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    Butternut Squash Quesadilla with Caramelized Onion

    Updated February 25, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Squash season is upon us, and we’re ready to fall into flavor with these quesadillas filled with sweet and nutty butternut squash, caramelized onions and black beans.

    butternut squash quesadilla with caramelized onions on a plate served with avocado, salsa verde, chipotle cream & cilantro

    This sponsored post is written by The Modern Proper on behalf of SAFEWAY®. The opinions and text are all ours. Thank you for supporting the brands we love.

    The Perfect Quesadilla For Fall

    This butternut squash quesadilla recipe is something we look forward to all year long. The nutty flavor of butternut squash really comes to life when it gets roasted, and its richness pairs perfectly with caramelized onions, black beans and melty cheese. Drizzle the finished quesadilla with a little chipotle crema, tomatillo salsa or even tuck in some avocado slices. This healthy, simple recipe is our go-to quesadilla that is ALL THINGS FALL! It’s easy to make a quantity to feed a crowd, making it the perfect match for our favorite fall activity–football watch parties.

    butternut squash, black beans, caramelized onions, flour tortillas, organics sour cream, mozzarella and salsa verde in bowls
    butternut squash diced on a cutting board
    butternut squash on a baking sheet ready to be roasted in the oven
    roasted cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet

    What to Add to Cart Next Time You’re Looking for a Flavorful Meal

    We’re big fans of eating with our eyes first and believe that this adage goes one step further to the grocery store experience, when we goto gather our ingredients. Fresh vegetables tend to grab our attention because we love to build our meals around healthy, vibrant produce, andSAFEWAY® grocery stores make this part of meal planning so easy. Beyond the excellent selection of fresh items and pantry staples from their very own brands, which helps us with recipe planning and meal ideas, they also offer a wealth of new seasonal recipes, celebrity chef content, and virtual cooking classes on their Fall Into Flavor content hub when we need some inspiration. If this butternut squash quesadilla recipe has you excited to cook even more, you can check out www.safeway.com/fall for easy-to-shop recipes and culinary tips and tricks.

    a flour tortilla with organics shredded mozzarella cheese on half of it
    a flour tortilla with shredded mozzarella cheese and caramelized onions on half of it
    a flour tortilla with shredded mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions and roasted butternut squash on half of it
    a flour tortilla with shredded mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions and roasted butternut squash & black beans on half of it

    Ingredients to Make a Squash Quesadilla

    Here are all the things you’ll want to gather to make yourself the best quesadilla ever!

    • Onion, thinly sliced + butter = caramelized onions!

    • Butternut squash

    • Tortillas: flour or corn work just fine

    • Safeway’s® exclusive O Organics® Mozzarella or fontina cheese, shredded

    • Safeway’s® exclusive O Organics® Black beans: hello extra protein!

    • Safeway’s® O Organics® Sour cream + a splash of milk or their exclusive O Organics® Heavy Whipping Cream + chipotle hot sauce = easy chipotle crema

    • Tomatillo salsa or avocado slices if you are feeling a little extra.

    a flour tortilla with mozzarella, caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash & black beans on half of it
    a flour tortilla folded in half filled with mozzarella, caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash and black beans
    a butternut squash quesadilla with caramelized onion being fried in vegetable oil in a skillet
    butternut squash quesadilla with caramelized onions on a plate served with avocado, salsa verde, chipotle cream & cilantro

    How to Make A Caramelized Onion Quesadilla

    You are not gonna want to skimp on the caramelized onions in this recipe. Their sweetness really makes the dish! We like to add a little brown sugar to them while they cook to bring out their natural sweetness. Caramelized onions echo the sweetness of the squash and help to balance the spiciness of the chipotle crema and just really solidify the whole dish. Here’s how ya make a caramelized onion quesadilla:

    1. Melt butter in a pan, add the sliced onion and let heat do the rest.
    2. Roast the butternut squash until it’s cooked through.
    3. Assemble quesadillas! Layer cheese, then onions, then black beans and lastly butternut squash. Finish it with a little more cheese and fold it over.
    4. Toast the quesadilla in a skillet until the cheese is all melty.
    5. Drizzle chipotle crema over the finished quesadilla and serve!
    a butternut squash quesadilla on a plate surrounded by organics brand mozzarella, sour cream, black beans & heavy cream

    Tools you’ll need

    • Sharp knife and cutting board

    • Baking sheet

    • Cheese grater

    • Skillet

    More Cozy Quesadillas

    butternut squash quesadilla with caramelized onions on a plate served with avocado, salsa verde, chipotle cream & cilantro
    butternut squash quesadilla with caramelized onions on a plate served with avocado, salsa verde, chipotle cream & cilantro

    Seasonal Finger Food at its Finest

    Did you make a new fall tradition? If you’ve added this butternut squash and caramelized onion quesadilla recipe to your lunch or dinner tradition, then we want to applaud you! Be sure to snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with us by using @themodernproper or #themodernproper on Instagram

    This sponsored post is written by The Modern Proper on behalf of SAFEWAY®. The opinions and text are all ours. Thank you for supporting the brands we love.

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    Butternut Squash Quesadilla with Caramelized Onion Recipe

    Updated February 25, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  8
    • Prep Time:  40 min
    • Cook Time:  30 min
    • Calories:  541
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    Description

    Squash season is upon us, and we’re ready to fall into flavor with these quesadillas filled with sweet and nutty butternut squash, caramelized onions and black beans.

    Ingredients

    • 6 cups O Organics® Shredded low moisture Mozzarella
    • 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas
    • 1½ cups Caramelized Onions
    • 2 cups Roasted Butternut Squash
    • 1 (15-ounce) can O Organics® black beans, drained, rinsed, optional
    • 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil

    Chipotle Crema

    • 1/2 cup O Organics® sour cream
    • 1/3 cup O Organics® heavy cream
    • 3 tablespoons chipotle hot sauce

    For Serving

    • Thinly sliced avocado
    • Fresh cilantro, minced
    • Salsa Verde

    Method

    1. Make the quesadillas. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese on one half of each tortilla. Top with 3 tablespoons caramelized onions and as much butternut squash and black beans, if using, as you like. Sprinkle with ¼ cup cheese and fold tortilla over the filled half.

    2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Once the oil is glistening, working with one at a time, add the quesadillas and cook until browned, then flip and cook until browned and the cheese is melted. Remove from the skillet and repeat, adding 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet for every quesadilla.

    3. Make the crema. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, heavy cream, and hot sauce until smooth.

    4. To serve, cut each quesadilla in quarters and drizzle with chipotle crema. Serve with desired toppings.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 541
    • Protein 27 g
    • Carbohydrates 48 g
    • Total Fat 29 g
    • Dietary Fiber 5 g
    • Cholesterol 54 mg
    • Sodium 1052 mg
    • Total Sugars 4 g

    Butternut Squash Quesadilla with Caramelized Onion

    Questions & Reviews

    Rated 5 stars by 5 readers

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    • Tracey

      I'm super excited to make these quesadillas. I froze some fresh cubed butternut a few months ago. To you think I can use this? I've never roasted previously frozen squash (I usually use it in soups).
      Thanks
      Tracey

      We think it would work great! We wouldn't thaw it first but roast directly frozen. Hope you enjoy Tracey!

    • Rosemary

      This is very good and similar to something I make. I feel dim as I hadn't thought of using caramelized onion.
      I also have a suggestion for using chipotles to your crema (or sour cream). I used to get irritating every time I opened a can of chipotles w/adobe sauce. I hate wasting food but never used up the rest of the can in time. Skipping all the different ways I tried, I ended up dumping the whole can (sauce & peppers) into a mini food processor and thoroughly puree, wiping down sides to make sure you get it all pureed. I then transfer it to mini ice cube tray, cover, and freeze. Once frozen, pop out the cubes, transfer to a freezer storage container/bag, and use as needed. The next time you chipotles, take x number of the tiny cubes out and let them defrost before blending w/mayonnaise (sandwiches), sour cream, or just to toss into a pot of beans or soup.

      Great tip on freezing the chipotles. We love caramelized onion in this recipe!

    • Shirley

      Loved this! I hardly ever buy butternut squash and never carmelize onions, so this recipe was "outside the box" for me and I loved it! Thank you!

      Thanks Shirley, we are so glad you loved it!!

    • Soph

      Huge hit in our home! Delicious flavors. Added a squeeze of lime just before serving and baked these at 425F for 10min, flip and another 5min. I just prefer baking quesadillas to pan frying so that they all come out hot at the same time.

      Thanks Soph, we are so glad that you enjoyed them!

    • Ivette

      These quesadillas were delicious and easy to make. Huge hit at our house.

      Thanks Ivette, so happy they were a hit!

    • Jenn

      These were such a huge hit for dinner last night and so quick since I roasted the butternut squash earlier in the day! I did use the black beans and really loved the flavor they added.

      Thanks! so happy you liked them!