These skillet enchiladas combine sweet potatoes and black beans with some classic Mexican flavors from the toasty cumin and smokey chipotle to give you the ultimate plant-forward weeknight meal. This one is always a hit even with the biggest of meat eaters!
Who's a big fan of enchiladas? Me!! I'm guessing you are too. I'm actually a big Mexican food fan in general, but sometimes it can be a little heavy so I lightened these enchiladas up by making them plant-based and keeping the cheese in check - but not to worry, there is still cheese in there!
Sweet potatoes and black beans are a pretty common vegetarian combination so why not use them to create a little Mexican flair in the form of black bean sweet potato skillet enchiladas?!
One of my focuses for 2019 is to give you suggestions for recipe components that you can buy pre-made instead of making them from scratch. Even when you are really into cooking, sometimes it makes more sense to buy something pre-made. In my opinion, there are some things that you can find at most grocery stores that can be just as high-quality as homemade. Buying them instead of making them can be a real time-saver making it easier to get a great dinner on the table during a busy week. You can also spend your time focusing on the more complex and fun components of a recipe! I'll always give you a suggestion - either one of my recipes or someone else's - as an option if you really want to make the component from scratch.
The green enchilada sauce in this recipe is a great example of just that type of ingredient. I'd recommend buying it at the store. There are lots of options at most major grocery store chains and if you live in an area where there is a Mexican grocery store....BONUS! If you want to make your own check out this recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
How to Meal Prep these Enchiladas
- You can roast the sweet potato a day or two ahead of time. Just wrap it in foil and refrigerate until you are ready to make the enchiladas.
- As much as I love the convenience of pre-grated bags of cheese it's just not quite the same as freshly grated cheese. If you use a fair amount of cheese and like to stick with the same type, I'd recommend using the grating function on your food processor to grate either half a block or the entire block of cheese when you are doing your weekly meal prep. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. The other option is to use a hand grater to grate a small portion of the block. This can also be done ahead of time. I like the grater listed below but a standard box grater works well too.
The leftovers of this dish are great too so you can make the entire dish ahead of time and then reheat during the week. I usually add a little extra cheese when I'm reheating! These tasty enchiladas will likely become one of your go-to weeknight meals. You may even want to make them for dinner tonight!
Are you craving more delicious Mexican food? Try these Black Bean Nachos, this Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl or these Lime Chicken and Elote Tacos.
things you may want for this recipe
Black Bean Sweet Potato Skillet Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 15- ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- ⅔ cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
- 1 ¼ cups green enchilada sauce
- 6 6 " corn tortillas
- ½ an avocado, thinly sliced
- chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Pierce the potato several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until it's easy to insert a fork. Remove the potato from the oven and scoop the insides into a large mixing bowl. Mash slightly with a fork.
- Add the black beans, onion, garlic, lime juice, cumin, chipotle, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Use the oil to grease a 10" oven safe skillet. Add ½ cup of the enchilada sauce to the skillet and spread evenly with a spoon.
- Arrange three of the tortillas so they cover the bottom of the skillet. Top with the sweet potato mixture. Arrange the remaining tortillas on top of the sweet potato mixture so they cover the mixture. Top with the rest of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbly.
- Remove from oven and top with avocado and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Gloria says
Pairing sweet potatoes and black beans is delicious. What a great meatless option. I would love this for dinner any night of the week. Easy to make, and delicious to eat.
Anna says
Such a great combination, sweet potatoes and black beans! And I love the fact that most of the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time. Even better that it's all meat-free!
Dominique | Perchance to Cook says
Oh wow, and now I'm craving enchiladas! These look incredible... I love the combo of black bean and sweet potato. I can't wait to try it!
Kylie | Midwest Foodie says
I love one skillet recipes! This dish will definitely be making an appearance on our dinner table 🙂
Lorie says
These are genius and I wish I could taste these through the computer. Literally making these this week!
Urban Foodie Kitchen says
Thanks Lorie - enjoy!
Marisa Franca says
I love the pairing of the black beans and sweet potatoes! And making it in the skillet makes it one super easy dish. I've always made enchiladas with meat but this really sounds like a fantastic alternative. And sometimes it is great to get short cut tips. Thank you for the green sauce tip.
Charity says
I'm a huge fan of enchiladas! Any flavor combo really because you can't go wrong with tortillas smothered in sauce and cheese!
Kelly Anthony says
Black beans and sweet potatoes are so perfect together! I love this idea for a healthier take on enchiladas!
Eileen Kelly says
I am with you, I love Mexican but I do love it a little lightened up! These are the perfect enchiladas! full of flavor and all in one skillet!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Wow these enchiladas look amazing! Loving the combo of flavours... so delicious! Pinning to try this week.
Jagruti Dhanecha says
One of my favourite combo in Mexican cuisine, sweet potato and black beans! Looks so delicious, a perfect meal for cold nights.
Jyothi (Jo) says
Potatoes...sign me up please. I'm a huge potato addict and I love all things potatoes. This is truly the best sweet potato enchiladas I've seen. Gorgeous, Delicious!