Butternut Squash Noodles Tex Mex Style
Butternut Squash Noodles Tex Mex Style is a 15 minute vegetarian recipe made with butternut squash spaghetti using a spiralizer, taco seasoning, salsa, corn and black beans. Kids will love moms dinner.
Butternut Squash Noodles Tex Mex Style is a 15 minute vegetarian recipe made with butternut squash spaghetti using a spiralizer, taco seasoning, salsa, corn and black beans. Kids will love moms dinner.
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- 2 cups corn frozen or fresh
- 3 small butternut squash 1 lb each
- 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt*
- 1 tsp taco seasoning organic
- 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
- hot pepper like jalapeã±o or serrano to taste
- 1/2 cup monterey jack (any) cheese shredded
- toppings: greek yogurt salsa, avocado, cilantro, green onions, for serving (optional)
- Carbohydrate 10.6113380565164 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.604466666695521 g
- Fiber 1.67401113835368 g
- Protein 1.88486666694439 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0943666666720769 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (70g)
- Sodium 147.127888972995 mg
- Sugar 8.93732691816268 g
- Trans Fat 0.0423333333315298 g
- Calories 48 calories
Step-by-step
- Peel and cut off the ends of butternut squash. Without slicing any further start spiralizing with top part first (bottom with seeds comes last). Once you get to the bottom with seeds stop when it is impossible to spiralize. Because in smaller squash the pocket with seeds is smaller, I got almost to the bottom thus using almost all squash.
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on low-medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add butternut squash “noodles†, sprinkle with salt, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times.
- Add taco seasoning and salsa, stir gently. Add black beans, corn and hot peppers, stir gently again. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Serve warm with toppings of choice.
The Danger of Overcrowding the Skillet
Most cooks double this recipe blindly, dumping six pounds of spiralized squash into a standard skillet and wondering why a watery soup forms instead of tender strands. Butternut squash contains high water content that releases rapidly upon heating, which means scaling beyond a single three-pound batch requires using two separate large ceramic non-stick pans simultaneously. When the surface area is restricted, the squash steams in its own liquid rather than softening slightly within the mandated eight to ten minute window, destroying the desired noodle-like texture completely.
Adjusting Spices and Moisture Ratios
Multiplying spice quantities linearly often creates overpowering heat, meaning scaling up taco seasoning and jalapeños by three hundred percent requires cautious incremental tasting before adding the full amount. Salsa brands vary drastically in liquid volume, so drain excess tomato water through a fine-mesh sieve if you are increasing the yield to feed a larger group. Keeping the lid on during the initial cooking phase traps steam to jumpstart softening, but removing it during the final five-minute cheese-melting step allows excess moisture to evaporate.
Substitutions and Structural Integrity
Swapping Monterey Jack for a lower-moisture cheese like sharp cheddar alters the meltability, requiring grated varieties rather than thick blocks to ensure even coverage over the warm beans and corn. Using frozen corn directly from the bag introduces unwanted ice crystals, so thaw and pat the kernels completely dry with paper towels prior to tossing them into the pan.
