
Of course! Just assemble the enchiladas in the baking dish without the enchilada sauce or cheese on top. Cover the dish with a lid or plastic before storing it in the fridge overnight or in the freezer. Pour the sauce over top before baking.
How long do enchiladas last?
Baked enchiladas store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More vegetarian dinner recipes
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Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash cubed
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 15 oz. black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes fresh or canned
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 1 cup rice white or brown; cooked
- 15 oz. red enchilada sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheese cheddar or a Mexican cheese blend
- 6 flour tortillas
- cilantro and avocado for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Cook butternut squash in a skillet over medium heat with a bit of oil, along with the garlic, taco seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, combine beans, tomato, onion, and rice together in a bowl and set aside. Once squash is cooked, add it to the bowl.
- Make the sauce by whisking all 3 ingredients together. Pour half of the sauce into a 9x13 baking dish.
- Next, assemble the enchiladas: fill a tortilla with the butternut squash mixture, then sprinkle some cheese inside and roll the tortilla, placing it fold-side down into a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat this process for all of the tortillas.
- Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over top (you can add extra cheese if you'd like). Bake the enchiladas for 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven and top with cilantro and avocado. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in October 2018. It was updated with new text and photos in October 2021.
