Roasted Butternut Squash Wontons with Coconut Spinach, Black Beans & Roasted Corn

Roasted Butternut Squash Wontons with Coconut Spinach, Black Beans & Roasted Corn

Roasted butternut squash, stuffed into a wonton and pan fried, then served with a delicious side of coconut spinach, roasted corn and black beans... yes please.

Talk about a grab bag dinner... this is officially my new favorite thing to eat. Ok, I say that a lot... but this was supr good AND I feel extra accomplished because a: I created this masterpiece after suffering a migraine all day and b: All the ingredients were already in the house. I must say, both of these tasks in and of themselves are accomplishments but together? Let me just say 'toot' (me, tooting my own horn...)

Actually, despite the long title of this fantastic dish, it was super easy. Probably extra easy for me because the roasted butternut squash was from last weekend's Roasted Butternut Squash and Spicy Chickpeas and the corn was from one last week's Zucchini Corn Vegetable Fritters so they were pretty much prepped and ready. I love it when that happens... extra gets used for another amazing meal and doesn't go to waste; because I can't think of anything more annoying than vegetables going to waste.

Even if your veg isn't prepped, don't fret; it really won't take long AND you can do it all ahead so it makes this meal a fantastic 'make ahead' meal. You could also just do the wontons: make them ahead then serve them at a party... and y'all know how much I lurve a party.

Ok, so here we go: simple, flavorful, pretty to look at...

Yield: about 20 wontons and

about 4 healthy portions of the side

Need:

For the wontons:

• 1/2 lg butternut squash, peeled and cubed into about 1 inch cubes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• About 1 Tablespoon garam masala
• 2 large leaves kale, chopped pretty fine
• 8-10 shitake mushrooms, chopped fairly fine
• salt and pepper
• About 20 wonton wrappers
• Vegetable oil for frying
• For the side:
• 1 small white onion (or 1/2 large) chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine or smashed through a garlic crusher
• 4 small ears corn, roasted or boiled, then shucked
• salt and pepper
• about 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• about 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 green onions, chopped for garnish
• Sriracha sauce, for garnish

Do: If your butternut squash isn't already cooked and ready to go, pre-heat oven to 375, spread chopped pieces onto a baking sheet, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with garam masala spice mix. Roast for about 45 minutes to an hour... until soft and roasty.

Prepare your corn right now too... if it's not already done. You can also get frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe's; it works in a pinch.

In a pot on the stove, heat some olive oil and saute the chopped onion and garlic until translucent then add the shucked corn. Stir to incorporate, add salt and pepper to taste then add coconut milk and let cook on med/low for about 5 minutes.

After about 5 minutes, add your beans, stir and give it a taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed, then turn heat to low and let sit while you prepare your wontons.

In another pan, heat a bit more olive oil then saute the kale and mushrooms on med heat until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn heat off and add your butternut squash when it is done roasting.

Using a potato masher, give the mix a light mash to break up any large chunks of squash. Make sure to also stir to get everything evenly mixed.

To 'stuff' your wontons, one wrapper at a time, take a small spoonful of the butternut squash mix and put it slightly in the middle of the wonton.

Use a little bowl of water to wet your finger and then run it across two of the edges of the wonton. Fold the other side of the wonton on top of the mix and gently press, ensuring that all the air is out of the middle. Repeat until your mix is all gone.

In a pot or pan, heat about 1/2 cup vegetable oil on fairly high heat. To test and make sure the oil is ready, dip one corner of a wonton into the oil; if it starts to bubble you know it's time to put them in.

Pan fry about 4 to 6 at a time, depending on your pan size. Cook until golden brown and crispy. Note: they do not take very long to cook; literally about 30 seconds on each side so don't let them sit there forever... make sure you check them.

When your first batch is done, transfer them to a paper towel to soak up the extra oil. Repeat for all wontons.

Back to your side that is still on the stove: Turn off the heat and add your spinach at this point; stir to incorporate and then cover so the spinach will wilt.

Serve:

On a plate, start with your coconut spinach black bean corn side. Line it artfully on one side of the plate. Next to it, stack several wontons... as you see from the pictures, I did four for Honey.

Sprinkle a few green onions on the wontons, for color and a bit more on your side.

In the 'blank' spot on the plate. Put a little sriracha sauce and then use a fork or spoon to 'drag' it, creating a lovely 'line' of hot sauce.

Now is the time to dig in and enjoy... the sriracha gives it a bite, the flavor of the butternut squash is fantastic and the 'sweet' of the coconut is surprising.

I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Butternut Squash