Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

There are some meals that you whip up that you think this will be OK.  There might be something in the fridge or pantry that needs to be used up.  Or you just don't feel like putting a lot of effort into it.  You think that in terms of eating it will make do but won't be one of the blow your socks off nights.  That was what I was thinking when we needed dinner. A dinner I had not planned.  All I knew is there were sweet potatoes that were desperately calling my name.

One of my favorite meals at a local joint is black bean and sweet potato enchiladas.  I always have black beans on hand.  We already discussed the sweet potatoes.  Done and done.  The one and only problem was going to be convincing Mr. J that this meatless meal was going to be dinner.

I wasn't sure how the end results were going to turn out.  I didn't think it would be horrible but I wasn't sure just how great it would be.  I smiled sweet and hoped Mr. J wouldn't recognize that this was a new recipe and I wasn't 100% confident for dinner.

Well it ended up being beyond delicious. It was super quick to put together.  The were just the right amount of spices.  You could taste the sweetness from the sweet potatoes but it blended nicely with the spice.  We made 4 enchiladas or 1/2 the recipe below. Perfect for dinner one night and leftovers for lunch the next day.  Mr. J loved it and there was no mention of the lack of meat during the meal. 

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: blender bake saute vegetarian Mexican

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Ingredients (serves 8)

For the Sauce

• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• kosher salt and black pepper

For the Filling

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 pound Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 8 6-inch flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. In a blender, puree the tomatoes, chili powder, half the onion, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion and half the garlic and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the black beans, sweet potato, oregano, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool. Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar.

3. Spread 1 cup of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll up the bean mixture in the tortillas (about ½ cup each) and place the rolls seam-side down in the dish. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and 1 cup of cheddar. Bake on the top rack of oven until the cheddar is brown and bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and the scallion whites and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes more. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the scallion greens .

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