Skip to content
Menu Button
  • Restaurants
    • Column 1
      • Frontera Grill
      • Topolobampo
      • Bar Sótano
    • Column 2
      • Xoco
      • Tortazo
      • Tortas
      • Frontera Cocina
    • Column 3
      • Private Dining
      • Gift Cards
      • Goldbelly Meal Kits
  • Recipes
    • ADVANCED
      SEARCH

      VIEW ALL RECIPESBROWSE CATEGORIESRECIPE COLLECTIONS

    • Column 1
      • Recipe Search
      • View All Recipes
      • Browse Categories
      • Recipe Collections
      • Guacamoles
      • Ceviche, Aguachiles and Other Mariscos
      • Starters, Salads and Snacks
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Desserts
    • Column 2
      • Tacos and Tostadas
      • Tamales
      • Enchiladas and Chilaquiles
      • Corn Masa Snacks
      • Tortas and Breads
      • Eggs and Other Breakfast Dishes
      • Soups, Pozoles and Chilis
    • Column 3
      • Margaritas, Cocktails and Other Beverages
      • Essential Preparations
      • Salsas, Hot Sauces and Condiments
      • Moles and Pipianes
      • Mexican Ingredients
  • SHOWS
    • Column 1
      • Watch Season 12:
        BAYLESS’ BEST EVER
      • TV Show Recipes
      • MOPAAT Seasons
      • Mexico One Plate at a Time
    • Column 2
      • Top Chef Masters Information
      • Stream Top Chef Masters episodes on Prime
      • Top Chef Masters
    • Column 3
      • Cooking Tutorials
      • Rick Bayless Taco Manual
      • Stream MOPAAT Episodes
      • YouTube
  • Shop
    • Column 1
      • Chef Rick Bayless
        Online Shop
    • Column 2
      • Cooking Classes
      • Goldbelly Meal Kits
    • Column 3
      • Restaurant Gift Cards
  • About
    • Column 1
      • Meet Rick Bayless
      • Rick Bayless Timeline
      • Awards and Affiliations
      • The Bayless Gardens
      • Rick’s Travel Guides
      • About Rick Bayless
    • Column 2
      • Frontera News
      • Frontera Farmer Foundation
      • Impact Culinary Training
      • Bayless Family Foundation
      • Frontera Farmer Foundation
    • Column 3
      • Follow Rick on Social
      • Instagram
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • Pinterest
      • Vimeo
      • Rick Bayless YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube
« BACK TO ALL RECIPES
recipes / Tacos / braised butternut tacos with bacon

Braised Butternut Tacos with Bacon

Braised Butternut Tacos with Bacon
Servings: 2 to 3 as a main course or 8 tacos
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Print
Calabaza Enchipotlada

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 4 medium (about 8 ounces) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half across the equator
  • 1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo , stemmed
  • 1/2 of a small (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 3 cups of chunks)
  • 2 to 4 ounces (2 to 4 thick strips) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese
  • Generous handful fresh watercress or wild arugula
  • 8 warm corn tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

Set a large (10-inch) skillet (nonstick or lined with foil) over medium-high heat and lay in the garlic and tomatillos (cut side down). When the tomatillos are well browned and soft, 5 to 6 minutes, flip everything over and brown the other side. (The garlic should be soft.) Cool, then peel the garlic.

In a blender, combine the garlic, tomatillos, chipotles and 1 cup water. Blend to a coarse puree.

Scoop the butternut pieces into a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke a few holes in the top and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large (10-inch) skillet set over medium, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the butternut and tomatillo sauce to the pan, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a brisk simmer. Cook until the butternut is fork-tender and the sauce has reduced by about half its volume, about 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt (it will need only about ¼ teaspoon because of the bacon’s saltiness).

Scoop into warm tortillas and finish with a generous sprinkling of the goat cheese and watercress.

Tacos

Post navigation

Chocolate-Chile Frosting
Queso Fundido with Chorizo and Rajas

RELATED RECIPES

Pork

Tacos Árabes

Tacos

Grilled Veal Sweetbreads Tacos

Tacos

Pasilla-braised Pork and Mushroom Tacos

Tacos

Veracruz-Style Tongue Tacos

Tacos

Green Mole Tacos

COPYRIGHT © RICK BAYLESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Restaurants
  • Recipes
  • Shows
  • Shop
  • About
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • Contact Us

Rick Bayless is the chef and owner of an award-winning world of restaurants including Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago. He is also a teacher, author, philanthropist, YouTube creator and much more. Explore our “About” section to learn more!