Butternut Squash Enchiladas, Yumm!

December 11th, 2007

We had friends over for an enchilada dinner. The enchiladas turned out great–it”s a butternut squash and corn filling with tomatillo sauce on top–as delicious as it sounds. The recipe came from a friend who made these for us. The picture didn”t come out great. It”s hard to photograph food, I think. I”m incredibly impressed by those who do it well.

Squash Enchiladas With Tomatillo Sauce

2 small butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds total), halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup drained canned corn
12 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
Tomatillo Sauce
Sour cream
1/3 cup chopped pitted black olives

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour enough water into roasting pan to come 1/2 inch up sides of pan. Place squash halves, cut side up, in pan. Bake until tender, adding more water as necessary, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Cool squash completely. Remove seeds from squash; spoon squash into bowl. Discard squash skin.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Mix in squash and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tortilla over direct flame until soft and heated through, turning with tongs, about 10 seconds per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon squash mixture down center of each tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon of each cheese. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon Tomatillo Sauce and remaining cheese over enchiladas. Bake until enchiladas are heated through, about 20 minutes. Place 2 enchiladas on each of 6 plates. Top with sour cream. Sprinkle with olives.

Tomatillo Sauce
Note: You can make your own, but I just buy jarred tomatillo sauce and add in some fresh cilantro and mix with the sour cream, per the recipe above. It saves quite a bit of time and is usually less expensive.

1 1/4 pounds tomatillos, husked
2/3 cup vegetable stock
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup chopped green onion tops
1 large jalapeño chili, sliced

Cook tomatillos in pot of boiling water until soft but still whole, about 4 minutes. Drain. Place tomatillos in processor. Add remaining ingredients; puree. Transfer to bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Entry Filed under: Blog,Casseroles,Dinner,Recipes,Vegetables