Cooking With Heinen’s | Butternut Squash Burrito Boats

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3 mins read

Squash and pumpkins are royalty during Autumn. We can find their flavors infused into everything from coffee to frosting. Butternut squash soup is on repeat in my kitchen. Today instead of pureeing butternut I’m using the body of the squash as a vessel. Butternut Squash Burrito Boats are on the menu. It’s everything we love about Chipotle served up with a healthy Autumn twist.

Start by roasting. This is as simple as cutting the squash in half, scooping out the pulp, add a bit of oil and roast flesh side down on a baking sheet. So, so easy!!!

If you like mashed squash you can simply scoop out the cooked flesh and use that as your base for this recipe. I’m not a fan of mashed squash. I love the flavor but the texture, not so much. So you’ll see in the recipe notes that I roasted one squash to use as the boats and chopped another into cubed pieces. I roasted these to get the crispy caramelized edges. I used these tasty bites to add back into the dish with the organic grass fed ground beef, enchilada sauce and spices, black beans, corn, and cheese. You can add any of your favorite fixings, try tomatoes, salsa and even guacamole.

You’ll have to scroll down to the bottom to see what amazingly delicious treat I made with the mashed flesh from the first squash… a Butternut Squash Brown Butter Bundt CAKE, take a look!

Butternut Squash Burrito Boat

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 medium sized butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. organic grass fed ground beef
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 ears sweet corn, kernels removed or frozen kernels thawed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 (15.5-oz.) can black beans, drained
  • 1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce
  • 1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey jack
  • Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Method

  • Cut the squash in half length wise and use a spoon to remove seeds and pulp.
  • Preheat oven to 425°. On two large rimmed baking sheets, drizzle squash halves all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until almost tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scoop out squash, leaving a 1/2″ border around edges and saving the insides for filling.
  • Reduce oven heat to 350°. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds, then stir in beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder and cook until no longer pink.
  • Stir in corn, black beans, enchilada sauce, and reserved butternut squash**. Cook until sauce is warmed through.
  • Fill butternut squash boats with beef mixture and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melty, about 2 minutes.
  • Garnish with cilantro before serving, if using.

**NOTE: I decided to cook one squash (two halves) as directed. I diced the other squash into one inch cubes, tossed it with olive oil and roasted it on a separate pan while the first squash cooked. 

The reason I did this was two fold.  

  1. I prefer the roasted chunks of butternut squash to be mixed into the meat mixture and used to fill the squash “boat” I find that the mashed squash lends a different texture.  
  2. I used the cooked squash from the two halves that I scooped out to make another recipe. Once it was cooled I used it to make a Butternut Squash Brown Butter Bundt cake. Watch for this recipe coming soon. You won’t want to miss this one!


About the Author

Photographer Sally Roeckell specializes in contemporary lifestyle portraiture with an emphasis on food photography. Her Blog, Table and Dish is a website devoted to celebrating and curating the many ways that food binds us. Sally hopes that her recipes and images will inspire you to gather your friends and family in the kitchen to make memories, use the time to connect with busy kids, chat over mixing bowls, get messy, laugh, sing, set the table, clear the table, pass the salt, debate the days topics and pray. You can follow her here as a weekly contributor to 365Barrington and Heinen’s as well as via Table and Dish on Instagram and on her website at TableAndDish.com.


Have you heard about Heinen’s Tasteful Rewards™ program? Sign up for free to receive exclusive weekly specials via email and earn Heinen’s rewards. As a Tasteful Rewards™ membership benefit, Heinen’s will donate up to 1% of your qualified purchases made between September and April to a local school of your choice through their Teaming Up for Education Program. CLICK HERE to sign up for Heinen’s Tasteful Rewards™ and, trust me, this is one email that will always please your palate!


Heinen’s Grocery is located at 500 N. Hough Street, between E. Main Street and Route 14 (next to Meatheads) in Barrington, Illinois. They’re open 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit Heinens.com.

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