Pumpkin Enchiladas with Green Chili Cheese Sauce

And so it begins. The pumpkin madness. It started the moment I said goodbye to summer and let fall in. It was like the floodgates opened and out came all kinds of pumpkin recipes. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin shakes, pumpkin chicken, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin teriyaki???, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin snack mix, pumpkin mayonnaise?? Basically, I was envisioning every recipe known to mankind in pumpkin form. It was starting to get out of control. So I took a break to go to Trader Joe's. Go figure they had gotten all their pumpkin products in. I took that as a sign that I actually should be making pumpkin everything so I excitedly began brainstorming recipes again. I also proceeded to text my husband a list of every pumpkin item TJ's had. He was less than enthused, which is just too darn bad because it is about get all pumpkin/psl/apple/fall leaf/flannel errrything up in here. Starting right now, right here with these pumpkin enchiladas. Mr. RC devoured several as these, which I took as a sign that he rethought his earlier misjudgment of the pumpkin situation. Also, they have pumpkin so how can you not devour them??! Let me explain a little better. You see, basically a pumpkin walked into a bowl of white chicken chili then wrapped itself up in a tortilla and then dove headfirst into a pan of the most delicious green chili cheese sauce there ever was. In under 30 minutes. Hello easy weekend dinner....because, you know, you obviously didn't have enough fall jammed into your flannel covered weekend already.....

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PUMPKIN ENCHILADAS WITH GREEN CHILI CHEESE SAUCE

yields 8

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE ENCHILADAS

• 1 cup shredded chicken (or you can use canned chicken)

• 1 cup white kidney beans

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin cubes (I roasted a pumpkin, then cut it up)

• 4 ounces of green chills

• 1/2 cup green salsa

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 package cream cheese

• Salt, to taste

• 8 tortillas

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

• 1 cup green salsa

• 4 tablespoons of milk

FOR TOPPING

• Green onion

• Cilantro

• Green salsa

• Sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9"x13" casserole dish and set aside.

2. In a large pan, on a burner set at medium heat, begin melting the cream cheese. As it begins to soften add in the remaining filling ingredients. Stir to combine. (This step can also be done in the microwave).

3. Fill the tortilla shells with about 3/4 cup of filling each. Roll and place in the pan. Set aside.

4. In a small saucepan set over low heat, combine the cheese, milk, and salsa. Stir constantly until the cheese is melted and the ingredients have combined.

5. Pour the cheese sauce over the enchiladas, then bake for 20 minutes. If you want the top to get crispy, turn the temperature up to 450 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes.

6. Allow to cool for a few minutes, before serving topped off with some sour cream, extra salsa, green onions and lots of cilantro.

NOTES

• For a vegetarian option omit the chicken.

• For a gluten free option use corn tortillas.

• Butternut squash can be substituted for the pumpkin.

• I chose to use Monterey Jack cheese but you could also use cheddar, Colby Jack, or even a smoked gouda.

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