If you’re tired of coming up with ways to jazz up winter produce, we’ve got you covered. You’ll roast butternut squash (you can even buy the pre-chopped bags to speed things up) and blitz it with chiles and spices to make a silky-smooth enchilada sauce that’s sweet and earthy in all the right ways. Stuff the enchiladas with cheese (add some roasted veggies or shredded chicken if you’d like), bathe in the sauce, and bake. Dinner, solved.
Masienda Team
4-6
1 small butternut squash
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ large white onion (or 1 small), diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
2 dried chipotle chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 tsp dried oregano
3–4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
12 corn tortillas
1 cup quesillo (or Oaxaca cheese), shredded
Vegetable oil, for frying
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sliced avocado
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Brush the cut sides of the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and place cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes or until soft. Once roasted, scoop out the flesh and set aside.
While the squash roasts, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add cumin seeds and toast for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Stir in the onion, garlic, guajillo chiles, chipotle chiles, and oregano. Sauté for 4–5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Add the roasted squash and 3 cups vegetable broth. Simmer for 5–10 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add vinegar and extra broth as needed for a pourable consistency.
Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust salt.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Fry the tortillas in oil for 10–15 seconds per side until softened and lightly golden.
Spread ½ cup of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.
Fill each tortilla with 2 tablespoons shredded quesillo cheese, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the dish.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, ensuring they are well coated. Sprinkle extra cheese on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve hot, garnished with cilantro and avocado slices.
17 comments
I’ve made this enchilada sauce twice and each time I love it even more! Great to have the sauce made and waiting in the freezer for the day I have leftover chicken or turkey. I think it would be splendid with enchiladas stuffed with sautéed greens and mushrooms as another kitchen wizard suggested. I have used whatever dried chiles I have on hand and increased the quantity since we like it spicy. I can envision chilaquiles with this sauce in the future.
Hi Valt! We’ve updated our printed layout for easier use. Thanks for your feedback — hope this helps!
Absolutely delish! I don’t eat cheese, and instead used a mix of roasted mushrooms and chard as filling
I have made similar enchiladas with cubed sweet potatoes and black beans. I will have to try squash. I use a combination of chiies and clean 3 pounds or more at a time. I freeze portions so it’s ready when I need it.
Hi Masienda Magic in the Kitchen,
Please, how about a printer friendly version of your recipes? Without all the color photos, just a description, ingredients and instructions? I would try so many more of your recipes if they were less of a hassle to print!
Hi Sonja! Yes, you can definitely deseed the chipotle chiles if you’d like it to be less spicy.
Should the chipotle chilis be seeded too?
Hi Wayne! That sounds like a delicious idea! Keeping half of the squash chunky for the enchiladas will definitely give you that extra texture. Just make sure to add a little more broth when pureeing the other half for the sauce, so it stays smooth and pourable. Let us know how it turns out!
Hi Joe, that’s correct! The chiles are used as they are—no need to rehydrate them. They’re sautéed with the onions, garlic, and spices, then blended into the sauce. Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!
Hi Sara! A small butternut squash typically weighs around 1 to 1.5 pounds. Once roasted and scooped, you can expect it to yield approximately 1.5 to 2 cups of roasted squash flesh. This varies a bit depending on the moisture content and how thoroughly the squash is cooked. Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!