Butternut Squash Burrito Boats
The following recipe and photos were provided by Sally Roeckell of Table and Dish and were originally published on 365Barrington.com.
Squash and pumpkins are royalty during Autumn. We can find their flavors infused into everything from coffee to frosting. Butternut squash soup is on repeat in my kitchen. Today instead of pureeing butternut, I’m using the body of the squash as a vessel. Butternut Squash Burrito Boats are on the menu. It’s everything we love about Chipotle served up with a healthy Autumn twist.
Start by roasting. This is as simple as cutting the squash in half, scooping out the pulp, add a bit of oil and roast flesh side down on a baking sheet. So, so easy!
If you like mashed squash, you can simply scoop out the cooked flesh and use that as your base for this recipe. I’m not a fan of mashed squash. I love the flavor but the texture, not so much. So you’ll see in the recipe notes that I roasted one squash to use as the boats and chopped another into cubed pieces. I roasted these to get the crispy caramelized edges. I used these tasty bites to add back into the dish with the organic grass-fed ground beef, enchilada sauce and spices, black beans, corn, and cheese. You can add any of your favorite fixings, try tomatoes, salsa and even guacamole.
Butternut Squash Burrito Boats
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. organic grass-fed ground beef
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 2 ears sweet corn, kernels removed or frozen kernels thawed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 15.5 oz. can of black beans, drained
- 1 10 oz. can of enchilada sauce
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
- Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to remove seeds and pulp.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. On two large rimmed baking sheets, drizzle squash halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until almost tender, 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scoop out squash, leaving a 1/2″ border around edges and saving the insides for filling.
- Reduce oven heat to 350°F. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 Tbsp. oil. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds, then stir in beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder and cook until it is no longer pink.
- Stir in corn, black beans, enchilada sauce and reserved butternut squash*. Cook until sauce is warmed through.
- Fill butternut squash boats with beef mixture and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro before serving, if using.
*I decided to cook one squash (two halves) as directed. I diced the other squash into one-inch cubes, tossed it with olive oil and roasted it on a separate pan while the first squash cooked to add a different texture to the boats.
This was absolutely AWESOME!!! I used butternut squash spirals because that’s what I had on hand. I seasoned the spirals with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic then tossed them in a bit of olive oil and roasted on 425 for 10mins. I made the ground beef mixture as directed but, after I got everything in the pan I realize I should have gotten a bigger can of enchilada sauce. So to add some more liquid I added two cans of Mexican flavored rotel. It turned out perfect!!! This recipe is definitely a keeper.??