Quick! I’m sharing these enchiladas with you as a suggestion for a post-Thanksgiving meal this weekend (don’t forget, I have lots of vegetarian Thanksgiving options here).
The enchiladas are stuffed with creamy, hearty sweet potato, plus black beans, feta cheese, and spices. The sauce is super easy—just grab some mild salsa verde at the store. Or, you can go the extra mile and make your own.
Most restaurant enchiladas are so cheesy that I leave with a belly ache, but not these. They are delicious, satisfying and leftovers taste even better the next day. If you want to make a vegetarian dinner and hear, “I don’t even miss the meat,” these enchiladas are for you.
This recipe is actually one that I shared back in 2011, but it was missing some key instructions, like how to roast the sweet potato. So, I revisited it and tweaked it a bit, and they’re better than ever.
These enchiladas taught me some valuable lessons about cooking back then, so I’m leaving my notes for you below.
From 2011: Do you ever cut corners when you’re following a recipe? I do—all the time—and I’m always learning from my mistakes.
Take these black bean sweet potato enchiladas, for example.
I blundered through Gluten Free Goddess’ recipe, made it my own, and came out a better cook in the end.
Lessons learned:
- Substitutions can be ok: I subbed Target’s salsa verde for the Karina’s green chile sauce, which worked out fine.
- Skipping steps is usually not ok: I ignored her recommendation to warm up the corn tortillas first, so they broke to pieces when I tried to wrap the tortillas around the inside ingredients. As a result, my enchiladas weren’t as pretty as they could have been, but it didn’t affect the flavor. I need to trust that my fellow cooks will not recommend additional steps if they are not integral to the dish’s success!
- Additions are just fine: I love spicy food, so I knew adding a jalapeño was a good idea. And it was.
- Pay more for high quality ingredients: Packaged breads, including tortillas, tend to be full of preservatives and unnecessary ingredients. I paid more for these sprouted grain corn tortillas at my local health food store, and go figure, they taste better than the rest!
- Some flavors are so good together, you can’t go wrong: Black beans and sweet potatoes are a delicious combination. Even with all my mistakes, I ended up with a mighty delicious meal.
Please let me know how these enchiladas turn out for you in the comments! I hope they’re your new favorite.
Craving more Mexican-ish, cheesy goodness? Don’t miss my roasted veggie enchilada casserole or baked jalapeño poppers.
Watch How to Make Enchiladas
Vegetarian Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Mexican
Amazing black bean and sweet potato enchiladas, smothered in salsa verde. A delicious, hearty vegetarian entrée. Recipe yields 10 enchiladas, enough for about 5 servings.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes (2 small-to-medium)
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 ounces (½ cup) crumbled feta cheese
- 2 small cans (4 ounces each) diced green chiles
- 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Remaining Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 ounces) mild salsa verde, either homemade or store-bought
- 10 corn tortillas
- 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and coat the flat sides lightly with olive oil. Place the sweet potatoes flat-side down on the baking sheet. Bake until they’re tender and cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Leave the oven on, since we’ll bake the assembled enchiladas soon (no temperature adjustments necessary).
- Meanwhile, pour enough salsa verde into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish to lightly cover the bottom (about ½ cup). In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the remaining filling ingredients.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked through and cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides with a spoon. Discard the potato skins, and lightly mash the sweet potatoes with a fork or the back of a spoon.
- Stir the mashed sweet potato into the bowl of filling, and season to taste with additional salt (I added ¼ teaspoon) and pepper.
- Warm up your tortillas, one by one in a skillet, or all at once in a microwave so they don’t break when you bend them. Wrap them in a clean tea towel so they stay warm.
- Working with one tortilla at a time, spread about ½ cup filling down the center each tortilla, then wrap both sides over the filling and place it in your baking dish. Repeat for all of the tortillas.
- Top with the remaining salsa verde and cheese. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly golden.
- Let the enchiladas cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk the sour cream and water together to make a drizzly sour cream sauce. Drizzle it back and forth over the enchiladas, then top them with cilantro and red onion. Serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Gluten Free Goddess.
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free corn tortillas.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the cheese. Stir a scant 1 cup vegan sour cream into the filling, reserving a few tablespoons for drizzling on top. Once baked, thin the vegan sour cream with a little extra water to make it extra-drizzly and drizzle it on top as shown.
▸ Nutrition Information
Original photo from 2011.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Courtney
Wanting to make these for a new mother–any advice (beyond removing the spice) in terms of freezing/baking first/etc?
Kate
Hi! You can always portion these when you freeze them. I know others haven’t had to change anything when they have froze them and like the results. As for reheating, I’m working though more specifics. I don’t have it nailed down yet, sorry! Just make sure you freeze and bake in a safe dish and let it warm prior to putting it into a hot surface.
Chelsea
Question, I see all the food for the filling, is it all just supposed to go into a bowl and get mashed together?
Kate
Hi! All the filling components get mixed together. The potato will be more of a mashed consistency and you mix the other ingredients in. See the process photos. I hope this helps!
Rebecca
One of my absolute favorite go-to recipes. Consistently delicious, comforting and satisfying. I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve shared this recipe with!
★★★★★
Dinah Mitchell
We ate it all, so there is no photo op. Used recipe as a basic guide and substituted colby jack for feta and a pre-made red enchilada sauce by Lidl instead of making my own. Left out the lime juice, chiles, chili powder, and sour cream.
Added extra garlic and cumin, and it was a hit. Added diced red pepper inside and topped with shredded lettuce, cabbage, and tomatoes for extra veggies.
Saved time by baking sweet potatoes whole. Why bother cutting them up if you are just gonna mash them up?
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made this fit with what you had and your tastes, Dinah! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Emily S.
We LOVE these. My husband, who is usually all about meat and not a fan of sweet potatoes, asks me regularly if we can make these for dinner. I love sweet potatoes and anything without meat so I’m always more than happy to say yes :) Thanks for a real winner!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s fantastic! I’m happy these are a hit.
Debbi
I used the 6” Corn burritos shells and I was able to put 12 in a 9×13 pan. Then made a small casserole size dish and was able to put 6 shells in it (sharing the verde and stuffing). I then doubled the sour cream so I could bless my neighbors with the casserole and fixings. I hope they love it as much as my family loved it! Thank you ❤️
★★★★★
Ceric Keck
Delicious!! I love how adaptable the recipe is too, I can easily divide up the filling to accommodate my vegan mother, my little girls who don’t like the spicy jalapeño and my husband who likes all the spice. It’s hard to find a recipe that can satisfy everyone’s different taste and this one does! Everyone loves it! Thank you!
★★★★★
Melanie
Made this tonight for dinner, subbed zucchini for the tortillas and it was awesome. not filling/but very tasty! Thank you!
★★★★★
Vanessa Ponce
You would definitely save time if you just skin the sweet potatoes and cut them in half and then bake them it’s hard to spoon the sweet potatoes if they are super hot out the oven and you have to wait for them to cool down. Note to self next time I try to make these!
★★★
Lizzie M
Hi! I’m sure these are delicious but it is missing the step of mixing the filling. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kali Grubish
These had a ton of flavor and were pretty good but mine came out mushy. I followed all of the directions to a T so I’m not sure what happened. I was thinking that maybe it would’ve helped to dice the sweet potatoes and roast them that way, then assemble the tacos with the diced sweet potatoes and put the bean mixture on top. Just a suggestion if someone is nervous that theirs will get mushy.
★★★★
KCarp
Made this tonight. I microwaved the sweet potatoes to save time. So easy. So delicious! Husband loved it.
★★★★★
Anna
I’ve made this recipe like 5 times and it never disappoints! Sometimes I add spinach to the filling for some extra veggies. I recently became vegetarian and I find this to be the perfect vegetarian meal — it’s so filling and feels indulgent and nutritious at the same time!! I’m also learning how to cook so I appreciate the clear instructions.
★★★★★
Kate
Awesome and yummy. I think if anyone finds them too mushy, you might want to use a little less salsa on top. Mine came out perfect, and my family loved them! Great recipe. I did leave out the jalapeno and it had just a smidge of a kick to it with the chili- which was perfect. The filling is so delicious that I had a spoonful left over and ate it right out of the bowl. -Delicious healthy, filling comfort food.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your experience, Kate! I know others will find this helpful.
Sophia
This was a hit with my family! Everyone loved it. We have been trying new recipes for our “meatless Mondays” and will totally make this one again! It was very easy to throw together and had lots of flavor. Thank you for this!
★★★★★
Sara
I’m missing the step where the black beans are added?
Kate
Hi Sara, step 3 has you combine all the remaining fill ingredients. This includes the black beans. I hope this helps!
jennifer worley
Do you think that a sour cream sauce would be ok instead salsa verde? I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food. But I am trying really hard to convert to a vegetarian lifestyle.
Kate
Yes! I think that could work. Let me know what you think!
Brianna
Can you sub flour tortillas instead of corn? I couldn’t find large corn tortillas…
Kate
Sure! That should work just fine.
Cristina
Wow these were so good! We don’t eat a lot of meat and are always looking for vegetarian recipes and yours never disappoint. These were particularly tasty and satisfying. They were very filling and easy to make. I’m going to share this recipe immediately.
★★★★★
Gina
Will these be okay to prep in the morning then pop in the oven for dinner?
Kate
Hi Gina! I haven’t tried it and would be hesitant that as the ingredients sit that the tortillas may get soggy. But, I would be interested to hear if you try it. They make delicious left overs so that’s an option as well!
Gina Van Roten
I prepped the inside a few hrs before, refrigerated then assembled and baked at dinner time! It was it delicious! Thank you
★★★★★
ES
Really good — made them a few times and would recommend!
★★★★★
@stefs_ww_journey
This was great! I made it weight watchers friendly by eliminating the feta and cutting the Monterey jack cheese in half! Check out my Instagram for the phots! @stefs_ww_journey
★★★★
Scout
I may have overlooked a comment/note but I seem to always have extra filling left. Thoughts on freezing just the filling, not prepared as the actual enchilada tortillas. I’ve actually baked it in a small separate dish at the same time and then just added it to rice bowls which has turned out pretty good most of the time!
This is a great recipe by the way! I’ve used it many times now (including making the homemade enchilada sauce that you link and I definitely won’t use “store bought” anymore!) It’s definitely incredibly forgiving for personalized taste. And I’ve added a bunch of different vegetables at times – spinach, carrots, corn, even squash and zucchini(though they are a bit watering so I would definitely recommend anybody else salt and drain for a little while first otherwise your enchiladas will be pretty soggy). I also substituted butternut squash for the sweet potatoes and it was still delicious!
Kelsi
This turned out awesome and very pretty! Keeper recipe for sure.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your comment, Kelsi! I appreciate your review.
Gabby
We made these tonight and my husband said they’re the best veggie enchiladas he’s ever had! So delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I look forward to making it often.
★★★★★
Natalie
I’ve made countless CK recipes. All of them really. She’s all I use. However these were absolutely awful. I followed the directions to the T and they came out a sloppy yucky mess. Was basically mashed potatoes. Made to entertain too…such a bummer
★★
Kate
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this one, Natalie. Most really love this recipe.
Liz chalmers
Another great recipe from Kate (& Cookie, too!). Love the combination of sweet potatoes and black beans! I’ll be making this again.
★★★★★
Melinda
Looks very good! Can these be put together the night before (not baked yet), put in fridge, and then cooked the next evening? Or will they be too soggy? Want to take dinner to a family but need something I can out together night before.
Kate
Hi! I don’t recommend leaving these set in the fridge uncooked as they will likely get soggy. You could make and then gently reheat in the oven if you like. These make great leftovers!
Taylor
I am back to make these again because they are so good! I love the combination of flavors and textures. I thought I didn’t like sweet potatoes because I don’t really enjoy them in sweet dishes but these enchiladas changed my mind. Now I’m having fun experimenting with sweet potatoes in savory recipes.
★★★★★
Alyssa
I made these last night and they were seriously DELICIOUS! I would’ve never thought to include feta in the mix, but I loved it — it adds just a bit of creaminess but isn’t overwhelmingly feta-y at all. My boyfriend rated this a 10/10 :)
★★★★★
Jmart
Amazing! My picky 16 year old even loved it. Very easy, healthful and filling.
★★★★★
Sapna
I love this recipe. I used flour tortillas and used the tomato with chiles because I was too lazy to make another trip to the grocery store and have more leftover things. It still turned out great. I also found I like putting plain Fage Greek Yogurt on top instead of any kind of sour cream.
Also I used the microwaveable steam packs for the sweet potatoes and cooked as instructed on the bag.
★★★★★
Jessica
im assuming you mix the black beans in with the sweet potato before putting in the corn tortilla? Directions does not mention the black beans.
Kate
Hi Jessica! Sorry this seems confusing, all the filling ingredients get mixed into the bowl – that includes the beans + everything in the filling ingredients list. I hope this helps!