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If you are looking for the perfect veggie enchilada recipe look no further. Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas are simple to make using real wholesome ingredients and are just so delicious! Bake some for now, and freeze some for later. Your future self will thank you!
A quick, family-friendly recipe, these butternut squash enchiladas are gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, and vegan. This recipe is a staple in my meal prep rotation. You can easily double the ingredients to make one batch for dinner and freeze the rest for later. Once reheated, they taste as good as new!
The BEST Black Bean and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
My family has been mixing up our regular rotation and incorporating a lot more vegetarian meals lately. And this veggie enchilada recipe has been a welcome swap for my chicken enchilada spaghetti squash casserole. It has so many veggies packed in, healthy plant-based protein (thanks to those black beans), and the best homemade enchilada sauce!
I took the time to prepare recipes for labor when I had my daughter, Skylar, and I was lucky enough to have a few pans of frozen homemade enchiladas on hand while I recovered. It was so great to be able to heat up a healthy dinner during those chaotic first few weeks!
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
This recipe has a few simple steps to make it, but I promise it’s super simple to put together. It’s ready to eat with a total time of under an hour! Plus, these butternut squash and black bean enchiladas make for an excellent freezer meal.
*Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredient list!
- Enchilada Sauce: I make my own enchilada sauce, but you can use a store-bought variety if preferred. I like the Siete Foods brand for store-bought. You’ll need about 2 cups of sauce.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic create a pungent, savory flavor base with a hint of sweetness.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and fine sea salt create a bold, savory, smokey, mildly spicy taste.
- Broth: I use low-sodium vegetable broth, but chicken broth will also work if you don’t need this recipe to be strictly vegetarian.
- Butternut Squash: To save time, buy pre-cut butternut squash at your local grocery store. Feel free to use any other veggies you like best, too. Zucchini makes for a great alternative in the summer!
- Spinach: I recommend using baby spinach for a slightly sweeter taste.
- Black Beans: You can omit the beans if you are avoiding legumes. Or, you can substitute in another bean.
- Tortillas: Use whatever tortillas you like best. (See my tips below.)
- Shredded Cheese: I like to use cheddar cheese. To make this recipe vegan, you can skip the cheese, or use a vegan cheese.
The Best Tortillas
We tested this recipe with corn tortillas and almond flour tortillas (from Siete Foods). Both worked well! The almond flour tortillas tend to get crunchy in the oven. So, if you using an alternative grain-free tortilla, you might want to cover it for the first half of the bake.
Feel free to use whatever tortilla you typically use to make enchiladas here, too. We also have tortillas and enchiladas in my first cookbook, and you can use those homemade tortillas if you’d like, too!
This recipe will fill between 10 and 14 tortillas, depending on the size of the tortillas you use!
Kitchen Tools I Use
How to Make Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas
- Prepare the sauce: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add arrowroot flour (or tapioca starch), chili, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. Stir for one minute. Then, add in the tomato sauce and lime juice, and gradually add the veggie broth, whisking to remove any clumps. Simmer until the sauce thickens, and adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Sauté: Heat oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Then, add the onions and garlic, and cook until they begin to soften. Add the seasonings, and cook until fragrant.
- Cook: Add the veggie broth and squash, and cook until tender.
- Combine: Stir in part of the enchilada sauce, spinach, and beans, and cook until the spinach wilts and the ingredients heat through.
- Layer: Spread enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Fill the tortillas: Warm the tortillas, and fill them with the filling. Then, roll them up, and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. Continue until you use all the filling, and the baking dish is full.
- Top: Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top, and sprinkle the dish evenly with cheese.
- Bake: Transfer the enchiladas to the oven, and bake uncovered until the cheese melts. If desired, broil for a few minutes at the end, allowing the cheese to become golden brown.
- Serve: Let your enchiladas cool for a few minutes before serving. Then, sprinkle cilantro on top, and serve warm!
How to Warm Tortillas
My best tip for filling the enchilada is to make sure your tortillas are heated up! If you skip this step, your tortilla won’t be as flexible, and it could crack when filling, or unroll. So, take the time to heat up the tortillas.
There are a few different methods of warming up tortillas, but the most common is to heat them up one by one in a hot skillet. Or, you can place them in the microwave to soften. I don’t recommend heating them over an open flame or under a broiler when making enchiladas as they can get too crispy.
Once you’ve warmed up the tortillas, place the filling in the center of the tortilla. Then, roll it up tightly and place it inside your baking dish.
FAQs
I love to serve this recipe with a side of rice or cauliflower rice. However, it’s also great with avocado and corn salsa, Mexican street corn salad, spiralized chipotle slaw, and easy homemade refried beans.
Stored in an airtight container, leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the microwave or covered in the oven.
Yes, you can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months! Make sure to assemble the enchiladas in an airtight container, and do not bake. Then, cover, and freezer. Thaw in the fridge for 12 hours before you plan to bake. When you’re ready to eat, bake according to the recipe instructions, and enjoy!
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes To Try
Watch The Video:
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
For Enchilada Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 cup veggie broth
For Enchiladas:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup veggie broth
- 3 cups finely diced butternut squash about ½ – ¼” diced
- 2 big handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 10-14 medium to small tortillas
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Make the enchilada sauce: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the arrowroot flour, chili, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin and stir together over the heat constantly for 1 minute. Add in the tomato sauce and lime juice, and then gradually add the veggie broth, whisking to remove any clumps. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 5-8 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour, 1 tablespoon chili powder , 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 cup veggie broth
- Make the filling: Heat oil in a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add veggie broth and butternut squash and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.¼ cup veggie broth, 3 cups finely diced butternut squash
- Stir in 1 cup of the reserved enchilada sauce, spinach and black beans and cook until the spinach is wilted and the mixture is heated through.2 big handfuls fresh spinach, 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- Spread ⅓ cup sauce on the bottom of the 9×13 inch (or similar sized) baking dish.
- Warm tortillas up either in a cast-iron skillet, under the broiler, or in the microwave until malleable. Place 1 tortilla down on a flat surface and fill it with about ½ cup of filling (this amount will vary based on the size of your tortillas). Roll up the tortilla and place it, seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all of the filling has been used up, about 14 tortillas worth.10-14 medium to small tortillas
- Pour remaining sauce over the top of the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Bake, uncovered in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. If desired, you can broil the cheese on top for 2-3 minutes at the end.
- Let the enchiladas rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Top with cilantro and serve warm with rice, cauliflower rice or side of choice.Cilantro
Notes
– Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
– To freeze these enchiladas, make sure to assemble them in a freezer-safe container. Fully assemble them, but do not bake. Make sure the filling is completely cool before wrapping in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 3 months. Transfer from the freezer to the refrigerator 12 hours before you plan to bake (also known as the day before you want to eat ’em!) to defrost. Once the food is defrosted bake according to the instructions in the recipe!
Nutrition
I made this with sweet potato instead of the squash and also layered it in the pan like lasagna instead of rolling the individual enchiladas. Absolutely amazing! We’re fighting over the leftovers. Can’t wait to make this again!
This one was a fail for us – and we typically LOVE everything from Lexi. First, it took a ton of time between making the enchilada sauce, preparing the squash, cooking the filling separately, assembling the enchiladas and then baking – an hour and a half of kitchen time (and I’m a fairly experienced home cook.) The squash was still hard even after 15 minutes and required additional broth several times (was it maybe supposed to be covered?) I’ve never added a thickener to homemade enchilada sauce, and with the arrowroot this got overly thick and congealed so it couldn’t be poured over the enchiladas (the seasoning was lovely but I would suggest skipping the arrowroot.) Finally the enchiladas stuck horribly to the pan. I even greased the pan (not in the instructions) and then added sauce as instructed but it was still a total mess to get them out. The flavors were lackluster, not worth the trouble and the many, many dishes. This was the very first recipe of Lexi’s that didn’t work for us, and we’ve loved many, so maybe our experience was an anomaly.
So delicious and simple! We loved them.
So good! We are a big meat eating household and these satisfied everyone!
These black bean and butternut squash enchiladas are DELICIOUS! The homemade enchilada sauce is simple but a game-changer. The spices in the dish are spot-on. I thought I could save a minute by not heating the tortillas but that is a MUCH needed step.
These will be on regular rotation in my house. I’d even eat them for breakfast!
These are delicious! Loved them.
I tried these last night and they were absolutely delicious! Highly recommend!
So happy you enjoyed!