Butternut-Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Butternut squash and black beans just go together. Tacos, chili, stew, just tossed together with corn and other vegetables - they're a great pair. I wanted to make something using them and meanwhile saw a baked enchilada recipe. I don't remember whether it was squash and black beans or not; the idea was in my head and I saw an opportunity to use up the greens in my fridge as well.

Actual enchiladas with corn tortillas never go well for me, so I made an "enchilada casserole": no wrapping, just layering the tortillas flat like a lasagna. I assembled these last night, froze one and refrigerated the other, and cooked up that second one tonight.

I got a large squash so everything left over I mashed and packed in freezer containers for future risotto and butternut "mac & cheese" (in quotes because the only cheese is a little gruyere garnishing the top - my adaptation of it will show up here after I make it).

Saute together in olive oil:

• Sliced onion
• Diced hearty greens (I had collards and kale on hand)

Also have at hand:

• Cooked butternut squash, sliced into strips
• Cooked black beans (I used about 2 cups, maybe a little more; one can would certainly generously cover one 8x8 casserole)
• Cheese (I put chevre inside because I had it left from shakshuka, and shredded cheddar on top)
• Mole sauce (I used 2 Frontera pouches)
• Corn tortillas (I used 18)
• Two 8" square baking dishes

Assembly and cooking:

1. Give the bottom of each pan a thin coating of mole sauce and cover with tortillas (I used 3 tortillas per layer and cut them in halves or quarters to better cover the area). Arrange squash strips and sprinkle with black beans. Distribute chevre (or other cheese). If you have enough for two layers, add some greens and onion (I did not).
2. Cover with a second layer of tortillas and a small amount of mole sauce. Repeat squash and black beans; this time distribute the greens and onions on top.
3. Cover with a third layer of tortillas and the remaining sauce (I used one pouch per baking dish, keeping them separate to know they were even). Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
4. To save for cooking on another day, cover with foil. If freezing, also put inside a gallon zippered bag.
5. Thaw at least partly before cooking. Cook at 350 until hot through; remove foil (and probably cheese, but try to scrape it off; add more if needed) and return to oven to let brown.

When I got toward the end I started to worry that the casserole would be dry. Especially concerning when I'm committing myself to two rounds of it! So I bought sour cream to have with it if needed.

But it wasn't dry!! I was amazed. It was a bit salty - and the only salt I added was a little when sauteeing the onions, so that's the sauce and cheese talking for the most part - and it could have used both more greens and some undefinable additional something else. But I will contentedly eat the rest (and also, no complaints about superfluous sour cream). Another almost hit. Thinking that's a pretty good ratio so far.

Side note: Why did I make two? At this point I couldn't answer that. I had in my head that this was a 9"x13" dish of enchiladas - which may or may not have ever been true - and so I should split it out into two smaller dishes and freeze one. You can probably ascertain from the recipe, though, that there's nothing size-specific about it.