Butternut Squash Enchiladas

I love enchiladas in all shapes and sizes. But really, cheese, beans, and other delicious things all cooked in a casserole dish can't go wrong. I am a carnivore by trade, but I've been trying my hand at making classic meat dishes with a vegetarian twist. I've seen butternut squash enchiladas on many menus in our new neighborhood and I wanted to make some for myself. The butternut squash that I used was gigantic and made enough puree for probably 11 pans of enchiladas (OK not 11, but at least 3). I saved the leftover puree and put it in a plastic bag in the freezer. I will defrost and thin it up with some stock or coconut milk and make soup from it one cold rainy day in the near future. My version ended up being on the spicy side, which I like. If you aren't a fan of spicy, change out the jalapeno for a milder green pepper and you will be all set. This dish is certainly a labor of love because it required multiple steps. I like it for a lazy Sunday afternoon or day when you are able to sneak out of work early. It will certainly be worth the effort. I loved the creamy squash with the tart salsa verde and the bubbling cheese. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash
2 onions
4-5 garlic cloves
8 oz. cream cheese
olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 beers (I used Sam's Oktoberfest)
1 can black beans
1 24 oz. jar salsa verde
1 jalapeno pepper (omit if you don't like it HOT)
1 package shredded Monterrey jack cheese
12 corn tortillas
cilantro
sour cream (to garnish)

1. Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and set in a roasting dish. Roughly chop one onion and add it to the roasting tin. Add in garlic cloves (in the skins).
2. Drizzle about 3-4 Tbs. olive oil over the squash, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cumin and pour 1/2 a beer into the bottom of the roasting tin.
3. Cover and roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour until the squash is tender. Be careful when you open it up because it will be hot and steamy in there.
4. Scoop out the tender butternut squash and puree everything in the food processor with the onions, garlic (which will come out of their skins easily), and the cream cheese. Add the liquid from the pan and also the other 1/2 beer (if needed) so that it blends smoothly. You want it to be thick so only add enough to get the puree process going.
5. To make the bean mixture, slice up the other onion and saute in a pan on medium heat with some olive oil for 2-3 minutes. 6. Add black beans (drained and rinsed) along with finely diced jalapeno.
7. Saute for a few minutes and add 1/4 cup salsa verde and 1/4 of the second beer. Cook for 5 minutes until onions are tender and beans are warmed through.
8. Assemble the tortillas by first laying a tortilla flat and dolloping on about 3-4 Tbs. of the pureed butternut squash.
Add about 2-3 Tbs. of the bean mixture.
Top with a sprinkle of cheese and cilantro.
9. Pour 1/4 cup of salsa verde into a casserole dish (I used a 9x13) and spread around so that there is a light coating. This way the tortillas won't stick to the bottom. Roll up each filled tortilla and place with the opening-side down in the casserole dish.
10. Now that the salsa verde jar has about 1/2 cup removed, pour the rest of the beer into the jar and shake it up. This will loosen up the salsa so that you can pour it over you enchiladas.
11. Assemble all of the rolled tortillas in the casserole dish so that they are squeezed in tight.
12. Sprinkle any remaining bean mixture over top.
13. Make 6-8 large dollops of the butternut squash mixture around the dish as well.
14. Pour the rest of the jar of salsa verde over the enchiladas.
15. Cover liberally with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are bubbling.
16. Allow to rest for 10 minutes so that everything can firm up inside before slicing up and serving.
I served mine with sour cream and sprinkles of cilantro.