One of my favorite flavor combinations is spicy and sweet, and that's exactly what this dinner delivers.

I'm a ~90% pescatarian. I eat and cook with meat and poultry, but I'm mindful of how often and admittedly I'm pretty picky about how it was sourced. Yes, I'm one of those who looks for organic, grass-fed, humanely-raised, free-range, etc. So inevitably I'm always looking for vegetarian entrees, and this is one of my absolute favorites.

I found a recipe for butternut squash and black bean enchiladas which inspired this meal. I upped the spices a lot, added sauteed kale or spinach for an extra vegetable, added a sweet and spicy corn relish for extra flavor, and made it lasagna style vs enchiladas.

This is a very carb-heavy dish (winter squash, beans, corn, tortillas), which is why I opt for lasagna style vs enchiladas or burritos. Well, actually, I just hate burritos - rice IN a tortilla? That's madness to me; too much starch (I know I'm very much alone on this). But by using the tortillas to layer vs cocoon the filling, I only use a total of two tortillas for the entire dish, vs 4-6, depending on how much you stuff each burrito/enchilada.

On the other hand, considering my addition of Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa is pure starch and sugar, I'm not really doing my health any appreciable favors by ditching a few tortillas. Oh well...

Whether you layer or cocoon, I promise this is so good that even my meat-centric, vegetable-averse husband asked to have these leftovers vs the shepherd's pie leftovers (my meat dish for the week) the other night. This also freezes quite well and it can come together very fast if you use prepped ingredients, as I did last week: I had peeled and diced a butternut squash months ago and froze it with this recipe in mind (TJ's also sells cubed squash for ease) and I used Dorot's minced and frozen garlic, sauteed onion, and chili.

Tweak to your preferences (and sweet potatoes are an excellent substitute for the squash).

Ingredients

• Peeled and diced butternut squash, 1 medium-large or 3-4 cups
• 1 can black beans, low-sodium and rinsed, preferably
• Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa - 1 jar; you could just add corn if you wanted
• Kale (or spinach), sauteed, about 1/2 a bag for kale and 1 full bag for spinach
• Onion, garlic, chili, all to your preference - I used 1 cube of Dorot's sauteed onion (and in the past I've used 1 small yellow onion), 2 cubes Dorot's garlic (2 cloves) and 1 cube Dorot's chili (~1 tsp adobe chili)
• Cinnamon, tumeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, again, all to your preference but I did ~1.5 tsp cinnamon (maybe more), ~1/2 tsp tumeric and cumin and 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
• Whole grain tortillas, 2
• Shredded, reduced fat cheese, ~ 1 cup total or half a bag; I chose TJ's Mexican blend, but cheddar, Monterey Jack, orbany blended style would probably work
• Olive oil, to roast and saute

Directions

1. Turn the oven to 425 F. Toss the butternut squash with the spices and a bit of olive oil. Roast for ~30-40 minutes, tossing once or twice during for even cooking.
2. In the meantime, dice the onion, garlic, and chili (if not using Dorot's) and start to saute, onion first, in olive oil. Add the garlic and chili after the onion becomes a bit translucent and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add some more spices if you're so inclined.
3. Add in the kale or spinach and saute. If kale - cover the lid for a while and let it cook down a bit; with spinach it will happen much faster so keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.
4. Add the black beans and corn salsa to the pan. Toss to combine flavors and through a little. Then set aside from the heat to prevent overcooking.
5. Once roasted, add the butternut squash to the pan and toss to combine. Change the oven temp to ~350 or 375F.

6- Spray a cooking dish (in this case, an 8" x 8" ceramic dish) with olive oil. Layer the squash/bean mixture, sprinkle some cheese (~1/3 cup), add a tortilla (and cut to make it fit the pan if you're crazy like me), and repeat. Then add a third layer of the bean/squash mixture and top with the remaining cheese. Cook for 10-20 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!