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This Kabocha Squash Enchilada recipe is so delicious and will quickly turn into your go-to vegan/vegetarian enchilada recipe!
This Kabocha Squash Enchilada with Salsa Verde Recipe Is:
- Soft and full of flavor.
- Perfect as a make-ahead meal.
- Plant-based and vegan.
- Contains kabocha squash which is the perfect fall ingredient!
- Easy to make and kid-friendly.
Kabocha Squash
What exactly is this funny named squash? Kabocha squash is a Japanese winter pumpkin often used in Asian cuisine for tempura and other preparations. It is very sweet in flavor (even sweeter than butternut squash), large in size and a bit lumpy on the outside. It has a deep dark green colored skin and it is most delicious when baked.
For this recipe, if you cannot find this variety of squash, you can use the butternut squash instead.
Salsa Verde
If you’re not familiar with salsa verde (or green salsa) and you’re wondering if you can replace it with regular salsa instead you should know that they are prepared with different ingredients (although the concept is the same). Salsa verde uses tomatillos (small green-like tomatoes) instead of regular red tomatoes and it is much more tangy and zesty in flavor.
The tangy flavors compliment the sweetness of the kombucha squash so well! Please try these Kabocha Squash Enchiladas with Salsa Verde and let us know what you think.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
- Poblano Chiles: 2, halved
- Yellow Onion: ½, small
- Garlic Clove: 1, peeled
- Tomatillos: ¼ pound (2-3), husked, rinsed, and dried.
- Jalapeno Chile: 1 small
- Cumin: 1 teaspoon, ground
- Coriander: 1 teaspoon, ground
- Neutral Oil: 1 teaspoon (vegetable, grapeseed, canola)
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: to taste
- Kabocha Squash: ½ of the squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- Cumin: ½ teaspoon, ground
- Coriander: ½ teaspoon, ground
- Neutral Oil: 1 ½ teaspoon (vegetable, grapeseed, canola)
- Corn Tortillas: 8, (6″ in diameter)
- Red Onion: ¼ finely chopped
- Cilantro: just a handful, chopped
- Optional Toppings: Finely chopped red onion, cilantro, and radish; hot sauce; and lime wedges.
How to Make Kabocha Squash Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
FOR THE SALSA VERDE:
- Preheat the broiler. Put the poblanos, onion, garlic, tomatillos, and jalapeno on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the oil over the top.
- Put the sheet in the oven, 3-4 inches from the heat, and broil until peppers are blackened and soft, around 8-10 minutes. (If anything starts to burn or, in the case of the tomatillos bursting, remove them from the oven as necessary.) Alternately, you can blacken everything over a fire or the flame on a gas stove, but that can take a long time, given that you have to do everything one at a time. Still, if you’re so inclined, or if you have a fire going in your grill, go for it.
- Set the sheet aside to cool, and turn the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). When the salsa verde ingredients are cool (around 10 minutes), peel the poblano and jalapeno peppers, discard the seeds from the poblanos, and put everything into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
FOR THE SQUASH:
- While the salsa verde ingredients are cooling, put the squash in a medium bowl, and toss with the 1/2 teaspoon cumin, coriander, oil, salt and pepper.
- Place on a small baking sheet, and roast in the oven until caramelized and cooked through around 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
TO ASSEMBLE THE ENCHILADAS:
- Smear a few tablespoons of salsa verde over the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ baking dish.
- Put 1/8 of the squash onto a tortilla, and top with a teaspoon of salsa verde, some of the chopped red onion, and some of the chopped cilantro. (If you’re using good-quality tortillas, you won’t have to heat them, but cheaper tortillas can benefit from a quick frying in hot oil to make them more pliable and less likely to break when rolled.)
- Roll the tortilla up, and put it in the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the rest of the salsa verde over the top, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven, and let rest for 5-10 minutes to cool. Serve with additional onion, cilantro, radish, lime wedges, and hot sauce on the side.
Recipe Notes & Tips
Make sure your kabocha squash is cut up into small similar size pieces.
Be mindful to not overstuff your enchiladas.
What Should I Serve with the squash enchiladas?
These vegetarian enchiladas are very filling on their own but go great with many different sides including rice, chips & salsa, and guacamole.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate
- Mexican Inspired Tacos
- The Best Mexican Rice
- Mexican Noodle Soup
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Kabocha Squash Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 poblano chiles, halved
- 1/2 of a small yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/4 pound of tomatillos (around 2-3), husked, rinsed, and dried
- 1 small jalapeno chile
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon of neutral (vegetable, canola, grapeseed) oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 of a kabocha squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of neutral (vegetable, canola, grapeseed) oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8 corn tortillas, 6' in diameter
- 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
- A handful cilantro, chopped
- Finely chopped red onion, cilantro, and radish; hot sauce; and lime wedges
Instructions
Salsa Verde
- Preheat the broiler. Put the poblanos, onion, garlic, tomatillos, and jalapeno on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the oil over the top. Put the sheet in the oven, 3-4 inches from the heat, and broil until peppers are blackened and soft, around 8-10 minutes. (If anything starts to burn or, in the case of the tomatillos, burst, remove them from the oven as necessary.) Alternately, you can blacken everything over a fire or the flame on a gas stove, but that takes kind of a long time, given that you have to do everything one at a time. Still, if you're so inclined, or if you have a fire going in your grill, go for it. Set the sheet aside to cool, and turn the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). When the salsa verde ingredients are cool (around 10 minutes), peel the poblano and jalapeno peppers, discard the seeds from the poblanos, and put everything into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Squash
- While the salsa verde ingredients are cooling, put the squash in a medium bowl, and toss with the 1/2 teaspoon cumin, coriander, oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a small baking sheet, and roast in the oven until caramelized and cooked through around 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Assembly
- Smear a few tablespoons of salsa verde over the bottom of an 8' x 8' baking dish. Put 1/8 of the squash onto a tortilla, and top with a teaspoon of salsa verde, some of the chopped red onion, and some of the chopped cilantro. (If you're using good-quality tortillas, you won't have to heat them, but cheaper tortillas can benefit from a quick frying in hot oil to make them more pliable and less likely to break when rolled.) Roll the tortilla up, and put it in the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the rest of the salsa verde over the top, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes to cool. Serve with additional onion, cilantro, radish, lime wedges, and hot sauce on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Additional Info
