Butternut Squash and Jackfruit Enchiladas

The Mexican food scene in Burlington is bleak at best. It has a very casual tex-mex vibe, with minimal gluten free and vegan options. While this works for some, it hasn’t for me. I miss greasy midwestern Mexican with endless baskets of chips and salsa (which I know is also not authentic). All this has left me with some mean cravings – particularly for Enchiladas.

I rarely make enchiladas because I always struggle with the corn flour tortillas falling apart. My craving, however, was strong enough for me to brave this and I think I finally have developed a consistent technique. In the end, the hassle was worth it because these were delicious. I even made a cashew cheese sauce to go on top! (see note about cashew ethics*). They were pretty much a resounding success with some nice fall flavors mixed in with some of the usual suspects (hello black beans and jackfruit).

This definitely isn’t one of the “dump and go” recipes. It takes time and care, but in the end it will pay off and you will have food for the week plus some! I recommend undertaking this project on a Sunday (whatever that means to you) so you can reap the benefits when you have less time to cook!

Ingredients

Fillings and fixins‘

• 4 cups enchilada sauce – store bought or homemade
• 10 oz can of young green jackfruit* (prepared as done here)
• 1 medium butternut squash – skinned and cubbed
• 2 cups of your favorite beans (I used black beans and chickpeas) **
• 18 count corn flour tortillas
• 2 tbsp. cheesy taco seasoning
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. liquid smoke
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. corriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Cashew cheez

• 1 cup raw cashews – soaked in hot water for 8 hours
• 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp. acv
• 1 tbsp. white miso
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)
• 1/2 cup water
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. celery salt
• 1 tsp. tapioca starch
• optional: 1 tbsp. miyokos roadhouse cheddar spread ***

Optional toppings:

• Avocado *
• Lime
• vegan yogurt
• salsa verde

Instructions:

1. At the start of your day, combine 1 cup of cashews with 1 1/2 cups of hot water and set aside to soak until ready to cook
2. Preheat your oven to 375F/190C
3. Place your skinned butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil nutmeg, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven until tender, around 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add your soaked beans to a medium sauce pot with 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil – cook until tender and drain. (Skip if using canned beans)
5. Return the beans to the pot and mix in 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. water, and 2 tbsp. cheesy taco seasoning, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes just to heat.
6. It’s probably now time to remove the squash from the oven. Allow it to cool completely while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
7. Prepare your jackfruit as I do in the carnitas jackfruit recipe. Alternatively you can steam the drained jackfruit in a covered pan for ~ 10 minutes until tender. Shred the jackfruit then add 2 – 3 tbsp. of enchilada sauce for a flavor boost.
8. While the jackfruit finishes cooking drain your cashews and combine with all other ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, this may take a few minutes. It may still be a bit grainy, but that is just fine!
9. Mash up your cooled squash until it is smoother and easier to work with.
10. Place the enchilada sauce in a medium sauce pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling remove from heat and place at your staging station along with all your other fillings and toppings.
11. The last thing to do before assembling is to steam the tortillas. Wrap 2 – 3 corn tortillas in a damp bread towel or damp paper towels. Microwave for 30 seconds and then immediately submerge in enchilada sauce to soak. This is the technique I use to prevent them from breaking and flaking. Doing this in small batches helps reduce flaking as well.
12. Remove a tortilla from the pot and place in a well oiled baking dish. Add your fillings close to the edge of the tortilla (see above). I layered starting with squash, then beans, and finally jackfruit. Be careful not to overfill or they will fall apart.
13. The rolling technique will take practice. Roll the empty end of the tortilla towards the full end. Carefully and quickly tuck the edge under and around the other and slide toward the edge of the pan.
14. Continue this process until you have exhausted all of your ingredients, moving to a second baking dish if necessary. Cover in the remaining enchilada sauce, the goal is for them to be smothered in sauce.
15. Spread the cashew cheese sauce evenly among the enchiladas.
16. Bake in the oven at 375F/190C for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the sauce around the edges is bubbly and the cashew cheese becomes golden they are ready to come out.
17. Allow to cool slightly before serving and top with any and all of your favorites.

Enjoy!

*I aim to avoid using resource intensive ingredients like jackfruit, cashews, and avocado. However, I sometimes make the exception but try to keep it infrequent. If you want to read more about this you can do so here.
** I do beans from dry almost exclusively now because it is easier for me to customize bean ratios. You can, of course use tinned beans if you prefer. All up to the user!
*** Miyokos is the BEST vegan cheese and they are palm oil free which is pretty amazing in my opinion. The products can be pricy but last a while and are absolutely delicious