Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burritos

A trip to Mexico inspired me to bring a little of that warmth into my autumn cooking. Sweet squash, black beans, spinach, and tangy goat cheese make a satisfying combination, especially tucked into a warm tortilla with salsa.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
• 5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 5 flour tortillas, or smaller corn tortillas for tacos
• 10 ounces winter squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 2 cups spinach, washed
• 1/2 cup salsa

Cook and fold

1. Roast or steam the diced squash until tender. A few minutes in a skillet is not enough for large raw cubes.
2. Warm the oil in a skillet. Cook the onion until softened, then add the garlic and cumin briefly, stirring so the garlic does not burn.
3. Add the cooked squash and beans; heat through. Fold in the spinach until wilted.
4. Warm the tortillas, spread with salsa, and divide the filling among them.
5. Add the cheese and fold. If using corn tortillas, serve as tacos rather than overfilling them.

Choose pasteurized cheese, or leave it out if that suits your table. The beans and squash make a satisfying base on their own. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat the filling thoroughly before serving again.

Make the filling work for the tortilla

Cut the squash into small, fairly even pieces. Large cubes are harder to distribute and can make a burrito awkward to fold. Drain the beans well, and let excess liquid cook off the filling before assembling. It should be moist enough to enjoy, but not so wet that it immediately soaks through the tortilla.

A more comfortable fold

Warm a flour tortilla until flexible. Keep the filling in a compact line through the center, leaving space at the edges. Fold in the sides, bring the lower edge over the filling, and roll gently. Use less filling than you think on the first attempt; a second small burrito is easier to eat than one that will not close.

Smaller corn tortillas work beautifully as open or folded tacos. They do not need to imitate the shape of a large flour burrito. Set out the components and let everyone assemble the version that suits them.

Let one batch become two meals

The filling can also sit over rice, tuck into a baked potato, or become a warm bowl with additional greens. Keep salsa and cheese separate until serving if you want that flexibility. Cool and refrigerate leftovers promptly in a suitable container, and only reheat the amount you plan to eat.

If you are cooking for people with different preferences, make the base filling first and offer the cheese and salsa at the table. The recipe remains generous and satisfying without requiring every plate to be identical.