Recipe: From Keepers: Black Bean and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
The combination of black beans and butternut squash wrapped in tortillas and baked under a blanket of smoky tomato sauce and cheddar is a good choice for Meatless Mondays. To help get dinner on the table even faster, we often use packaged cubed butternut squash, instead of cutting it ourselves, and make the filling a day or two in advance.
Serves 4
2 cups cubed butternut squash
2 cups Everyday Black Beans (page 188) or one 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Grated zest of 1 lime, plus 1 tablespoon juice
Salt and pepper
8 corn tortillas
One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced (remove the seeds for a milder effect)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons water
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle position. In a medium saucepan, combine the squash with enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and gently boil until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain the squash and return to the pot. Add the beans, butter, and lime zest. Mash until just a little chunky, then season with salt and pepper. Set the bean mixture aside.
Spread the tortillas out on a sheet pan and heat in the oven until warmed through, but not toasted, about 4 minutes (if they get crisp, they will crack when you try to roll them). Set aside, leaving the oven on.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, oil, chipotles, honey, water, and lime juice, then season with salt and pepper.
Lightly cover the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with some of the tomato sauce. Dip each toasted tortilla in the remaining tomato sauce, then spoon on one-eighth of the bean mixture and roll up. Arrange the filled tortillas in the baking dish seam-side down, cover with the remaining tomato sauce, and top with the cheese. (If all 8 tortillas can’t fit across the pan, tuck the last one in crosswise.) Bake until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese has melted, about 25 minutes, then serve.
TIP: For an extra-smoky touch, try using fire-roasted canned tomatoes (diced or crushed) in place of the regular crushed ones.
