Vegetarian Enchiladas with Butternut Squash

These Butternut Squash Vegetarian Enchiladas are stuffed with sweet butternut squash, hearty black beans, and plenty of cheese, then smothered in a smoky chipotle enchilada sauce! They're true vegetarian Mexican-inspired comfort food.

Jump to Recipe

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own.

If you love Mexican flavors as much as I do, you're in for a real treat today because I'm sharing butternut squash enchiladas!

One of my favorite things about creating Mexican recipes is how easily adaptable they are to a meatless diet. Beans give you plenty of protein, there's always tortillas and cheese, plus loads of veggies to keep everything feeling healthy and flavorful.

Remember my vegetarian enchiladas with poblano cream sauce? This chipotle version is like an opposite but somehow equally awesome option.

These vegetarian enchiladas are special because they're stuffed with black beans and butternut squash. This combo was a huge hit with my black bean and butternut squash quesadillas, so I think you'll love these as well (I certainly did!)

Ingredients

For the Vegetarian Enchiladas

• Butternut squash
• Olive oil
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Canned black beans
• Monterey jack or cheddar cheese
• Flour tortillas
• Avocado, optional
• Cilantro, optional
• Limes, optional
• Sour Cream, optional
• Mango, optional

For the chipotle enchilada sauce

• Vegetable oil
• All-purpose flour
• Chili powder
• Chipotle pepper in adobo
• Garlic powder
• Coarse kosher salt
• Ground cumin
• Dried oregano
• Low sodium vegetable stock

How to make butternut squash enchiladas

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Arrange the squash in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and rub the squash to coat completely. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake 1 hour, until the squash is tender and beginning to caramelize. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the enchilada sauce by heating 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly for one minute. Add the chill powder, chipotle pepper, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, cumin, and oregano and stir to combine. Slowly whisk in the vegetable stock until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and pour ¼ cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, spreading it out to loosely cover the bottom.
4. In a large bowl, combine butternut squash, black beans, and 1 cup of cheese. Add ⅔ cup of the enchilada sauce and stir to combine. Divide the filling amongst the tortillas, roll tightly, and place seam side down in the prepared baking pan. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce, smoothing it out to coat all of the tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is beginning to brown. Top with optional toppings such as diced avocado, cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, or diced mango.

Top tips

Buying chipotle peppers

I'm currently having a moment with chipotle peppers. They're slightly smoky and full of flavor without being too terribly spicy. My go-to snacking salsa is chipotle flavored and I'm so glad I thought of putting one in my homemade red enchilada sauce!

Chipotles are a tiny bit annoying because they're sold in a can (in adobo, which is just some saucy goodness). It can be a little disheartening to buy a whole can of chipotles and then only use one, so feel free to leave it out or freeze leftover peppers in ice cube trays for future use.

Cutting butternut squash

I use a large, sharp chef's knife. Lay the squash down on a cutting board and insert the tip of the knife into the center of the squash, cutting toward the bottom.

Move the tip of your knife back to the middle of the squash and repeat the process toward the stem until the squash is completely cut in half. Scoop out the seeds with a large spoon and discard.

What to serve with vegetarian enchiladas

I love serving vegetarian enchiladas with sour cream, avocado, lime wedges on the side. You could also serve alongside your favorite rice, millet, or quinoa.

How to store butternut squash enchiladas

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tips for customizing butternut squash enchiladas

• Use sweet potatoes in place of the butternut squash
• Add other roasted or sautéed veggies such as onions or peppers
• Swap the beans and veggies for 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken if making for meat eaters
• Make it vegan by leaving out the cheese and sour cream
• Make it gluten free by use a gluten-free flour blend in the sauce and gluten-free tortillas
• Save time by using a canned enchilada sauce (affiliate link) rather than homemade
• Omit the chipotle pepper, no need to make any other changes

FAQ

More vegetarian Mexican recipes

• Huevos Rancheros
• Butternut Squash Enchiladas
• Vegetarian Enchiladas with Poblano Cream Sauce
• Easy Cheese Enchiladas
• Fajita Veggies
• Crispy Baked Black Bean Tacos
• Sweet Potato Tacos
• Sheet Pan Veggie Tacos
• Roasted Veggie Tostadas
• Black Bean and Butternut Squash Quesadillas

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Recipe

Vegetarian Enchiladas with Butternut Squash and Black Beans

Vegetarian enchiladas stuffed with butternut squash, black beans, and cheese, then smothered in a smoky homemade chipotle enchilada sauce.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 10 enchiladas

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Vegetarian Enchiladas

• ▢ 1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 1 ½ cups cooked)
• ▢ Olive oil
• ▢ Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• ▢ 2 cups monterey jack or cheddar cheese, divided
• ▢ 10 taco size flour tortillas
• ▢ Avocado, optional
• ▢ Cilantro, optional
• ▢ Limes, optional
• ▢ Sour Cream, optional
• ▢ Mango, optional

Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 ½ tablespoons chili powder
• ▢ 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, seeds removed, and chopped
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups low sodium vegetable stock

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Arrange the squash in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and rub the squash to coat completely. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake 1 hour, stirring three or four times, until the squash is tender and beginning to caramelize. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF.
• Meanwhile, prepare the enchilada sauce by heating 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium heat.
• Add the flour and whisk constantly for one minute. Add the chill powder, chipotle pepper, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, cumin, and oregano and stir to combine.
• Slowly whisk in the vegetable stock until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and pour ¼ cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, spreading it out to loosely cover the bottom.
• In a large bowl, combine butternut squash, black beans, and 1 cup of cheese. Add ⅔ cup of the enchilada sauce and stir to combine.
• Divide the filling amongst the tortillas, roll tightly, and place seam side down in the prepared baking pan.
• Top with the remaining enchilada sauce, smoothing it out to coat all of the tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is beginning to brown. Top with optional toppings such as diced avocado, cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, or diced mango.

Notes

A few ideas to customize your vegetarian chipotle enchiladas:

• Use sweet potatoes in place of the butternut squash
• Add other roasted or sautéed veggies such as onions or peppers
• Swap the beans and veggies for 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken if making for meat eaters
• Leave the cheese out to make it vegan, skipping the sour cream in the toppings
• Use a gluten-free flour blend in the sauce and gluten-free tortillas to make this gluten-free
• To save time the squash will be soft enough to eat after roasting about 40 minutes, but I prefer to leave them in the full hour to get crisp and sweet
• Save time by using a canned enchilada sauce rather than homemade
• Omit the chipotle pepper, no need to make any other changes

 

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 855mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 8850IU | Vitamin C: 16.9mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @theliveinkitchen or tag #theliveinkitchen!