I was on my way to making butternut squash enchiladas, and as I reached for the casserole pan, the muffin tins caught my eye. A very simple transition to turn a savory filling wrapped into a corn tortilla into a savory filling piled into a tortilla-lined muffin tin.
But the cute factor increased exponentially, and while I am never about cuteness in food for cuteness’ sake, in this particular case it really worked. Sometimes cuteness takes a lot of time – that’s when I lose interest. In this case cuteness took the same amount of time as it would have to roll up the enchiladas, which is to say, not that much time. That’s enough about cuteness.
These enchilada cups would be great served at a party – think of them when you have a crowd for some kind of game day, or maybe just on a snowy evening. You can pick them up with your hands, at least most of the time you can – occasionally the tortillas are a little reluctant to bond together into cup form. No matter – still cute. Just knife and fork cute.
I’d like to make some of this roasted tomato sauce to drizzle over these cups next time. Or this tomatillo salsa/sauce.
Other Butternut Squash Recipes:
- Butternut Squash and White Bean Ragout
- Black Lentil and Butternut Squash with Provencal Vinaigrette
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Crème Fraiche
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Creamy Sauce
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Butternut Squash, Black Bean and Chicken Enchilada Cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups ½-inch diced butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter or use plain oil
- Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup sliced scallions white and greens parts
- 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro optional
- 9 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- Sour cream and salsa to serve
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Spread the squash in a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle over the melted butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the squash for about 20 minutes until tender and golden brown. Remove the squash and leave the oven on.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, until golden. Add the chili powder, cumin, and tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Let cool.
- While the sauce is simmering, place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and add the black beans, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Pour the cooled sauce over the chicken mixture and toss to combine. Gently toss in the roasted squash.
- Heat a heavy pan, such as a cast iron pan, over medium high heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet, let heat for 20 seconds, flip, and heat for another 20 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and repeat until all of the tortillas have been heating, stacking them on the plate as you go. Cut the tortillas into quarters, and then take three triangles and fit them into a muffin tin so that they overlap, and cover the bottom and sides, and the round edges peek up just about the tops of the cup.
- Place about ½ cup of the filling mixture into each cup. Sprinkle over the cheese, and bake the cups for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and everything is hot. Let sit in the tins for about 5 minutes, then remove and serve warm, with sour cream and salsa, if desired.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition values are provided as an estimate. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
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Um, math check? If there are 12muffin cups with 3 quarters in each, one only needs 9 tortillas…yes?
YES! Thanks for the correction!