These enchiladas are the best, and they’re such an easy mealย to prep ahead, with slow cooked beef and roasted butternut squash, they’re delicious and ready to serve in noย time.
In This Post
This post is in partnership with Kroger
For the past few months,ย Iโve 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. Itโs 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 weโve saved from not going out to eat as much now that thereโs quick meals in the refrigerator that are ready to roll.ย
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 lotย easier to enjoy. This Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas recipe checks all the boxes on my Christmas wish list.
And even better,ย youโll 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 akaย Smithโs 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 aheadโlike I didโor you can purchase pre-made in the grocery store.
Letโs 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. Itโs 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 donโt 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 itโs own.
I used chuck roast and doubled the recipe to make one for dinner and one to shred and save with ยฝ 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 youโd like. But if you find you donโt 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. Theyโre thick skinned, theyโre unwieldy and Iโd rather just avoid it all together. Thatโs why I LOVE picking up packages of pre-cut butternut squash from the grocery store produce section. Plus, itโs 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. Thatโs why I asked my waitress what cheese they use and guess what? Itโs mozzarella. Yes, itโs perfectly acceptable to borrow cheese from other cultures.
Normally I prefer to shred my own cheese but sometimes convenience is where itโs at, and for this recipe, thatโs what Iโm talkinโ โbout Willis.
Now, Iโm 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 thatโs 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? Youโre gonna love them as much as we do.
Freezer tip:ย You can freeze these enchiladas cooked or uncookedย for up to three months.
For freezing cookedย enchiladas:ย Line two smallerย 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 foilย andย place them in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, you can lift the parchment out of the dish and cover the frozen enchiladasย with foil.
For reheating alreadyย cooked enchiladas:ย 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:ย Line two smallerย baking dishes with parchment paper and follow steps 1-4. Thenย cover the baking dishes tightly with a a layer plastic wrap or foilย andย place them in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, you can lift the parchment out of the dish and cover the frozen enchiladasย with foil.
For heating uncooked enchiladas: When you’re ready to bake your enchiladas, preheat your oven to 375 and remove themย 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 Ideasย to Serve With Yourย 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:ย Mango Margaritas with Chile Salt and Lime
- Non-Alcoholic Drink:ย Authentic Horchata
- Salad:ย Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- Side:ย Healthy Crockpot Refried Beans
- Side:ย Easy Mexican Rice
- Dessert:ย Mexican Brownies
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me onย Instagramย with #foodiecrusheats.
Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
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)
- ยฝ 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 ยฝ cup enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Mix โ cup of the enchilada sauce with the shredded beef. Spread a little more than ยผ cup of the beef mixture in a line in the lower third of the tortilla. Top with ยผ cup of the butternut squash, a scant ยผ cup of diced onion and ยผ 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 donโt 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
Hey, thanks for stopping by, make it a great day and make something good.
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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Danielle
Does anyone know the nutrition facts for this meal? and serving size?
Hayley
Hi Danielle! We’re sorry, we’ve just updated the recipe to include the nutrition facts!
Amy
ohh, this looks great! Can’t wait to try it out, thanks. :)
Mehndi
Looks really amazing:)
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Iโm really impressed with your article, such great & usefull knowledge you mentioned here
Sandra
I’m thinking you could use pork or chicken if you wanted to and it would still be delicious! I do plan on trying your recipe first.
heidi
Yes Sandra, you could definitely sub another protein in. Enjoy!
Kamagra
Thank you so much for the great enjoy this lovely movement in our life.
Rachael
These look like my new favourite weeknight dinner
Nikki
Hi, can chicken be a substitute for the beef? Can I cook a whole chicken or chicken breast like the slow cook Mexican roast and shred…go from there?
Fiona
It looks yummy!! :)
Laura | Tutti Dolci
Yes please, I need these enchiladas for dinner tonight!
heidi
They’re so easy to prepare, you can have them any night of the week. Thanks Laura.
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
I can’t wait to try this!
heidi
Hope you enjoy!
Rachel - A Southern Fairytale
Those look and sound AMAZING <3 I can't wait to give this recipe a try! Happy Holidays, sweet friend.
heidi
Happy holidays to you as well Rachel!!