Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

These vegetarian enchiladas are made with a bold roasted sweet potato and black bean filling, green enchilada sauce, and flour tortillas. This recipe is perfect for weeknight meals and can easily be doubled, frozen, and made vegan!

Two of the most popular Cozy Peach Kitchen recipes are sweet potato black bean burgers and black bean enchiladas, so these sweet potato black bean enchiladas just make sense!

These enchiladas are perfect for weeknight meals alongside a peach margarita slushie (trust me, I've tried the combination and it's great). They also freeze well and make great leftovers to enjoy throughout the week.

Recipe features

• The filling: These vegetarian enchiladas feature a roasted sweet potato and black bean filling and green enchilada sauce.
• Flavors: Lightly spicy, smoky, and filled with bold flavor.
• Sweet potatoes: The sweet potatoes are cubed, seasoned with smoky flavors, and roasted until soft and golden.
• Versatile: As with most of my vegetarian dinner recipes, this dish is easy to customize. Add veggies, use salsa verde in place of green enchilada sauce, or double the recipe and freeze half of the batch for later!

As delicious as I think my recipe is, it's not authentic! If you're looking for authentic (and vegan!) enchiladas, check out these enchiladas verdes suizas from my friend at Healthy Simple Yum.

Ingredients

• Sweet potato: Choose 2 large orange flesh sweet potatoes. I don't recommend Japanese sweet potato or regular potato for this recipe.
• Black beans: Use a can of black beans or make your own seasoned Instant Pot black beans from dry for extra flavor.
• Enchilada sauce: These enchiladas are made with green enchilada sauce, which is usually made from tomatillos, chiles, onions, and garlic. I use canned sauce for convenience but you can also make your own green enchilada sauce.
• Red onion, garlic, and jalapeno are added for flavor. Yellow or white onion work if that's what you have on hand. Adjust jalapeno to your spice preference.
• Flour tortillas: Use 12-inch or "jumbo" flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are a more traditional choice, but I like using flour tortillas for larger and easier to handle enchiladas.
• Shredded Oaxaca cheese: This has a texture similar to mozzarella and a flavor similar to Monterey jack cheese. I buy shredded Oaxaca cheese at a Mexican grocery store near me, but it should be available at larger grocery stores. An equal amount of Monterrey jack can also be used as needed.

Step by step instructions

These enchiladas are made in three different steps. See below for tips on making the enchiladas in advance.

Roast the sweet potatoes

This is my go-to method for roasting sweet potatoes and it's very similar to the seasoning I use in my sweet potato tacos.

Peel and dice the sweet potato into ¾" to 1" pieces. Peeling the sweet potato is optional but I find that the sweet potato skin is prone to burning, so I prefer to peel it off.

Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil (or another neutral oil like canola or avocado oil), salt, and seasonings. Use clean hands or toss to combine and coat the sweet potatoes thoroughly.

Roast on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet at 400F for 25-30 minutes. Stir the sweet potatoes halfway through to encourage even cooking.

The sweet potatoes are ready when soft throughout with a golden exterior that appears almost blackened from the seasoning.

Make the filling

The black bean filling is made while the sweet potato roasts.

In a cast-iron skillet or large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil. Once hot, add the sliced red onion and a sprinkle of salt.

Cook the onion for 4-6 minutes, until softened and golden. Stir in the minced garlic and jalapeno. Cook another 1-2 minutes, until aromatic.

Add 1 cup green enchilada sauce, cilantro, and the black beans. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer the black bean mixture for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop, or until the sweet potatoes are ready.

Stir in the roasted sweet potato mixture.

Make the enchiladas

This recipe makes 5-6 enchiladas, depending on how stuffed you want each enchilada to be.

I use a 9x9 dish to make 5 enchiladas. If using an 8x8 dish, simply tuck the enchilada edges in before placing them in the dish. I recommend microwaving the flour tortillas for about 15 seconds before filling them. This makes the enchiladas easier to roll.

1. Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place a heaping ½ cup of filling in the center of each enchilada.
2. Roll the tortilla up tightly. Place seam side down in the baking dish.
3. Cover with 1 cup of enchilada sauce, then sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the enchilada sauce is bubbling.

Tips and substitutions

• Extra veggies and protein: For extra vegetables, add shredded kale or spinach. You can also double the black bean filling for additional protein or add vegan tofu chorizo or tempeh taco meat.
• Corn tortillas: I opt for flour tortillas because they are much easier to roll but corn tortillas do work. Corn tortillas need to be warmed up before rolling or they may split. The black bean sweet potato filling makes enough to fill 10-12 six-inch corn tortillas.
• Vegan option: Use vegan shredded mozzarella cheese in place of Oaxaca cheese to make these enchiladas vegan.
• Gluten-free option: I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour tortillas but they should work. You can also use corn tortillas. Check ingredients on the enchilada sauce to ensure that it is gluten-free.
• Serving size: This recipe makes 5-6 large enchiladas. If doubling the recipe, use a 9x16 baking dish.
• Green enchilada sauce vs salsa verde: The main difference between these two sauces is that enchilada sauce is cooked and salsa verde is not. Enchilada sauce is also usually thinned with stock or water. The two can usually be used interchangeably.
• Salt content: Nutrition labels on my website are always an estimation and vary based on ingredients used. However, canned green enchilada sauce is often high in sodium. Adjust salt and enchilada sauce as desired for a lower sodium dish, or make homemade enchilada sauce for more control over sodium content.

Leftovers, freezing, make-ahead tips

• Storage: Best enjoyed within 3-4 days. Let leftovers cool to room temp before covering and refrigerating.
• Reheating: Reheat individual enchiladas in the microwave in just about 2 minutes. To reheat in the oven, cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling and hot throughout.
• Freezing: Let the enchiladas cool to room temperature before freezing. To freeze an entire casserole dish, tightly cover it with foil or a tightly fitting lid. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
• Make-ahead: The roasted sweet potatoes and enchilada filling can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

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