Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas

These enchiladas are the best, and they’re such an easy meal to prep ahead, with slow cooked beef and roasted butternut squash, they’re delicious and ready to serve in no time.

This post is in partnership with Kroger

For the past few months, I’ve been focusing on creating meals that take a little more planning, and doing a lot more batch cooking when I use my weekly meal planner. It’s led to our whole family eating dinners that are far less stressful, a little healthier, and far more budget friendly.

I was shocked at how much we’ve saved from not going out to eat as much now that there’s quick meals in the refrigerator that are ready to roll. 

So when Kroger asked me to create a holiday recipe I immediately went into time- and money-saving mode.

We all have so much going on during the holidays that having a quick and easy meal on hand means holiday cheers-ing is a whole lot easier to enjoy. This Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas recipe checks all the boxes on my Christmas wish list.

And even better, you’ll want to keep it around all year long.

About the Recipe

These Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas are one of the easiest to meal prep ahead, and thanks to some help from my slow cooker and my local Kroger aka Smith’s Marketplace’s produce and dairy aisles, they come together amazingly fast.

There are only a few ingredients in these enchiladas, and two of them can either be prepped ahead—like I did—or you can purchase pre-made in the grocery store.

Let’s talk first about the enchilada sauce.

I recently posted my recipe for homemade authentic enchilada sauce that uses real chiles, spices and is actually fried for that authentic taste. It’s surprisingly easy to make and I like to double the recipe and keep a few jars of it in my fridge for quick weeknight enchiladas like these, or to use on eggs or chilaquiles and even in chili or soup.

You can freeze the enchilada sauce for later, too. One reader commented she freezes hers in ice cube trays to thaw and use in smaller amounts. The freezer is our friend, and a real deal meal prep helper.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own sauce, by all means, pick up a 30-ounce can of quality enchilada sauce from the ethnic section of your grocery store to use instead.

The bulk of these enchiladas is shredded beef. Once again, I prepped mine ahead in my favorite new kitchen appliance, The Instant Pot slow cooker, to create this Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Roast. The flavors infused in the meat are really quite incredible and delicious eaten all on it’s own.

I used chuck roast and doubled the recipe to make one for dinner and one to shred and save with ½ cup of the cooking liquid to stir into the shredded meat for these enchiladas.

You can easily freeze the shredded meat to be used for later if you’d like. But if you find you don’t have time to do your meal prep, go ahead and try a pre-cooked package of Beef Barbacao or other shredded beef from the meat aisle instead.

I very much dislike cutting up whole butternut squashes. They’re thick skinned, they’re unwieldy and I’d rather just avoid it all together. That’s why I LOVE picking up packages of pre-cut butternut squash from the grocery store produce section. Plus, it’s a real time-saver.

Since the other ingredients for these enchiladas are pre-cooked, I roast the butternut squash before adding it to the tortillas to add a little more flavor and ensure the squash is cooked through.

I LOVE a really great, meltable cheese in my enchiladas, just like the ones I get at my favorite Mexican restaurant. That’s why I asked my waitress what cheese they use and guess what? It’s mozzarella. Yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to borrow cheese from other cultures.

Normally I prefer to shred my own cheese but sometimes convenience is where it’s at, and for this recipe, that’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout Willis.

Now, I’m fully prepared to take some heat for using flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas in this recipe, but please work with me here because my family simply prefers flour over corn so that’s what I fix.

Of course you are more than welcome to use corn tortillas if you prefer. Dip each tortilla in warm enchilada sauce before layering with ingredients and rolling.

And then guess what happens? You’re gonna love them as much as we do.

Freezer tip: You can freeze these enchiladas cooked or uncooked for up to three months.

For freezing cooked enchiladas: Line two smaller baking dishes with parchment paper and follow all of the recipe instructions (except for adding any garnishes). Let your enchiladas cool completely, then cover the baking dishes tightly with a a layer plastic wrap or foil and place them in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, you can lift the parchment out of the dish and cover the frozen enchiladas with foil.

For reheating already cooked enchiladas: When you’re ready to reheat the enchiladas, preheat your oven to 350, remove the foil, and transfer the enchiladas to a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 10-20 more minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

For freezing uncooked enchiladas: Line two smaller baking dishes with parchment paper and follow steps 1-4. Then cover the baking dishes tightly with a a layer plastic wrap or foil and place them in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, you can lift the parchment out of the dish and cover the frozen enchiladas with foil.

For heating uncooked enchiladas: When you’re ready to bake your enchiladas, preheat your oven to 375 and remove them from the foil and place in your 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for about 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Recipe Ideas to Serve With Your Enchiladas

These enchiladas are certainly filling enough, but sometimes you just need a drink, salad and that extra somethin’ somethin’ to complete the meal.

• Boozy Drink: Mango Margaritas with Chile Salt and Lime
• Non-Alcoholic Drink: Authentic Horchata
• Salad: Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
• Side: Healthy Crockpot Refried Beans
• Side: Easy Mexican Rice
• Dessert: Mexican Brownies

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

Print

4.13 from 16 votes

Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas

These enchiladas are one of the easiest meals to prep ahead, with slow cooked beef and roasted butternut squash, it's ready to serve in the nick of time.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword enchiladas

Servings 8

Calories 332kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups homemade enchilada sauce or 1 30-ounce can store bought
• 1 package of 10 8-inch flour tortillas
• 2-3 cups shredded beef , (like my Slow Cooker Mexican Pot Roast)
• ½ yellow or white onion , diced
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Chopped green onion and shredded lettuce for garnish and serving

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the diced butternut squash on the foil and drizzle with olive oil then season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender and beginning to brown. Set aside to cool.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
• In a 9 X 13 inch baking dish, spread ½ cup enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
• Mix ⅓ cup of the enchilada sauce with the shredded beef. Spread a little more than ¼ cup of the beef mixture in a line in the lower third of the tortilla. Top with ¼ cup of the butternut squash, a scant ¼ cup of diced onion and ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and ingredients, fitting the enchiladas snugly together. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the pan so the enchiladas don’t stick to the foil as they cook.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove the foil and top the enchiladas with the remaining cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes uncovered or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and cover with the foil to rest for a few minutes. Garnish with chopped green onion and serve with shredded lettuce on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1204mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4699IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 316mg | Iron: 2mg

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This post is sponsored by Kroger. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

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