Vegetarian Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas — 😍🙌🎉 Warm sweet potatoes, slightly spicy corn, and beans, all smothered in cheese and red sauce. They’re satisfying, hearty, and you’ll never miss the meat!
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Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe
These black bean sweet potato enchiladas are pure comfort food. But on the healthier side. Warm sweet potatoes, slightly spicy corn, and beans, all smothered in cheese and red sauce.
They’re satisfying and hearty, and you’ll never miss the meat. My family didn’t even realize they were vegetarian until I told them. And to keep the enchiladas vegan, just swap the cheese for vegan cheese.
These vegetarian enchiladas are fast, easy, and ready in less than an hour. You can’t beat that.
To make the filling, simply combine a cooked and diced sweet potato with your favorite corn and bean salsa, and shredded cheese. Top with sauce, more cheese, and you’re ready to bake.
The sweet potatoes add bulk, body, and provide a meat-like heft to the enchiladas, minus the meat. The subtle sweetness is the perfect complement to the tangy sauce and spicier corn and beans.
There’s so much texture in every bite. Juicy corn, firm black beans, gooey cheese, drippy sauce, and chewy enchilada shells. It’s a comfort food party in your mouth with every bite.
The recipe is easily doubled for larger families, planned leftovers, or parties. It’s a great recipe for events where there’s a mixed crowd and at least one vegetarian or vegan in the group. Finally, a vegetarian dinner option that’s not an iceberg lettuce salad or fettuccine alfredo.
I put a leftover sweet potato black bean enchilada in my daughter’s lunch, and while she rarely comes home and exclaims how great her lunch was (what kid does?), she did after these.
She asked when I’m making them again.
What’s in Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas?
To make this veggie enchilada recipe, you’ll need:
- Sweet potato
- Corn and black bean salsa – I used Trader Joe’s Cowboy Caviar, but most any chunky, corn-heavy, or bean-heavy salsa will work. You can use corn and beans, but I prefer salsa because everything is already cooked and seasoned, and there are fewer steps
- Fresh cilantro
- Shredded cheese – I like cheddar cheese or a shredded Mexican cheese blend, but any flavor you prefer such as Monterey Jack cheese will taste great. For the best taste and texture, buy a block of cheese, and grate it yourself. Pre-shredded varieties contain anti-caking agents that impact their flavor and prevent them from melting
- Red enchilada sauce – Use homemade enchilada sauce or your favorite store-bought variety
- Corn tortillas – I love the flavor of corn tortillas and the fact that they’re gluten-free, making them great for crowds. However, you can use flour tortillas if preferred
- Red peppers and onions (for garnish)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
These black bean sweet potato enchiladas might look like they came from a restaurant, but they’re easy to make and ready to eat with a total time of just an hour!
Here’s an overview of the cooking process.
- Place a scrubbed and fork-pierced sweet potato in the microwave. Cook on high power for about 10 minutes or until done and fork tender.
- Once cooked, skin, and dice the sweet potato. Add the diced potato, salsa, and shredded cheese to a bowl, and mix to combine.
- Add about 1 cup enchilada sauce to the bottom of an 8×10-inch baking pan. Then, assemble the veggie enchiladas and place them inside the dish.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle with more cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. I garnished mine with chopped peppers, onions, and cilantro.
Warm the Tortillas
If your corn tortillas are prone to breaking, try gently warming them in a large skillet to make them a little more flexible. Just be sure not to toast them by accident, they just need a few seconds over some heat to loosen up!
What to Serve with Vegetarian Enchiladas
Recipe FAQs
This sweet potato enchilada recipe will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months! To keep them fresh, wrap the enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. To serve, cover the dish with foil, and bake from frozen for 20-30 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and continue to bake until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
Yes, simply use a vegan cheese substitute.
I’m sure you could add extra veggies to these sweet potato and black bean enchiladas. Just note that the more filling you make, the more enchiladas you’ll need to roll.
Sure! Feel free to make chicken enchiladas by adding shredded chicken, or use cooked ground turkey or ground beef in the filling.
Feel free to include extra spices like salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and chile powder. Or, add a few cloves garlic, green chiles, lime juice, or a dash of tomato paste.
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Sweet Potato, Corn, and Black Bean Enchiladas
Equipment
- 1 (8×10 inch) Baking Dish
- 1 Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 large/extra large sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- ½ cup corn and black bean salsa (I used Trader Joe’s Cowboy Caviar Salsa
- 2 to 2 ½ cups shredded cheese, divided (I used a Mexican blend; use vegan cheese to keep vegan)
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce, divided (I used Trader Joe’s; use storebought or homemade)
- 6 to 8 yellow or white corn tortilla shells
- finely diced red peppers or tomatoes, optional for garnishing
- cilantro, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray an 8×10-inch baking dish or similar with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place a scrubbed and fork-pierced sweet potato in the microwave and cook on high power for about 10 minutes, or until done and fork tender. Potato can be cooked in the oven at 400F for about 45 to 60 minutes if preferred.
- Remove potato from microwave, slice lengthwise, and the skin should slip off easily; discard skin.
- Dice potato into 1/2-inch cubes and place cubes into a large bowl.
- To the bowl, add the salsa, about 1 1/2 cups cheese (measure it loosely packed in the cup), and gently stir to combine; set filling aside.
- Evenly add about 1 cup enchilada sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish; set aside.
- Place about 1/3 cup filling in a tortilla shell, roll up, and place seam side down in prepared dish; repeat with additional shells until all filling mixture is gone.
- Evenly pour remaining 1 cup enchilada sauce over the enchiladas.
- Evenly top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Optionally garnish with red peppers, cilantro, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Enchiladas are best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Vegetarian Mexican Recipes:
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Mexican Sweet Potato and Black Bean Buddha Bowl – A HEALTHY and EASY alternative to a salad! Loaded with Mexican-inspired ingredients and topped with a light lime-cumin vinaigrette! Ready in 20 minutes and perfect for MEAL PREPPING!
20-Minute Easy Vegan Pozole Verde – Think pozole needs meat? Think again! You’ll never miss the meat in this EASY, hearty, and satisfying pozole that’s full of authentic Mexican flavors!
Black Bean Burrito Bowl Salad – Your favorite burrito ingredients minus the meat and extra carbs to keep things HEALTHIER! Ready in 10 minutes and keeps you satisfied but not stuffed!
Loaded Vegetarian Burritos — HEALTHY Mexican comfort food that’s loaded with black beans, rice, and more before being topped with salsa and CHEESE! You’ll never miss the meat in these EASY burritos that you can make ahead and are freezer-friendly!
Very Veggie Rice and Beans — EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and amps up rice and beans with an abundance of vegetables! Healthy, Mexican-inspired food that tastes like comfort food and keeps you satisfied for hours!
Taco Pasta Salad — EASY, ready in 20 minutes, and loaded with great Mexican-inspired ingredients including corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and more! Perfect for picnics, parties, and potlucks!
i was wondering if these would hold up well if I assemble the night before and bake the following day?
Probably although I haven’t done it that way, but I think you’d be fine assembling and prepping the night before. Enjoy!
Loved this recipe I did make some changes: 4 sweet potatoes, 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans (rinsed), 2 cups of cheese, 1 can of enchilada sauce, half of a chopped onion, salt and pepper, chili powder, oregano, cilantro for garnishing.
Basically it was really good but it needed more seasoning it made 8 enchiladas. Definitely a good recipe but just needed more seasoning
Thanks for trying the recipe and yes, always tweak the seasoning to you and your family’s tastes. Also I think it depends on what kind of enchilada sauce you use and how much seasoning it has in it since brands vary wildly in how salty, spicy, etc. they are. Glad you liked the enchiladas!
How do I print a recipe? I want to try the sweet potato, corn enchilada and don’t want to have to write it all out.
https://https://www.averiecooks.com/faq/
Made these again today; however, my Mission tortilla’s all kept cracking….what was your secrete? They worked last time, but not this so I’m making it into a enchilada pie with a tortilla top/bottom. Hopefully it taste just as good because we LOVE this recipe. 2nd time making…not counting leftovers!
Hmmm, maybe your tortillas just were a crack-prone batch since last time they worked fine! There are SO many different tortillas out there though, high fiber, low fiber, white corn, yellow corn, etc. I usually get the low-carb ones (the lowest calories they sell…I’d rather not waste my calories on tortillas!) so there really is no secret with that. Maybe you were also overstuffing them just a smidge? Anyway glad the flavor is great and you love the recipe!
Made the sweet potato, corn and black bean enchiladas today. They were fabulous. My husband actually ranted about how good and healthy they were the entire dinner. I couldn’t find 8″ corn tortillas (my store mainly carries flour) but used taco size. The broke a little (may warm them next time) but since they were small made about 18. I used a can of fiesta style corn and black beans and 3 smaller potatoes….definitely making this again for the hubby and I. Yum to leftovers!
Thanks for this recipe! I adore sweet potatoes and enchiladas–great to combine them! I make my own enchilada sauce: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/08/red-enchilada-sauce/ and it is inexpensive and WAY better than the canned stuff. And it’s fast!
I was worried the Cowboy Caviar would be too spicy, but it has the perfect amount of spice. YUM! I’ve already recommended it around. Thanks!
Everyone’s tastes are different but I think the heat level in the Caviar is perfect and glad you enjoyed this dish!
So I have searched high and low for 8 inch corn tortillas. I’m assuming this is the size you used, as in the pictures it looks like the tortilla fits the whole width of the dish and most casserole dishes are 9inch in width and the one you have pictured on the plate fills the plate (unless you took the picture on a mini plate).) I even looked at trader joes. For now I’m just going to try the recipe with flour tortillas, but for future note where did you find your 8inch corn tortillas? I can only find them in taco size.
Thanks,
Niki M.
I used Mission Brand, found at all major grocery stores in San Diego. They’re ‘fajita’ size. I’ve noticed that from package to package, they can vary greatly in size, too. So….I wouldn’t get too hung up on it :) I’d just use whatever you can find that will fit your pan, and smoosh down the ends if need be! Enjoy!
I’ m a little late to the party but this dish is delicious! My tortillas weren’t co-operating (they kept tearing) so I ended up making it into a layered enchilada bake but wow the flavors in this recipe are incredible. Bravo! Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and flavors and yes, sometimes tortillas don’t want to cooperate when you’re rolling them :)
Made these last night and they were great!! I was skeptical for some reason of the Cowboy Caviar, but it’s not as sweet as I thought, it actually has great flavor and is a bit spicy. Very easy recipe that made some leftovers for the week! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Looks delicious, but we try to eat vegan without fat sources like the vegan cheese. Any suggestions for a cheese replacement?
It’s hard to make enchiladas without cheese but you could maybe try avocado, beans, or something that’s suitable for your needs. Enjoy!
I’m assembling these on Sunday for dinner on Monday – thanks!
Great! Enjoy!
You know this is my kind of food! I love enchiladas – I could probably live off of them. And you just captured these images so perfectly. If only I could reach into the screen and grab that baking dish!
Considering you, the queen of savory foods and gorgeous images, wants to reach through the screen, I will take that as a high compliment :)
Your daughter, who has taste tested just about every blog and cookbook recipe, asked when you were making these again? That’s got to be the biggest compliment a mom, especially one as talented in the kitchen as you, could ever ask for! So happy for and proud of you! :) My favorite part of enchiladas has always been the sauce. My guy usually leaves some extra on his plate, so I always offer to clear the table and sneak the last few drops in the kitchen when he isn’t looking. But I doubt he minds much!
It’s nice that it’s not just cookies she asks me to re-make :)
SO true!! I’m sure your freezer is already packed with cookies, so remaking savory stuff is probably a dream come true. :)
In love with everything about this recipe Averie!! Definitely a must-try!!! :)
I could use a big plate of these right now!
…and Averie wins it again!! Awesome recipe… I am going to dream about that filling!