Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas are simple and comforting. The hearty filling cooks all together in one skillet, and then they bake to perfection in the oven, for an easy vegetarian dinner. No store-bought enchilada sauce required!
I originally posted this recipe back in 2013, but that was before I tested and double-tested recipes to make sure they are fool-proof. So, these needed to be revisited!
The resulting recipe is ultra-flavorful and delicious, and I’m especially proud of the simplicity of the enchilada sauce. No need to break out another skillet to make a homemade version; this one comes together in just seconds in a blender.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in Sweet Potato Enchiladas?
- Sweet potatoes
- Black beans
- Red onion
- Diced tomatoes with green chiles
- Spices
- Salsa
The filling is surprisingly quick and easy to prepare, then you just roll it up in your favorite tortillas, top it off with a sauce, and bake until everything is piping hot. If you’d like to add extra veggies or seasonings, like a bell pepper or chili powder, feel free to add those in, too.
I’ve purposefully kept this recipe dairy-free and vegan, but if your family prefers a cheesy enchilada, you can certainly sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of this before you bake.
How to Make Enchiladas
1. Saute. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until it’s softened, about 5 minutes.
Add in the garlic and cumin, and stir for one more minute, just until it’s fragrant.
2. Complete the filling. Add the sweet potatoes, black beans (set aside a 1/4 cup beans for the sauce), diced tomatoes and salt to the pan, and bring the liquid to a simmer. Once it’s simmering, lower the heat and cover the pan, letting the sweet potatoes cook until they are easily mashed with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir occasionally, so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
3. Make the enchilada sauce. While the filling is cooking, you can make my super-easy enchilada sauce by adding a jar of salsa to a blender, along with the reserved black beans, and ground cumin.
Use red salsa, or salsa verde, if you like!
The beans help to thicken up the sauce, just like flour does in traditional recipes, but this version is even easier! Pour 3/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and spread it out evenly.
4. Fill the tortillas. When the sweet potatoes are tender, mash the filling in the skillet with fork, to help it all meld together. You don’t want it perfectly smooth, but it’s nice if it sticks together a bit.
You can use cassava or corn tortillas to keep this recipe gluten-free, or you can use simple flour tortillas if you don’t need a gluten-free recipe. I used Cassava tortillas in the photos here, which worked beautifully!
Quickly warm each tortilla on a skillet over medium heat for 15 to 30 seconds on each side. This will soften them up, so they don’t crack as you roll them.
Add a generous amount of filling into the center of each tortilla (see photos for reference), then roll it up and place it seam-side-down in the pan prepared with enchilada sauce. Repeat with the remaining filling, until you’ve filled the pan and used up your tortillas.
Note: The package I used came with 8 tortillas, and I had enough filling to probably fill 2 more tortillas. The amount of filling will vary based on the size of your sweet potato, and how much filling you add to each tortilla, but if you have leftovers, you can either make 2 extra roll-ups if you have enough tortillas, or save them as a burrito bowl filling or salad topping for another meal later.
Note: While the enchiladas are baking, you can whip up a batch of Nacho Cheese Sauce, if you’d like a creamy, dairy-free topping. I like to add this sauce after baking, so it won’t dry out in the oven.
5. Bake. Cover the rolled-up tortillas with the remaining enchilada sauce, and then bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are piping hot.
Let the enchiladas cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then serve warm with the cheese sauce on top, along with diced avocado and fresh cilantro on top, if desired.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small red onion , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 medium sweet potato , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans (reserve a 1/4 cup for sauce)
Enchilada Sauce
- 16 ounces salsa
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Assembly
- 8 to 10 tortillas (7-inch or similar)
- 1 batch Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce (optional topping)
- 1/2 avocado (optional topping)
- fresh cilantro (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cumin, and stir until fragrant, about one more minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes and green chilies to the pan (do not drain-- you want the juices here!), along with the sweet potatoes, salt, and most of the drained and rinsed black beans. Be sure to save a 1/4 cup of beans for the enchilada sauce. Stir well, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat, and cover the pan to let the sweet potatoes cook until they are easily mashed with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the filling is cooking, prepare the enchilada sauce. Add the reserved 1/4 cup of black beans to a blender, along with the salsa and cumin. Blend until smooth, then pour 3/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- When the sweet potatoes are tender, use a fork to mash them, so the filling will stick together well. If you're using a corn or cassava tortilla, heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla on the skillet for 15 to 30 seconds on each side, so it's easy to roll. (They will break if you don't do this first!)
- Add some of the filling to the center of the warm tortilla, then roll it up and place the roll in the prepared pan, seam-side-down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, warming up each tortilla as you go so its easy to roll. (You can skip heating them if you use flour tortillas, as they don't tear too easily.)
- Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled-up tortillas, and spread it out evenly so the shells are covered. Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes.
- While the enchiladas are baking, you can prepare the optional toppings, including the vegan nacho cheese sauce, if you'd like a creamy topping. When the enchiladas are done cooking, let them cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm with the toppings. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update note: I used to serve this filling in thinly sliced zucchini instead of using a tortilla at all. Feel free to try that if you’d like to! You can see an (old) photo of my method below.
If you try these Sweet Potato Enchiladas, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
This looks amazing! I made a lasagna using zucchini instead of the noodles but for some reason the whole lasagna became very watery. I plan to try this. Does the zucchini get soft?
Also, check out my blog I just started!
The zucchini does get soft, but the dish isn’t watery thanks to the starch content of the filling.
Ok I need to make this next week! Can you suggest different filling ideas? maybe something instead of the sweet potatoes?
I used potatoes with kale & garlic, wrapped in organic corn tortillas, topped with tomato sauce I made from scratch. It was my first attempt at enchiladas, ever, and I was very pleased!
I loved this dish and so did my daughter who does not like sweet potato, but to my shock ate it and thought it was delicious. Also, I cooked this meal lasagna style.
Oh, It’s exactly what I was craving this weekend. Can’t wait to try it, Thank you for sharing Megan.
That is really, really brilliant, a great dinner party idea!
I have to say… I would never of thought to use zucchini to make the ‘tortilla shells’. Great idea and I’ll definitely share this with clients!
Oooh, how did you know I’ve been craving enchiladas? Totes making this for dinner. Thanks! 😀
I had to come back and tell you how yummy these enchiladas were. :3 They really hit the spot. You’re *amazing*. <3
I love coconut wrap it is made from young coconut,it can be eaten alone so good.
I know you big fan Natalia Rose, she does not advice legume at all. What is your approach? I do understand of misscombining meal cause of pregnancy…. I love black beans and lentils too, but has not eating for a long long time. I guess I will start to eat them again:-)
Oh, heck yes! Though I think I will add a bit of goat cheddar to the top…yum!
Yum! I used to make enchiladas all the time but have had to eliminate dairy and grains recently. You have no idea how excited I am to try this!
I made something very similar last week and stuffed the filling into long sweet peppers. I’ll have to try the zucchini! Also, to make it simpler, you could simply hollow out a zucchini and stuff the filling in one side… Yum, endless possibilities! 🙂
Wow im making vegan enchiladas tomorrow and was coming to look for that cheese dipping sauce on your site! I was going to put that on top of the enchiladas! How do you think that would work out?
These look so yummy
I love enchiladas and never thought of doing a zucchini wrap instead of tortilla. I love this idea and have to try this! 🙂
Super creative! And it looks as thought the zucchini gets nice and soft when baked, LUSCIOUS!
Do you peel the sweet potatoes?
I did not, but you can if you want to!
This was delicious!! I used white flesh japanese sweet potato but I imagine the traditional orange flesh would taste good too. The tomato sauce was also yummy but I think next time I might saute the onion before I throw it in the blender in order to cut down on the spice.
loved this. I added kale and baby spinach to the mix. it was phenomenal. can’t wait to have the leftovers tonight. Another great recipe, and amazingly versatile.
I made this last night it was awesome. Next time I am going to add some kind of cashew cheese. Thank you for all the pictures with your recipes they help out a lot.
If you salt your zucchini slices and let them rest for a bit, the salt will pull out a lot of the moisture. Just slice, salt, and wait… you can then rinse them and pat dry… it will make a huge difference.
Do you leave the skin on the sweet potatoes?
Yes, I did! I love the texture and added nutrition, but you can remove them if you prefer.
i made this for dinner tonight for my family and it was a success!!! i am a vegan but my parents and my brother aren’t so i made a few enchiladas with meat and cheese for them bc they asked for it hahah but i was very pleased with the vegan alternative. the zucchini being used for the outer later was a great idea! i am now thinking about the endless variations i can make on this recipe! thank u for the amazing dish idea ;]
Mmmm I just prepped these for dinner tonight: so fast and smells delicious! But I found it reallllllly difficult to roll up the zucchinis… 🙁 I had to use tooth picks to keep them together. I will have to invest in a mandolin! Oh well, they will still taste great either way. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I made these last night. The zucchinis I bought were small so it was hard to roll up, but I did get a few nice ones. I didn’t taste it till today and it was so delicious!!! Will forsure make these again, thanks!!
Do you think these will freeze well? I was thinking to make a lot and freeze so I don’t need to spend a while making them often.
I am not eating nightshades right now. Do you think butternut squash would be an ok replacement for the strained tomatoes?
Get out of here, you just became my favorite person. I can’t rate yet because I haven’t tried it, but it’s on the menu this weekend.
I made this recipe tonight for supper. My husband, who is usually a picky eater when it comes to healthy food, loved it. He even went for seconds. The first few slices of zucchini were too thick, so I learnt to slice them thinner. It was better, but still a bit hard to roll. The only difference, is I put leftover ground pork in their filling (I did my two enchiladas, then I added the already cooked ground pork in the leftover filling). It tasted really good and is a recipe that I will do again. The only wish from my husband was too have more sauce…so I will keep it in thoughts for next time. Thank you!
Oh my gosh….this was nothing short of FANTASTIC. The sweet potato filling is scrumptious! I made this lasagna style…I only had one zucchini so I only made a bottom layer of “noodles”. Then I topped it with the filling and rest of the sauce and sprinkled some cheese on it…not too much…just enough to make me want to devour the entire thing in one sitting….don’t worry! I only at about half 🙂
First off, thank you for all your dishes! Next I need to say I am at lunch and finishing my second potion (when foods this good I don’t call it left overs) of these yummy enchiladas! I hardly could wait to go to lunch to have them! I went a bit hot side adding a bit of Thai hot sauce in the tomato topping otherwise stuck to your recipe…..yum yum yum! Last night I had to remind myself there was not ground meat in them! Thank you again I have told coworkers and friends to look you up! Your a rock star in my eyes!
Just made these tonight and they were delicious!! Great recipe 🙂 just wondering about the nutritional info for this mean…Is there somewhere I can find it?
Thanks again for an awesome meal idea!!
Michelle
Glad you enjoyed them! Please see my FAQ regarding nutrition info: https://detoxinista.com/about/frequently-asked-questions/
very comforting dish. great recipe!
i tried these and my husband and I loved them. I roasted the sweet potatoes. Will do this again. Thanks!!!
I have made these several times and they are just perfect! I now double the batch. 🙂
Would I be able to make this with another bean besides black?
Sure, I don’t see why not!
I changed this up a bit… I’m super lazy and worked with my “quarantine pantry”…
– Replaced Zucchini with gluten-free quinoa wraps
– Used a can of sweet potatoes instead of fresh – drained, didn’t rinse
– Used tomato paste & water plus 2 fresh Roma tomatoes
– Used a can of organic chili beans instead of black beans (includes black, kidney, pinto)
– Added a small can of green chilies
– Added cheddar cheese on top
– Sauteed a little spinach – served on the side, but would be GREAT added inside
LOVE the subtle sweetness! These changes made it a really quick recipe – about 10 minutes prep, same cooking times.
Awesome, thanks for sharing!!
Hello,
We don’t have to cook the enchilada sauce?
No, you don’t have to pre-cook it; it bakes in the oven with everything else!
do you have nutritional no? thanks great site! Linda
Yes, the nutrition is listed at the bottom of the recipe card!
So yummy and pretty easy. Especially if you use already prepared salsa. My children loved this dinner though they said it was slightly spicy for their liking. (We are a mild spice family rather than hot) So, next time I will use half of the amount of tomatoes with green chili’s and make up the rest with just diced tomatoes. I liked it as is, but my kids like more mild.
Hello,
I was wondering what quantity of diced tomatoes is needed? The instructions mention diced tomatoes but they are not listed in the ingredients. Thank you!
Hi! I’m referring to the 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, which are listed in the filling ingredients, right above the sweet potato. Hope you enjoy them!
Amazing recipe!! The nacho cheese is a must (love your recipe for that too!). I wouldn’t change a thing – although the salsa and rotel I had were on the spicy side so my kids weren’t a fan of the spice so I will change that next time for their sake. I also used the GF quinoa tortillas from TJ’a which got a little gummy. Again, I didn’t mind but my kiddos did. Will probably try a different tortilla next time for their sake.
Made this for dinner last night. Loved this. I made my own black beans in the instant pot first. Then, I followed the recipe. Hub can’t wait for leftovers tonight. I will reheat in the oven. Thanks for another great recipe.
This web page is a joke right now. I’ve made this recipe countless times and it is good. But today the page is reloading so much and so fast I can’t even read the recipe.
I’m so sorry to hear that! I’ll have to see if there’s a technical glitch going on somewhere…
These were so good! I use a different enchilada sauce recipe so can’t comment on that, but the filling was very tasty. We are not vegan, so I sprinkled some leftover shredded cheddar cheese on top. So delicious!