Black Bean and Butternut Squash Casserole - meatless and gluten-free dinner recipe! This Southwestern-style enchilada casserole is made with lots of vegetables and corn tortillas.
I love making recipes with butternut squash in a casserole dish, such as everyone's favorite butternut squash and spinach lasagna. Butternut squash is a great vegetable with a rich flavor which works great in meatless recipes! Take a look at beautiful butternut squash tortellini.
Butternut Squash Casserole - meatless and gluten-free recipe
- The vegetables are roasted in spices (cumin and chili powder). That adds lots of Southwestern flavor!
- Other ingredients include green and red bell peppers, corn, salsa, enchilada sauce, sour cream, Mozzarella cheese, and corn tortillas.
How to make butternut squash casserole gluten free
- This recipe is gluten-free. Use corn tortillas, and all other ingredients are also naturally gluten-free.
- Use gluten-free enchilada sauce. Keep in mind that some store-bought enchilada sauces can have gluten ingredients. So look carefully at the label. You can also make your own gluten-free enchilada sauce or skip it in this recipe.
How to store butternut squash casserole
- Store butternut squash casserole refrigerated and covered air-tight for up to 5 days.
- This black bean and butternut squash enchilada casserole is amazing when hot right out of the oven. It tastes even better the next day, or 3-4 days later! I just finished the last slice of this casserole 5 days later, and I can tell you that it was better than the 1st day! I guess all the flavors really blend while sitting in the refrigerator for days. 🙂
Other butternut squash recipes
- Roasted Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, Cranberries
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Pomegranate Seeds
- Butternut Squash Chili
How to make black bean and butternut squash casserole:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
2) Add chopped onion, chopped green bell pepper and chopped red bell pepper, and seasonings.
3) Add corn to the skillet and roast the vegetables in olive oil on high heat until charred a bit.
4) Add rinsed black beans.
5) Add roasted butternut squash.
6) Mix all vegetables, add more spices and salt, if needed.
7) I used a casserole dish 11 inches x 8.5 inches x 3 inches deep. Add 1 cup of salsa to the bottom of the 3-inch deep casserole dish and spread to coat the bottom evenly.
8) Start layers. Layer 1: Place 4 corn tortillas over the salsa, overlapping to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
9) Spread ⅓ of the vegetable mixture over the corn tortillas.
10) Top with ½ cup sour cream, dropping it in small dollops all over. Then spread it carefully over the veggies.
11) Pour ½ cup enchilada sauce evenly all over, spreading sour cream evenly all over.
12) Sprinkle with ½ cup Mozzarella cheese.
13) Repeat all layers 2 more times. Sprinkle the final layer generously with cheese. Use at least ½ and ¼ cups of Mozzarella cheese.
14) Cover with foil.
15) Bake at 375 F in the preheated oven for 25 minutes covered. Then remove foil. Bake for 10 more minutes uncovered.
This is what the black bean and butternut squash enchilada casserole looks like right out of the oven:
Let it cool a little bit, then slice it right in the casserole pan.
Black Bean and Butternut Squash Casserole
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 5 cups butternut squash cubed (store-bought, or make your own - see recipe below)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Vegetable mixture:
- ½ onion , chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 green bell pepper , chopped into cubes
- 1 red bell pepper , chopped into cubes
- 1 teaspoon cumin or more
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or more
- 8 oz corn (from the can, rinsed and drained)
- 15 oz black beans (from the can, rinsed and drained)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (add more, to taste)
Other ingredients for assembling the casserole:
- 1 cup salsa (to go on the bottom of the casserole dish)
- 12 corn tortillas , 6 inch diameter each (4 corn tortillas per each of 3 layers)
- 1 ½ cups sour cream (½ cup sour cream for each of 3 layers)
- 1 cup enchilada sauce (if you're gluten free, make sure to buy the sauce without gluten!)
- 1 ¾ cups Mozzarella cheese , shredded
Instructions
How to roast butternut squash:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Peel the squash and slice it into ¾ inch cubes. You will only need about ½ of the medium size squash.
- Toss the squash cubes in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt.
- Place cubed butternut squash on the greased baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, until soft.
- Flip the squash cubes over midway through baking. Let it cool slightly.
How to roast vegetables on the stove top:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add chopped onion, chopped green bell pepper, and chopped red bell pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon chili powder.
- Roast the vegetables in olive oil and spices on high-medium heat for about 1 minute, until charred just a bit.
- Add corn. Add rinsed and drained black beans. Add roasted butternut squash.
- Season with ¼ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon salt and taste. Add more salt if needed.
- Add more chili powder or cumin, than indicated in the recipe, if needed.
How to assemble the butternut squash casserole:
- I used a casserole dish 11 inches long x 8.5 inches wide x 3 inches deep.
- Add 1 cup of salsa to the bottom of this 3-inch deep casserole dish and spread to coat the bottom evenly.
- Layer 1. Top with 4 tortillas, overlapping to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread ⅓ of the vegetable mixture over the tortillas. Top with ½ cup sour cream, dropping it in small dollops all over, then carefully spread it over the veggies. Pour ⅓ cup enchilada sauce evenly all over, at the same time spreading sour cream evenly all over. Sprinkle with ½ cup Mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the layer described above 2 more times. Total you will have 3 layers. On the final layer, add extra cheese: Sprinkle with ½ and ¼ cups Mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes covered. Then remove foil. Bake for 10 more minutes uncovered.
Video
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I love this dish! I made it in 2 layers b/c my dish was larger. Next time I will try layering some shredded chicken for extra protein and maybe some zucchini and squash for extra nutrition. It was delicious just as instructed. Will definitely make again!
Can this be made vegan without using vegan substitutes for the sour cream or cheese? Im on a very strict medical detox and can’t eat the non-dairy subs either because they’re too processed for me. Any suggestion what could work as a sub for sour cream or cheese? Or just omit it?
What about vegan cashew cream? You can make it yourself and if you can eat cashew cream - it should work great here!
Delicious!! Recipe is easy to follow , ingredients are easy to find, bonus is it is packed with vitamins!!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Linda, you are very welcome! Glad you found this recipe and gave it a try!
Julia, I forwarded this to my daughter , who loved it!! And she then forwarded to two of her busy mom friends!
You arent getting the accolades you deserve!!
Linda, WOW, your comment made my day and made me smile at the same time! 🙂 Thank you for such a kind and uplifting feedback - I appreciate it! 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight; it went together really well and tasted delicious. I substituted out for vegan sour cream and vegan cheese and it came out perfect. I would make this again.
Angela, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for the comment! 🙂
Awesome recipe. Will definitely cook again. Could only fit two layers but it was fine.
Loved this. Will recommend highly.
Delish!! Although a bit time consuming to assemble, worth the effort! I did use more cheese because we love cheese. I also added pinch mods of cumin and chili powder... garnished with cilantro! 5/5 stars!
Can this dish be prepared and refrigerated but cooked next day?
Is this meal sweet? I am just wondering if my husband will go for it. He loves Mexican food but not so much if it's sweet like I know butternut squash can be.
Hi Melissa! No, this is not a sweet meal at all. It's very savory.
This recipe is awesome!!! Although I did use a casserole dish the same size but cannot get all the layers to fit. Still tasted very good.
Sarah, I am so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your comment! 🙂