Enchiladas can be anything you want them to be, vegetarian or carnivore, saucy or creamy, flour or corn, super cheesy or not so much. When I developed this recipe, I wanted a squash and black bean filling, and had some green things I wanted to use up (Hatch green chiles from summer in the freezer and tomatillo salsa in the refrigerator) so adapted from several recipes already on RIPE: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (the sauce), Winter Squash Enchiladas, and Butternut Squash and Hominy Enchiladas (a red sauce you might want to make sometime!)
Start these enchiladas on the stovetop, cooking butternut squash, green chiles, and black beans. From there you can make enchiladas with any tortillas, cheese, and a purchased sauce. But for the full enchilada (my mom is laughing right now…), you’re going to want to make the creamy tomatillo sauce and perhaps the tomatillo salsa (or use store-bought jarred tomatillo salsa).
Green Chile Enchiladas with Butternut Squash and Black Beans
makes one 9- by 13-inch pan
Ingredients
- 12–16 tortillas, corn or flour medium sized, 6–8-inches
Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, avocado oil, or oil from preserved tomatoes (see below)
- ½ white onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 butternut squash, knife peeled and diced ½-inch 3 cups
- 2 cups cooked black beans home cooked or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
- one 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (optional) or use tomatoes you have on hand, like preserved dried tomatoes in olive oil (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup dried cherry tomatoes preserved in olive oil (optional), use the oil for cooking the onion
- 1 cup Hatch green chiles, diced or two 7-ounce cans, drained
- ½ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable broth made with 1 cube Edward & Sons or Rapunzel bouillon and 2 cups water
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup tomatillo salsa homemade (see link in recipe header) or purchased, jarred
For serving: cilantro leaves, sliced jalapeño, lime wedges
- 3 cups shredded cheese cheddar or Mexican blend
Instructions
Filling
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Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the white onion and cook until softened, but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the optional garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the squash (and canned tomatoes, if using) and cook for 10–15 minutes, until squash is almost soft. Add the black beans, dried/preserved tomatoes (if using), green chiles, and cook for about 5 minutes. Taste and sprinkle in a couple pinches of salt. Remove from heat.
Sauce
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Melt 4 tablespoons butter in the saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk in the flour, and cook, whisking constantly, for a couple minutes until bubbling and just starting to change color. Gradually whisk in the broth and milk and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, whisking frequently, until sauce is thickened and no floury taste remains, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatillo salsa. Remove the sauce from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Assembly and Baking
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Preheat oven to 375° F. Using 1 tablespoon butter, grease a 9x13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Set aside 1 cup cheese for topping.
Either roll the enchiladas or stack them flat.
To roll, soften the tortillas by placing the stack in the microwave for 30 seconds or on griddle or in the oven. For each tortilla, fill with about ½ -cup filling and a couple tablespoons of shredded cheese then roll up and place in the dish. Try to snug all 12 in the one pan, but you can always make a little side-car with any extra.
To stack, use 16 tortillas and go for 3 layers of tortilla, filling, cheese, and sauce.
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Set pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 45 minutes, until filling is bubbling. Sprinkle with the reserved 1 cup cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and/or jalapeño slices, and pass lime wedges.
Recipe Notes / Tips
- If made in advance, rewarm in 350°F oven for 30 minutes or so, covered with foil. If enchiladas look dry, add a few tablespoons of water before covering with foil.
