Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Enchilada Casserole

Could have called it enchilada-lasagna, or enchi-sanga, but in the end I went with a straightforward name. This dish takes all the ingredients of enchiladas, but instead of rolling each tortilla up individually, I stacked them in the dish and spread the stuffing over the whole mess.

I know, food porn, right?  This was a particularly photogenic dish, if you're into melty-cheesy goodness.  It ought to be-I made it twice before I was happy with it, so there are photos from each preparation.  My fault, not the recipe--my homemade salsa-not-quite-verde wasn't the right sauce. I repeated it with canned enchilada sauce and it was just right.

My first time trying real, homemade, enchiladas was at a baby shower of all places.  Our hostess made cheese and onion enchiladas and I was amazed how soft and flexible the corn tortilla became in the warm sauce.  Up until that point, I'd assumed that corn tortillas were good for tortilla chips and that's about it.  Not anymore!  I loved the combination of cheese and onion then, and it's still my favorite kind of enchiladas by far.

Because I eat seasonally, I've got butternut squash from my farm share.  The farmers at the weekly pick up said there'd been some insect damage to the squash, and to eat them up this week.  Normally I'd be holding off on the squash until later in the fall and focusing on the greens now, but needs must.  I decided to roast the squash because I've been roasting anything I haven't pickled lately (and pickling anything that hasn't moved). I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

The pig is very concerned he's going to get pickled too.

I thought the caramelized onion would pair nicely with the squash, so, since I had the squash roasting for ages in the oven it wasn't hard to stop by now and again and stir the onions.  I'm intrigued by the idea of caramelizing onions in the crock pot and may do that in the future.  See note below!

I ended up using the Salsa Verde-ish in another dish, the flavor wasn't right for this one.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Enchilada Casserole

1 large onion, thinly sliced (see note below!)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Kosher)

1 teaspoon Penzey's Arizona Dreaming seasoning (or chili pepper blend of your choice)

1 1/2 cups roasted butternut squash puree (from 1 medium butternut squash roasted at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until soft)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 1/4 cup shredded Mexican blend (or cheddar, or Colby Jack) cheese, divided

1 can (19 oz, about 2 1/2 cups) enchilada sauce

12 corn tortillas 

Heat skillet to medium-low heat.  Add a thin layer of oil.  Sauté onion until caramelized.  This took me 45 minutes.  I kept the heat pretty low, though, you could just sauté the onions until they are softened if you're short on time.  Stir in the spices.  Remove from heat, let cool a few minutes.  In a large bowl combine the butternut squash puree, cottage cheese, and 3/4 cup shredded cheese.  Stir in onions once they are lukewarm (you don't want them melting the cheese but they don't have to be stone cold).  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a 10 inch (25.5 cm) round casserole dish pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce (a scant 1/2 cup).  Layer 4 tortillas over top. Spread half of the squash-cheese-onion mixture over the tortillas.  Pour a thin layer (1/2 cup) of enchilada sauce on top of cheese mixture.  Top with 4 more corn tortillas, then the rest of the squash-cheese-onion mixture.  Add a thin layer of enchilada sauce.  Top with the final 4 tortillas.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the tortilla stack.  Top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is bubbly.  Delicious with rice on the side and some salsa on top.

NOTE:  Soon after I made these, I saw an email about caramelizing onions in the crock pot.  I decided to do that for another dish, and tried it out this weekend.  Score!  I followed the instructions on this site and made these:  I'd use them again in this dish, because they tasted awesome in the pizza and were super simple to make.  Don't they look good?

Shared on the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up at Gastronomical Sovereignty the Farm Girl Blog Fest at Let This Mind Be In You, and What's In The Box at In Her Chucks-check them out!