Yellow Squash Enchiladas is a hearty Summer dinner recipe which everyone will love. Its low carb and healthy. You can also serve it as a perfect BBQ Side Dish.
Instead of Tortilla rollups you have layers of sliced Yellow Squash ribbons which are stuffed with a spicy Ground Beef, Low Sodium Enchilada Sauce and Cheese filling. Its layered and topped with Mexican cheese blend.
Its a perfect Low Carb Dinner for the family.
Try this easy low carb recipe tonight
Squash Enchiladas
This Squash Enchilada is a perfect Low Carb dinner for the family. Made using "Yellow Squash Tortillas", ground beef, homemade Enchilada Sauce and Mexican Cheese blend this is a Keto, Gluten Free dinner recipe.
Zucchini and Yellow Squash makes the perfect alternative to Breads and Pasta. Its obviously healthy but also packed with flavors which makes it a perfect choice when you are on a low carb and gluten free diet.
Try this Keto Bang Bang Zoodles which is a perfect alternative to your favorite Asian noodles.
Yellow Squash Enchiladas
These Enchiladas are made using thin slices of Yellow Squash. Yellow Squash is one of Summer Squashes. It looks just like Zucchini but is yellow in color.
To make these Enchiladas low carb and gluten free, I have used thinly sliced strips of Yellow Squash as a replacement for Tortillas to make the Enchilada rollups.
However, feel free to replace with Corn Tortillas. You can even make the filling with Ground Beef / Ground Chicken, chopped/shredded Yellow Squash or Zucchini, Black Beans, my homemade Enchilada sauce with cornstarch and Corn.
If you still wish it gluten free, you can replace Corn Tortillas with my homemade Cauliflower Tortillas which are healthy and gluten free.
Ingredients
- Summer Squash (thinly sliced using a mandolin slicer)
- Ground Beef
- Avocado Oil
- Onions & Garlic - finely chopped
- Ground Cumin & Smoked Paprika
- Low Sodium Enchilada Sauce
- Mexican Cheese blend
- Jalapenos - to garnish
- Sour Cream - to serve
See recipe card for quantities. Also, watch the video for a quick visual.
How to make Yellow Squash Enchilada Casserole
Prepare the Ground Beef Mixture:
Heat Avocado Oil in a skillet.
As the oil shimmers, add the chopped Onions & Garlic.
Cook for 3-4 min. Next, add the ground beef.
Crumble using your spatula and cook until it browns for 3-4 min.
Add the Enchilada Sauce, Ground Cumin, and Smoked Paprika.
Once cooked, remove from the skillet and set aside.
Prepare the Yellow Squash
To prepare the Yellow Squash, you should use a Y-Shaped Vegetable peeler. Peel wide strips of Yellow Squash. You can use a Mandolin Slicer as well.
Use only the wide strips and discard the thin strips.
Stack three strips of Yellow Squash on top of each other (slightly overlapping), now, place the Ground Beef mixture to one end. Tuck and Roll.
Assemble the Enchiladas
Add some Enchilada Sauce in the baking dish. Arrange the Summer Squash Enchiladas in the baking dish. Pour some Enchilada Sauce on top. Add shredded Mexican Cheese blend on top.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 min or until the cheese melts on top.
Serve
Serve these Yellow Squash Enchiladas with your desired topping.
I love to serve these with a dollop of Sour Cream as it really mellows down the spicy taste of Enchilada Sauce and makes it taste so good.
You can also top with some Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, sliced Jalapenos, chopped Cilantro and Lime Juice. Enjoy!
Hint: Serve immediately as you want to enjoy the cheese pull.
Variations
- Spicy - if you love spicy Enchiladas, you can add chopped Jalapenos or Serrano Peppers in the mix.
- Salsa - add more flavors to these Squash Enchiladas by adding Salsa to the mix. You can use Roasted Tomato Salsa which is super spicy or this summer favorite Pineapple Salsa or Chipotle Mango Salsa
Storage
Refrigerate - You can store leftover Squash Casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This stays well in the refrigerator for upto a week. Reheat before serving. You can add more shredded Cheese on top before reheating.
Freeze - Do not freeze this Squash Enchilada as this has a lot of moisture content and shall not freeze well.
Top Tips to make the Best Squash Enchiladas
- Do not overstuff - Since these are thin slices of Squash, do not overstuff with the filling. Ideally you would want to use just 1 tablespoon of the mixture for each roll.
- Squeeze out excess moisture - this isn't apt for every Squash. But if your Squash is a bit old, chances are it will be moist. So, you would want to squeeze out the excess moisture from the squashes, just pat them dry using a paper towel.
- Stack at least 3 strips - Be it thin or thick strips, its always a good idea to stack at least three strips of squash with the filling and then tuck & roll. This makes sure that the Enchilada rollups do not burst open while baking in the oven.
How to make Squash Enchiladas ahead of time?
You can certainly prepare these Squash Enchiladas a few hours ahead of time.
A great idea would be to cut the Squash into strips and top with paper towel and refrigerate overnight.
This will get rid of all the moisture from them.
Also of course you can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate in an airtight container.
You can even make the roll ups, top with cheese, and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Just go directly from the refrigerator to the oven and bake for 2-3 extra minutes or until the cheese browns on top.
Can I replace Yellow squash with Zucchini?
Of course. This recipe is perfectly adaptable with Zucchini and Butternut Squash. In fact Zucchini makes for a great alternative to Yellow Squash.
Can I replace Ground Beef with Ground Chicken
Of course! Ground Chicken is a great replacement. You need to cook it in exactly the same way. Also its easy, handy and cheap.
How to make Vegetarian Squash Enchiladas
For Vegetarian Enchiladas you can use anything to make faux meat. From Ground Chickpeas to crumbled Tofu to just finely chopped veggies or simply Black Beans and Corn.
How do I make my Enchiladas not soggy?
To not make Enchiladas soggy, just use a fresh Squash. Also, you can squeeze out extra moisture from the squash strips using a paper towel, before using them.
How do you peel a Yellow Squash?
Its super easy! Just use a Y Shaped Peeler and peel out strips from the Squash. You can even use a mandolin slicer. This makes it even easier to peel a Yellow Squash or Zucchini.
More Summer Squash Recipes
- Easy Summer Squash Casserole
- (20-min) Sheet Pan Roasted Sausage & Veggies (keto)
- Zucchini and Bell Pepper Tacos
- Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Zucchini Lasagna (Crockpot)
- Crockpot Zucchini Baked Ziti (Low Carb)
- Parmesan Zucchini Fries in Air Fryer
- Lemon Zucchini Pasta Recipe
- Baked Zucchini Casserole (KETO)
- KETO Zucchini Meatballs (No Breadcrumbs)
Squash Enchiladas
INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 Large Yellow Squash
- 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil
- 2 cups Ground Beef or shredded Chicken
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1½ cup Enchilada Sauce
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 cups Mexican Cheese blend shredded
- Cilantro, Lime Juice for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 8x11" baking dish with oil.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add Avocado oil. As the oil shimmers, add the chopped onions and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the Ground Beef. Crumble and cook for 2 minutes or until it browns. Add the Enchilada Sauce, Ground Cumin, Smoked Paprika, half of Mexican Cheese blend. Toss to combine and cook for 2 min. Once cooked, set aside.
- On a vegetable cutting board, use a Y-Shaped Peeler or Mandolin Slicer to peel thin slices or Yellow Squash. Leave the middle part which is hard to peel for later use.
- Now, lay out three slices of the Yellow Squash strips (slightly overlapping). Add the Ground Beef mixture to one end. Tuck and roll.
- Pour some Enchilada Sauce in the baking dish. Add the Yellow Squash Enchiladas to it. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the Squash Enchiladas. Now, top with shredded Mexican cheese blend. Bake @350F for 15-20 min or until the cheese melts on top.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime juice. Serve immediately.
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