Catfish Out of Water

I make a lot of burritos out of unexpected ingredients. I'm constantly tossing together whatever I have on hand into a tortilla shell, lightly toasting, and adding a dollop of sour cream and hot sauce! From curry and quiche to lentils and quinoa, you name it? And I'll undoubtedly make a burrito out of it. This squash burrito is remarkably traditional, though. Not that a lot of what we call "Mexican food" is actually traditional Latin American fare. But brown rice, butternut squash, and homegrown habaneros, bell peppers, and tomatoes is much more typical of burritos than some of the other things that I will toss together!

This squash burrito is also perfect for fall. We've had an uncharacteristically warm end to the summer season. We're well into October and it's just now beginning to look like winter is on the horizon. But, at long last, the leaves are beginning to change and the last of my produce is ripening. So, I am determined to take advantage of every bit of produce that I do have before snow starts falling.

To top it all off, I also have been making a lot of enchilada sauce. For this recipe, I used of Red Chilis and Jalapeños and one made out of Ghost Peppers. I'll usually just break into my hot sauce collection. But there's something about making your own that's absolutely delicious.

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Variations of Squash Burrito

I made Squash Brown Rice this week specifically so that I could make burritos. I made this exact version with fried tofu. You can also easily substitute anything that you have on hand, from other types of grains and legumes to whatever type of produce that you have on hand. I'm particularly fond of the sweetness pumpkin and squash with the slight bitterness of brown rice. But this works with quinoa and lentils just as well.

Burrito w/ Squash, Brown Rice & Black Beans

Fried Tofu & Brown Rice Burrito

Burrito w/ Pumpkin Rice

Burrito w/ Squash & Brown Rice

I am a big fan of quick and easy meals on the go. One of my favorite ways to do this is to utilize leftovers that I already have in the refrigerator and toss all of them together in a lightly toasted tortilla with a dollop of Greek yogurt and hot sauce. This burrito recipe consists of brown rice with butternut squash, red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onions, garlic, habaneros, and bay leaves. Most of the produce was homegrown, although you can easily mix and match the produce that you have on hand or to your own personal taste.

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Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Latin American

Servings 1 serving

Equipment

• Skillet w/ Lid (Preferably Cast Iron)
• Stove

Ingredients

  

Squash Rice

• 2 c. butternut squash cubed
• 1 red bell pepper cubed
• ~10 cherry tomatoes quartered
• 1/4 red onion minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 habaneros minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. chili pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 1 ½ c. brown rice

Burrito

• 1/4 c. squash & habanero rice
• 1 tortilla shell
• splash water
• dollop sour cream (optional, omit or substitute for vegan recipe)
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Cook Rice

• Cook Brown Rice w/ Squash & Habaneros. This takes about an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of rice or quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose.
• The hot sauces that I've used for this recipe aren't actually hot sauce. They're enchilada sauces, one made out of Red Chilis and Jalapeños and one made out of Ghost Peppers. Each recipe takes less than an hour and requires an air fryer and a large pot on the stove. They mostly utilize peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

Cook Tortilla

• Preheat the pan on medium-high. If you aren't using cast iron, make sure to lightly oil the pan to prevent sticking.
• Wet both sides of the tortilla and add to the preheated pan. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown.
• Remove the tortilla from heat and turn the stove off. Add toppings and fold the burrito.
• Turn the stove back up to medium and add the tortilla to the skillet immediately, before it preheats. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown. Rotate until all sides are cooked.

  The first side will likely take longer to cook than the subsequent sides, which may toast in as little as 2 minutes. Adjust the temperature if it's cooking too quickly and burning or too slowly and cracking.
• Top with sour cream and hot sauce of choice. I like to use Greek yogurt because it's oftentimes healthier than sour cream and pairs well with a lot of the same flavor profiles. Omit or substitute with a vegan alternative for an entirely animal-product free recipe.
• Serve immediately. You can reheat burritos by lightly wetting them and reheating, but they are never quite the same as they are fresh!

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For a more in-depth article on burritos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Burritos. I highly suggest using cast iron and there is precise temperature that works best for cooking at that may vary slightly depending on your stovetop and type of skillet. If you're having trouble rolling the burrito without cracking, there are solutions for this as well!