If you love enchiladas and roasted winter squash, this recipe is a must-try! We loved the filling of our enchilada bake so much we couldn’t help but add it to a roasted butternut squash, and the results were phenomenal!
This smoky, saucy, hearty stuffed squash is a perfect plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free entrée for fall and winter. Enjoy it on its own or top with guacamole and hot sauce and serve alongside grains or a green salad. Just 7 ingredients required! Let us show you how it’s done.
How to Make Stuffed Squash
The first step is to halve the squash and remove the seeds and strings so it’s ready for roasting! We like rubbing the flesh with a little oil, salt, and pepper before roasting to lock in moisture and infuse it with extra flavor.
Butternut squash is our favorite for this recipe (hello, sweet, vibrant, fiber- and potassium-rich beauty), but if you have other types of winter squash to use up, such as spaghetti squash or acorn squash, they should also work well here.
Once the squash is halved, deseeded, and seasoned, it’s ready to roast until tender and caramelized.
While the squash is in the oven, tender black beans simmer away in our smoky red enchilada sauce with sautéed onion and bell pepper. The smoky, saucy filling is then added to the cavity in the roasted squash, which is baked again until the filling is hot and bubbly.
Once out of the oven, crumbled tortilla chips add an optional (but delicious) crunchy topping for even more texture.
The stuffed squash is ready to enjoy as is or topped with your choice of guacamole, hot sauce, vegan sour cream, cilantro, and/or red onion.
We hope you LOVE this stuffed butternut squash! It’s:
Hearty
Comforting
Smoky
Saucy
Savory-sweet
& SO delicious!
It’s the perfect entrée for fall and winter, especially served alongside a green salad or grains (quinoa, millet, brown rice, or white rice). The flavors would pair well with our Chickpea Chopped Kale Salad with Adobo Dressing, Grilled Corn Salad with Vegan Chipotle Ranch, or Green Cauliflower Rice (20 Minutes!).
More Delicious Butternut Squash Recipes
- Savory Teff Crepes with Miso Squash Filling
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- 1-Pot Butternut Squash Quinoa Chili
- Herbed Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Bake
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Enchilada-Stuffed Butternut Squash
Ingredients
SQUASH
- 1 large butternut squash, halved and seeds removed (leave skin on)
- 1 tsp avocado or olive oil (if oil-free, omit oil and rub with a little maple syrup)
- 1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper
FILLING
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil (or sub other neutral oil or vegan butter // if oil-free, sub water and add more as needed to prevent sticking)
- 1 cup diced red onion (or sub white or yellow)
- 1 medium red or orange bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or homemade // 1 can yields ~1 ¾ cup cooked beans)
- 1 ½ cups red enchilada sauce (or store-bought such as Frontera brand)
FOR TOPPING optional
- 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips (grain-free as needed)
FOR SERVING optional
- Mango habanero hot sauce (or store-bought hot sauce)
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced red onion
- Avocado (or guacamole)
- Vegan sour cream
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 F (218 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a sharp knife to carefully halve the butternut squash, then scoop out the seeds and strings and rub the flesh with oil and salt and pepper.
- Place the squash cut side down and roast for 35-45 minutes or until the skin is browned and flesh is tender (a knife inserted should easily slide in and out). It’s better to overbake than underbake the squash as you want it very tender and slightly caramelized.
- In the meantime, make the filling by heating a medium saucepan or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and beginning to slightly brown. Turn down heat slightly if browning too quickly.
- Add diced bell pepper and sea salt and stir. Cover and sauté — stirring frequently — for 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
- Stir in the (drained) black beans and enchilada sauce and simmer for ~10 minutes to meld the flavors. Then turn off heat, cover, and set aside.
- Remove squash from the oven, flip, and use a spoon to smash down and to make a pronounced divet along the center of the squash (this will make plenty of room for the filling). Pour on the filling (the squash should be quite full and very saucy). Top with crushed tortilla chips (optional) for a crispy topping for added texture.
- Lower oven heat to 400 F (204 C) and bake filled squash for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
- Serve hot as is, or garnish with hot sauce, cilantro, diced onion, avocado or guacamole, and/or vegan sour cream (all optional). This would also pair well with cooked rice or a green salad.
- Store cooled leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350 degree F (176 C) oven until hot.
Mary Hurston says
This is SO tasty! It’s full of flavor and really easy to make. Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Mary! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Peg says
I used 2 cans of black beans to increase the protein and Trader Joe’s Enchilada Sauce. I also roasted Delicata Squash because they’re super easy to seed, cook fast in the air fryer (20 minutes at 400 degrees) and you don’t need to peel them. It was amazing! So much more than the sum of its parts. I have found my absolute favorite vegan recipes on this site! Thanks you!
Aw, YAY! We’re so happy you enjoy our recipes, Peg. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Elizabeth Comtois says
Great flavors! I like how it doesn’t involve a lot of prep or active work. I added kale to the filling for more veggies.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Elizabeth. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing that great addition! xo
The Vegan Goddess says
Oh, gosh! I need to try this and will report back. I’m already in love!
Whoop! So excited to hear what you think :)
Stacey says
I love this recipe and have made it several times. I add small baked tofu nuggets and zucchini. I find that if I used medium-sized butternut squashes I can make two of them from the filling. One I eat at the time I make it and the other I freeze. It is wonderful the second time as well!
Thank you for a great recipe!
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Stacey!
Kendra says
Yum! I love the simplicity and ease of this recipe. I added kale as well as lime and coconut sugar to the enchilada sauce part. Also added rice for some bulk. We will definitely add this to the rotation!
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Kendra!
Kelly says
I made this for our dinner last night, it was absolutely fantastic, my husband loved it and I felt a real sense of accomplishment in making the enchilada sauce and vegan sour cream from scratch. We will be having this again and look forward to cooking it for friends. Thank you!
We’re so glad to hear it, Kelly! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Julia says
This was easy and very good. I added kale as one reviewer suggested because we just put the garden beds to bed and I have a ton of it. Also added some leftover rice to give it “heft” for the hubs. This is going in the regular rotation. Thank you MB for creating recipes that are healthy, delicious and easy!!
Love that! And we’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Julia! Thank you for your kind words! xo
Molly says
Good and super easy
Yay! Thanks, Molly!
Anne says
This is fantastic and has been added to the fall rotation. Our CSA has been giving us lots of winter squash, which I’m not fond of plain. I love them with this filling. I have used this in butternut, carnival, acorn, and even delicata squash. It works wonderfully, just adjust the bake time for the thinner squash. Now…wondering if a pumpkin could be stuffed with this for Thanksgiving. Maybe with corn tortillas or rice to make it something we can slice? Thank you for giving me a way to enjoy squash without dicing it for a stew!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Anne! Pumpkin would also be delicious! xo
Brie says
I really enjoyed this, thank you for the recipe.
Great! Thank you for sharing, Brie!
Astha says
This was so easy and soooo tasty! I replaced the onions in the filling with brown rice and sautéed mushrooms and it was amazing. I used a medium sized squash and half of it was the perfect portion for me!
Yay! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Astha! xo
Mimi says
Loved it. I’m a big eater and I’m stuffed on half this recipe. The other half will not go to waste!
Woohoo! Thanks for the great review and 5 stars, Mimi!
Emma says
Not surprised, another delicious Minimalist Baker meal! So filling, so tasty – and so easy! We had leftover cannellini beans from lunch and threw those in along with a can of spicy black beans. Also added chopped up kale for extra veggies. This makes for lots of leftovers!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed. Love those veggie additions, too! Thanks, Emma!
Jane says
We had this for dinner this week. It was excellent and very easy to do. I didn’t have enchilada sauce, so added an adobo chili (in sauce) to some left over pasta sauce. It added great smokiness and depth to the flavour. This recipe made enough for two meals for two people. We paired it with brown rice, chopped avocado and onion. Fabulous!
Ooo, what a great idea! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jane. So glad you enjoyed!
Dasha says
So good!!! I love the Mexican flavors and it changes the ordinary tortillas :)))
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Dasha! So glad you enjoyed!
Kimberly McDaniel says
This is so simple and easy. I was a little worried it would be too spicy with the heat from my enchilada sauce. The sweetness of the butter squash balanced the heat nicely. I am having it this week for breakfast. This recipe is now on my rotation of food prep recipes. So tasty!
Wonderful! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kimberly! Thank you for the lovely review! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Kim McDaniel says
I warmed up my leftovers and mixed it all (minus the butternut squash rind) with a few more black beans. Added it to warmed corn tortillas with avocado and MB Vegan parm sprinkled on top! Such a great easy dinner and tasted amazing! Seriously! I want more!
Woah, YUM! Love that, Kim! Thank you for sharing! xo
Dawn G says
This was amazing! No modifications. Used homemade enchilada sauce I had in the freezer. We made it twice in a week during Halloween festivities. Thanks for this one!
Woohoo! Love to hear this. Thanks so much for the review, Dawn!
Anna says
This is soooo delicious! And so simple as well!
Yay! Thanks so much for the review, Anna! So glad you enjoyed!
Lana says
What an impressive meal with such simple steps. Easily modified! Didn’t have a pepper on have, so subbed cabbage. Delicious!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lana! Cabbage sounds like a great sub. Thank you for sharing! xo
Cheryl Ellis says
I made it it was a hit , i use trade joe”s Enchilada sauce it real food sauce .
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Cheryl! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Metta says
WOWZA!!
Thank you so so much for creating this super yummy recipe, made it with acorn squash and it was delicious. Freshly cooked black beans were used mixed with your homemade enchilada sauce. We topped it with nutritional yeast for a little cheesy taste.
It was very easy to make, your instructions were clear and method as well.
Not my first recipe from you but the first time I review.
Wish I can post it on Insta but we forgot to take photos, looked beautiful!!
First attempt for a friends dinner, we both loved it🥰
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Metta! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! xo
Bianca says
Fantastic. Going to be a part of our fall rotation! Made my own enchilada sauce. Skipped the tortilla chips. Added Field Roast chirozo, corn and goat cheese. After cooking through, put a cheese blend on the top and broiled until melty and browned. So tasty! Toasted pepitas in the mix would be great for texture too. Thank you!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! And love your modifications, Bianca! Thank you for sharing! xo
Nichole Ward says
This was so easy and tasty. Even my 15 month daughter enjoyed it.
Woohoo! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Nichole! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Wendy says
My family and I loved this. We had received some butternut squash that I wasn’t sure what to use it for so was happy to have your recipe hit my inbox. I made Spanish/Mexican rice as a side which paired nicely.
Love that, Wendy! And what a great pairing! Thank you for sharing! xo
Jen says
Loved this recipe. I used TJ brand enchilada sauce and less than the recipe called for. I’ll probably make homemade sauce next time.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jen! Thank you for sharing! The sauce takes it to the next level. We love making a big batch and freezing it for convenience! xo
Elizabeth says
If I didn’t want to keep this vegan would cheese be good on top?
Ohhh yes!
Kat - the other 1 says
Lol. The answer to that question is always yes! ;)
Sofi says
Hi. I made this. It’s delicious. But to eat it I scooped it out because I assumed the squash skin cannot be eaten. Are you supposed to eat the skin?
You can eat definitely eat the skin, but it’s totally up to you!