Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Butternut Squash Quesadillas

This is my attempt to recreate the awesome dish from the Garden Grille Cafe.

Crispy tortillas filled with roasted butternut squash, black beans and melted cheesy goodness, topped with salsa and sour cream.... lovely! 

You can play with toppings/fillings a  bit, adding avocado, guacomole or pico de gallo, for example.

(And yes, I do realize that squash is becoming a bit of a theme here... what can I say...)

Butternut Squash Quesadillas


Ingredients (for 4 quesadillas. I suggest 1 quesadilla per person for a light meal, or 2 per person for a filling main course): 

- 4 large tortillas (you can use GF or whole wheat if you like; flavored tortillas would also be nice here)
- 1 butternut squash (or small pumpkin)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup black beans (either canned, in which case rinse them, or beans that have been soaked and then cooked until tender)
- 1-2 cups  shredded cheese (depends on how cheesy you like things). Cheddar, Jack, or a "mexican" mix will do well, but whichever you like.

To Serve: 
- Salsa of your choice
- Sour cream (I added finely chopped green onions into mine, to make it extra delicious)

Preparation: 

1. Heat oven to 425 F/200 C. Chop the squash into small cubes, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) in size. Toss the squash in the olive oil, salt and pepper, and place on a baking tin. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the squash is tender and beginning to brown. Set aside.

2. Heat a large frying pan or griddle. Place one tortilla on the pan and sprinkle with a generous amount of shredded cheese. When the cheese begins to melt, place 1/4 of the squash and 1/4 of the beans on one half of the tortilla. Now is also a good time to add some salsa, avocado or other additions.

3. Carefully fold the empty half of the tortilla over the full one. Ideally you want the sides to close, but because these are chubby little quesadillas, they probably won't close completely. That's ok, because the melted cheese should keep things stuck together. Toast the quesadilla on one side for about 30 seconds or until quite crisp and then carefully flip it over and toast for another 30 seconds or so, until it crisps on the other side.

4. Repeat this process for the other quesadillas.Slice each quesadilla in half, and serve with salsa and sour cream.

Enjoy!

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