Vegetarian Enchilada Bake
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Published Jan 21, 2017, Updated Oct 26, 2021
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A healthy make-ahead dish the whole family will love, this sweet potato black bean enchilada bake is layered with tortillas, cheese and a homemade enchilada sauce. Vegetarian, gluten-free and absolutely delicious!
I know a few of you are going to think I’m crazy, but for whatever reason I’ve never been that big on Mexican food. I like it and definitely have cravings for chips and guac from time to time, but it’s not something that I’m obsessed with. That said, things have changed as of late because I’ve totally been hooked on this Mexican-inspired enchilada bake.
And it’s a good thing that I’m coming around to Mexican food because I’m headed to Mexico next month!! I’ll be in Tulum with one of my best friends doing a ton of yoga, hanging on the beach, exploring and enjoying authentic Mexican food. Just a few more weeks and we’ll be on our way. I literally can not wait.
Okay so back to the sweet potato black bean enchilada bake… we’ve already made it three times because it’s SO good. The combo of creamy sweet potatoes and black beans with a spicy homemade enchilada sauce, tortillas and cheese works so well. Gah! Just writing this makes me want to make the bake again this weekend.
And it’s pretty easy too. All the layers come together quickly and it bakes up in about 20 minutes. I’ve been making it over the weekend so that we can have it for dinner one night and eat the leftovers for weeknight meals over the next couple days.
The spiced-up enchilada sauce is made by quickly whirling together all the ingredients in a blender and this can be done while the black bean and sweet potato mixture is sautéing on the stove-top. Once both of these components are done, you simply layer everything in a casserole dish and bake.
Once cooked, the sweet potato enchilada bake is ready to be served with your favorite garnishes. We like loading ours down with cilantro, green onion, jalapeño, avocado and sour cream for the ultimate Mexican dinner.
Want more healthy Mexican recipes? Try these:
- Sofritas
- Healthy Guacamole
- Turkey Taco Salad Bowl
- Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Mexicali Stuffed Sweet Potato
- Southwest Sweet Potato Black Bean Dip
- Guacamole Salad
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchilada Bake
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
- 28 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Enchilada Bake
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil or coconut oil
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small bite-size chunks
- 2-3 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- toppings: chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream, avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Make sauce by combining all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add jalapeño, sweet potatoes and salt. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. The cook time will vary based on how big your sweet potato chunks are. Just be sure they are fully cooked and tender. Add black beans and baby spinach. Toss to combine and remove from heat.
- Grab a 9X13 baking dish, lightly grease and start layering ingredients for the bake. Place four tortillas over the bottom of the dish, add 1/3 of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 of black bean and sweet potato mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Add 4 tortillas, 1/3 of sauce and 1/2 black bean and sweet potato mixture. Add 4 tortillas, 1/3 of the enchilada sauce and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered at 425° for about 20 minutes or until the top layer of cheese has melted and the bake is hot throughout.
- Serve with toppings of your choice — green onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream or Greek yogurt and avocado.
Video
Notes
- This bake is a tad on the spicy side, if you don’t like spicy food you’ll want to cut back on the jalapeño and cayenne pepper.
- To make this a freezer meal I recommend prepping the bake (following the recipe through step 4), then covering tightly with wrap or foil. Freeze until ready to serve (up to three months). On the day you want to serve the bake, take it out of the freezer, allow to thaw then bake according to step 5.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We love this recipe so much–we’ve had it twice in the past month! It is a perfect warm and cozy fall meal.
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Noelle. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
Such a fun twist on enchiladas. My family makes this all the time. We all love it so much! It is so easy and just super delicious. Yum!
Amazing! This makes me so happy to hear, Jessica. I am so glad you and your family are loving this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to share your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
Brittany,
You out did yourself with this recipe…my taste buds were having a party! I can’t do tomatoes/tomato sauce so I subbed for a “No”mato sauce and one would never tell. Kept everything else the same…yippee. Thanks for what you do!
Aw yay! This seriously makes me so happy to hear that you are loving this recipe and it turned out amazing for you, Tara. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me!