Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
For the squash:
2 spaghetti squashes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the enchilada stuffing:
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups of frozen corn
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded and with skin and bones removed
24 ounces of tomato puree
Up to 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
1 chipotle pepper rehydrated in hot water till soft, then diced
½ cup each of Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds and the Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbs of chili powder*
1 jalapeno, diced**
1 ½ tbs cumin
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
For topping:
1 cup each of Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds and the Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds
Fresh cilantro if desired
Lime if desired
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400.
Slice spaghetti squashes in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from oven and let cool.
While the squash is baking, heat a pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the pot is warm, add in the peppers and garlic and cook until soft – about 5 minutes. Stir regularly.
Add the shredded chicken, tomato puree, corn, black beans, chipotle, and lime juice. Season with chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper. Let cook until warmed through. If needed, add in chicken or vegetable stock to thin the mixture slightly.
Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. While the stuffing is cooling, run a fork through the spaghetti squash to make “noodles.” Clean out the squash noodles and put the noodles into a large bowl. Pour on the chicken and vegetable mixture. Stir in cheese.
Stuff the mixture back into the extra spaghetti squash shells. Top the remaining the squash halves with 1 cup each of Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds and the Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds. Return to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve hot. Top with fresh cilantro and more lime if desired.
Notes
*Adjust the amount of chili powder to your taste. If you don’t like heat, consider reducing the chili powder to a tablespoon. **Jalapeno optional.