When I set out to make black bean enchiladas last week I had every intention of using the sweet potato filling from the addictive sweet potato burrito recipe that we love. However, when I looked at the recipe that morning I remembered that it took a bit of work and had several steps, and I wondered if I could find something easier.
I began to search for sweet potato enchilada recipes and through the miracle of the Internet I discovered the recipe below from The Girl Who Ate Everything. It sounded promising, only called for things we had on hand, and although it required some chopping and cooking to prepare the filling, it was overall much simpler to achieve than the burrito filling.
The recipe calls for flour tortillas, but I prefer corn tortillas for enchiladas. In the past I’ve always softened my tortillas in enchilada sauce before filling and rolling, but I foolishly tried to use them like flour tortillas, warming them first in the microwave. The end result was cracked and split enchiladas. Grrrr. I will definitely be softening them in the enchilada sauce next time versus just pouring the sauce over the enchiladas at the end. I also didn’t have heavy cream called for, but had some vegan sour cream on hand that needed using up, so I softened that with a little oat milk. It made exactly 1/3 cup, used up the last of the sour cream, and worked perfectly in the recipe!
Layering the tortillas, filling, and cheese is an even quicker way to make enchiladas than rolling them To make layered enchiladas, soften corn tortillas one at a time in heated enchilada sauce and set two tortillas side by side into a well-greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Spread some filling on the top of each tortilla, add a little cheese, and then repeat the layers five times ending with a tortilla on top. Pour any remaining enchilada sauce when done over the tops of the two stacks and then add some more cheese and maybe some chopped green onions for a little color. Bake for around 25-30 minutes, and then cut into wedges to serve. This method is less authentic, but much easier and less messy when it comes to assembling enchiladas no matter what the filling is.
SWEET POTATO & BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1 medium large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4″ cubes (the smaller dice is needed for cooking the filling). There should be about 2 cups
- 1/2 medium onion, diced small
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)
- juice from one lime
- 1 10-ounce can of red enchilada sauce
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded cheese (pepper jack, Monterey Jack, or other Mexican cheese)
- 10 6-inch flour tortillas
- Sour cream, avocado or guacamole, salsa (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil and then saute the sweet potatoes, onion, salt, chili powder, and cumin until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. You do not want crunchy potatoes!
Add the garlic and cook for around a minute, the remove the pan from the heat and add the beans, corn, and lime juice.
In a small bowl, combine the enchilada sauce with the heavy cream. Add 1/4 cup of this sauce to the sweet potato & bean mixture and spread another 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan. Set aside the rest. Also set aside one cup of the the cheese.
Fill each tortillas with about 1/3 cup of the sweet potato bean mixture and some cheese (about 2 TBSP), roll up and place seam side down in the pan. When all the tortillas are in the pan, pour the remaining sauce over the top, spreading it to make sure all the tortillas are covered, and then top with the remaining cup of grated cheese.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Serve with sour cream, avocado or guacamole, and additional salsa if desired.
The Occasional Nomads 