Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas
I love Mexican food. It is my favorite cuisine by far. I was raised here in the southwest surrounded by delicious Mexican food. My mother (not Mexican) has always been inspired by the spicy savory cuisine and would recreate her favorite meals at home for our family dinners. Her tacos, enchiladas or even the occasional chile relleno were always my favorite meals growing up. She is why cooking Mexican food feels so natural and is about 90% of what I eat.
Enough about my love for Mexican food and back to this recipe. No, sweet potatoes are not a traditional Mexican ingredient but that's what makes this recipe so special. These enchiladas are great on their own but even better with some homemade guacamole, chips and Mexican rice. It's the dish I make when my vegetarian friend comes over or when I want to take a night off of meat. It is so filling I can promise you that the meat will not be missed. In fact, I say that the 4 overstuffed enchiladas would actually feed a family of 4 perfectly, especially with the guac and rice. And yes, over stuffing is key unless you'd rather be rolling for much longer...work smarter not harder. Ha!
If there's leftovers, reheating it the next morning with some eggs is seriously
so DELICIOUS!!
If you love Mexican food and want to try something new, here is the perfect recipe for you! It is spicy and smokey from the enchilada sauce. It is sweet, yet savory from the sweet potato and poblano pepper.
It's perfection, truly.
Ingredients
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1 poblano pepper, chopped *green chile would work as well
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1 small red onion, or half of one large
1 15oz canned enchilada sauce
2 cups cheddar cheese or Monterey jack, shredded
4 medium flour tortillas
olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Place sweet potatoes on cooking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper. Roast for 7-9 mins or until you start to see light browning.
3. Move sweet potato to the side and add the red onions and poblano peppers to the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 8-10 mins until all veggies have those perfect charred marks and are cooked through. Check sweet potatoes by piercing a fork through them. You want the fork to pierce easily with little resistance.
4. Get a plate or a clean prep station to roll your enchiladas on. Before rolling pour some enchilada sauce into your baking pan (I used an 8x8 baking pan), enough to cover the bottom with a thin layer. Now let's roll!
5. Place a tortilla on your prep station and layer it up with the sweet potato, onion and pepper mixture, black beans and cheese. You will want to place your filling off centered so it is easier to roll your tortilla. If the tortilla is cracking or not easily rolling, throw them in the microwave for about 20 seconds to soften them up.
6. Continue step 5 until all the tortillas have been rolled. If you have any extra filling spoon them in between the enchiladas.
7. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
8. Place in oven and bake for 10 mins until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let it cool and serve!
I love serving these with all kinds of condiments from sour cream to salsas..and yes multiple salsas because everyone has their favorite, right? For some crunch I highly recommend tortillas chips as well. They are perfect for scooping up any of the spillage from these over stuffed enchiladas. Oh and lime! And cilantro! You get it. All the Mexican things will just make this dish even more delicious! I hope you make them and enjoy! Tag me if you do, @lavidataprut
-Emily