Sweet Potato and Black Bean Vegetarian Enchiladas

Vegetarian enchiladas combine roasted sweet potatoes, a flavorful black bean and corn salsa filling, and red enchilada sauce, all tucked inside warm flour tortillas for a hearty, satisfying meatless meal.

My husband wouldn’t eat a lot of things for a long, long time. On that list were every variety of beans, sweet potatoes, and any type of casserole dish.

Which meant the odds of me ever making sweet potato and black bean enchiladas were slim to none.

But then I made these Corn and Black Bean Tacos, and he LOVED them.

So, I figured, why not see if I could revisit that enchilada dream and see what happened?

Turns out, he loved these vegetarian enchiladas too!

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS

Not only did my husband love the veggie enchiladas, but my kids did too! In fact, my kids have repeatedly asked me to make these for them.

And my bean-hating husband? He took these for lunch THREE DAYS in a row when I accidentally made too much. And there were ZERO complaints!

These sweet potato and black bean enchiladas are:

• The perfect balance of heat and spice
• Freezer-friendly
• Can be made ahead of time
• Easy to double or triple
• A great way to use up leftovers in the fridge!
• Naturally vegan and vegetarian
• Easy to turn into ground beef or chicken enchiladas, if you’d like!

Plus, every component of the enchiladas can be made ahead of time, too…meaning that I can prep the components ahead of time and quickly assemble and bake the enchiladas for dinner.

VEGETABLE ENCHILADA RECIPE INGREDIENTS

There are four main parts of this vegetable enchilada recipe:

• Black Bean and Corn Taco Filling. This yummy Black Bean Taco filling combines beans, corn, tomatoes, and peppers for a hearty, satisfying mixture.
• Sweet Potatoes. These get roasted up before adding them to the veg enchilada filling.
• Flour Tortillas. Both store-bought and Homemade Flour Tortillas work, although the homemade ones really take this enchilada recipe over the top. You can also try Corn Tortillas for gluten-free enchiladas, but I’ve found that they don’t roll up as nicely.
• Enchilada Sauce. Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce is super easy and super fast to make! Or use a jar of your favorite sauce from the store.

VEG ENCHILADAS FROM SCRATCH INSTRUCTIONS

Making vegetarian enchiladas is as simple as making sure each component is ready to go, assembling, and baking!

Step 1. Prepare the sweet potatoes.

• Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the diced sweet potatoes and olive oil in a large bowl and toss to coat the sweet potatoes evenly.
• Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork tender inside and crispy on the outside.

Step 2. Prepare the black bean and corn taco filling.

• Add all the filling ingredients, except the water, to a medium pot or large skillet.
• Add enough water JUST to be able to see a water line, but not above the vegetables (the water assists in cooking down the vegetables, but you don’t want the filling to be soupy).
• Simmer for 20-30 minutes, adding water as necessary to avoid burning to the bottom of the pot.

Step 3. Make the red enchilada sauce.

• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
• Add flour and stir occasionally, cooking for one minute.
• Add the tomato paste, 2 Tablespoons of chili powder, and the remaining spices.
• Very slowly add the water or stock, stirring constantly.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it thicken slightly.
• Taste and add more chili powder if desired. Add vinegar.

Step 4. Assemble the enchiladas.

• Smear about ¼ cup of red enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9×13” glass baking dish.
• Drain the excess liquid from the black bean mixture. Combine with the sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
• Measure ⅓ to ½ cup filling into a tortilla, wrap snugly, and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• Top the vegetarian enchiladas with the remaining sauce and bake at 400F for about 15 minutes, until everything is warmed through.

HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS: MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS

I usually make these vegetarian enchiladas when I have leftover taco filling (which I’ve INTENTIONALLY doubled), so here’s how it works in my house:

Step 1. Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven.

Step 2. Meanwhile, thaw the Black Bean and Corn Filling and Red Enchilada Sauce (both can be prepared ahead of time and frozen).

Step 3. When the sweet potatoes are done, fill the tortillas, line them up in the pan, top with sauce, and bake!

TIPS FOR MAKING BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO ENCHILADAS

If you play your cards right, dinner will be ready in under an hour.

But even if you have to make the black bean and corn filling that night, you’re only looking at an hour and 15 minutes or so!

• Plan strategically. When you put Black Bean Tacos on the meal plan, put vegetarian enchiladas on the same plan, later in the week. The filling will already be done and ready for you!
• Double the black bean taco filling. This will give enough for dinner + leftovers for lunch, PLUS another two quarts worth of filling for enchiladas.
• Double the enchilada sauce. The red enchilada sauce is freezer-friendly, so this is another recipe to double or triple!
• Dice the sweet potatoes into small pieces, so they cook quickly.
• Add cheese. For bean and cheese enchiladas, top the filling mixture with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (or another favorite cheese) before rolling the enchiladas.
• For vegan enchiladas, replace the butter in the enchilada sauce with olive oil or coconut oil, and use water or vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. A store-bought vegan enchilada sauce will work too.

TO SERVE RECIPE OF ENCHILADAS VEGETARIAN

Serve the vegetarian enchilada bake with all of your favorite taco toppings!

• Lime Crema is SO GOOD, and is well worth the 5 minutes it takes to make.
  • Avocado lime crema is another good option, too. To make avocado lime crema, add ½ avocado to the regular lime crema. Blend up in a blender, taste for salt and pepper, and you’re done!
• Diced tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce
• Sliced red onions
• Black olives
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Fresh cilantro

Cilantro Lime Rice is a favorite side dish, but Coconut Rice works too if you don’t have cilantro.

ADD PROTEIN TO VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS

The easiest way to beef up the protein (pun intended) in vegetarian enchiladas is to add ground beef. Simply brown it separately, drain the fat, and add it to the filling mixture with the sweet potatoes.

However, if you want to keep this a vegetarian enchilada recipe, consider these ways to boost protein:

• Add more beans. Additional black beans, lentils, or pinto beans can boost the protein and add variety to the enchilada filling.
• Use a different tortilla. A flour tortilla has 2-3g of protein, depending on the size and the type of flour used. An almond flour tortilla contains 4-5g of protein. It’s not a huge increase, but even small amounts add up!
• Add cheese. Adding about a Tablespoon of shredded cheese to each vegetable enchilada will bump the protein up by 2-3 grams.
• Top with Greek yogurt. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. 2 Tablespoons adds 2g of protein.

VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS FAQS

MORE YUMMY CASSEROLE RECIPES

• Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde Sauce
• Enchilada Casserole
• 24 Easy Real Food Casseroles
• Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole
• Mac and Cheese