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 them until they are tender and cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- 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 mash up the sweet potato a bit.
- 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 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. 
chasady
Wonderful!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you!
Katie
This is my favorite recipe this year and I have been making it every time I send a meal to a sick friend/post-op friend/or new mom friend it’s soooo yummyyyyy
★★★★★
Eva
I just finished eating this and it was so good! It took me around two hours in total but it was totally worth it.
I followed your recipe for the salsa verde as well (but used regular tomatoes since I couldn’t find the tomatillos) and it was perfect.
My boyfriend loved it as well. He didn’t even miss the meat! I will definitely make this again :)
Greetings from Iceland
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you thought the time was worth it, Eva! Thanks for your review.
Claire
This recipe is the perfect amount of savory, heat/spice and a little bit of sweet from the potato. It was so delicious and was really easy to make. It makes enough you could eat leftovers for the next few days. I will for sure be saving this recipe for future use and have been raving about it to my friends and family!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Claire!
Sushma Manjunatha
Thank you
★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Sushma!
Catharine Dow
Have made this before and loved it. Anyone know if it can be frozen? It’s so good I want to make a big batch to have anytime!
Kate
Hi Catharine! I do believe this one freezes well. You just need to ensure it’s in a freezer safe, sealed dish and you are set!
megan
OMG these were delicious! My boyfriend says he doesn’t like sweet potatoes so I didn’t tell him what was in it. He loved them and so did I.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them, Megan!
Allie
I’m a vegetarian but consider myself a junk food veggie (I’m extremely picky and don’t like a lot of different foods) and I’ve been looking for easy, healthier dinner recipes for me and my non-veg Husband.
I was a little weary about sweet potato and black bean enchiladas but I’ve heard good things, so I made them tonight!
I strayed a little from the recipe – I omitted the feta and just used a Mexican 4 cheese blend. I added a can of hot chiles and a can of hot
jalapeños. I also used 2 different types of salsa verde (one medium, one hot). When I baked the sweet potatoes I used salt/pepper and adobo seasoning. I also added red onion and fresh jalapeño over the top of the enchiladas before putting them in the oven.
THEY WERE TO DIE FOR!
I was soooo surprised by how tasty these were! My husband also loved them and inhaled his dinner. I’ve already shared the recipe with 3 people tonight.
Although I strayed a little from your recipe, I would never have made anything like this WITHOUT your recipe. So, thank you so much! I wish I could attach a picture!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you tried them and loved them! Thanks for your review, Allie.
Meghan Hein
I LOVED this! Made it for a group of 8 tonights and the plates were all scraped clean. Delicious and hearty! Thank you so much for sharing.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Meghan!
Sheree
Awesome!! Made this recipe for my weekday meals. Just had to try them once they were finished. Scrumptious!!! My husband even enjoyed. I only made five to start but will make the rest later this week. A big thumbs up on this one!! Will be trying other recipes as we have eliminated meats from our diets.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Sheree! I appreciate your review.
Elizabeth
I love this recipe! I wondered if these can be frozen? If so, any changes to the prep work, or tips on how to help them keep?
★★★★★
Kate
I believe other readers have had luck freezing these!
Eva
We are huge fans of sweet potato/black bean enchiladas. It’s a family favorite and we’ve been making our own variation for awhile. So I was psyched to see a Cookie & Kate version while browsing and decided to try it out. So much was similar to our own, minus the feta and chilies. I’ve also never done a verde sauce before. These turned out fantastic! The only change I made was doing half water/ half lime juice in the sour cream drizzle.
The one thing I do that we’ll add back in next time is grated squash. In the summertime we always have SO MUCH squash! I grate up one and add it right into the sweet potato mash.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Eva! I appreciate your review.
anita
enchiladas? FANTASTIC! Made 4 or 5 times. Will make it again today. so yummy
★★★★★
Kate
Love to hear that, Anita!
Courtney
Oh. My. Gosh. These were AMAZING! I added mushrooms and corn to the filling, used Monterey Jack/Cheddar instead of just MJ, and used flour & corn combo tortillas. I did use a couple regular corn tortilla to fill in the gaps, but found they were a bit too hard (I could have cooked it too long, too), but the flour/corn combo tortillas were perfect. So filling and so delish- you truly do not miss the meat. You knocked it out of the park again. Every single recipe we’ve tried has been incredible. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them! Thank you for sharing your experience, Courtney.
Kaylee
Made this tonight! What a hit. It was absolutely amazing, didn’t change a thing and I don’t think I would even add a thing next time it was absolutely perfect! Which is a lot coming from me hahaha I also tweak recipes, you did an amazing job at this! THANK YOU! New favourite
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it was such a hit, Kylee! Thank you for your review.
Jessica T
We’ve made this recipe numerous times in the last year and it’s our new favorite! I don’t like spicy heat so I omit a couple things there, but it’s so packed with flavor that it’s not needed. Absolutely phenomenal recipe!!
★★★★★
Jessica T
I should also add that we now make this as a torte and it’s so much better (in my opinion). We later the sauce on the bottom, then 5 tortillas (3 across the length of the pan with two torn up a few times to cover the gaps), add all the filling, top with the remaining 5 tortillas in the same fashion, sauce, other toppings.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Jessica!
myndi orr
I was wondering about the feta cheese. Why not queso fresco? Would that change it too much?
Kate
I really like feta with these. You can feel free to add the cheese you like!
Comi
Made it once and absolutely loved it! Though I used regular salsa due to lack of salsa verde in my supermarkets in Germany, it turned out super delicious. I also omitted the chiles for a less spicy flavor and used cheddar instead of MJ. Yummy! Cannot wait to make them again tonight. :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Comi!
Vero
Can I cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave to speed it up or will it change the flavor too much?
★★★★★
Kate
I wouldn’t recommend it. But if you are low on time, you could try it.
Jacki O
What about the instapot? Or is the roasted flavor from the oven what you’re going for here? Thanks!
Ruthie
Amazing as all your recipes! This combination of flavors was even better than expected – thank you! I added a little zucchini because I had it and figured an extra veggie couldn’t hurt.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Ruthie!
Brittney
I made these enchiladas twice this week!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Love that, Brittney!
Becca L
We LOVED this in our house. I had made a pot of Cuban black beans a few nights prior and had a bunch leftover so used those in place of the canned. The only other change I made was subbed crumbled goat cheese instead of the feta just because that was what was in the fridge. We will make this recipe again and again.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Becca!
Trina
My daughter had saved this recipe long ago-according to her, so when I asked her for a meat-free main dish recipe for something new, she emailed this link to me. Honestly, I was a little hesitant to make them, but tried them anyway (except I didn’t use the feta or cayenne pepper). We had them tonight, and all 4 of us really liked them (maybe “loved” is not too strong :-). Thank you for this recipe. I would have never thought a sweet potato in an enchilada would work, but I will definitely be making these again!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed them, Trina! Thank you for taking the time to comment and for your review.
Lauren
Substituting vegan queso for the regular cheese is also a good idea for those who are dairy free/vegan. I’ve done that both times I made this and it turned out AMAZING
★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you love it that way, Lauren!
Shannon
I loved this!! My only problem was that my tortillas came out way too crispy on the ends. What do you think I did wrong? Maybe not enough salsa on top?
★★★★
Kate
You could spread the salsa more. I like it crispy. Or check on it earlier to see if it is done.
Courtney Lightfoot
I was eating the filling out of the bowl before putting it in the oven… that good! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Courtney!
Tracy
Just tried it – amazing!! Happy tastebuds and bellies all round – thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Happy tastebuds are always a good thing! Thanks for your review, Tracy.
Kerry
I made this today and it was so good! I’ve just discovered your blog and I’m excited to try some more of your recipes, everything looks delicious.
Kate
I’m excited you discovered it too, Kerry!
Paula
Just had to take a moment to let you know how much my family loves this recipe–the meat eaters enjoy it just much as the vegetarian! I used low fat corn tortillas and left off the toppings because I’m a calorie counter (and omitted the jalapenos and red pepper because I don’t enjoy a lot of spice), and I found these enchiladas to be incredibly delicious without. I also simplified things by baking my sweet potatoes in the microwave.Thank you so much for such a delicious dish. It’s going into our regular dinner rotation!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! I appreciate your comment, Paula.
Connie
I made these tonight for dinner and they turned out great! Cooked the sweet potatoes in the instant pot. And sprinkled with cojito cheese and added a salad. Perfect!
★★★★★
Kimberly
Thank you so much, these are delicious!!! Any tips for freezing and reheating? I am a new mom so would love to meal prep larger batches of these :)
★★★★★
Bill
As a non-vegetarian, I really enjoyed this recipe. Very tasty, very delicious. Thanks for all the recipes here. I plan on continuing to glean more recipes to see what else will be good.
★★★★
Marion
Living in Switzerland where you can’t find some of the ingredients, and cooking for a chili-sensitive family, I made some adjustments. I couldn’t find mild salsa verde or Monterey Jack cheese, so I used mild italian mini-peppers and cheddar and gruyere instead, omitting the feta. I put a little sour cream at the bottom of the baking dish. They tasted so good! Everybody asked me to cook it again soon. I was hoping to have leftovers to take to my office today, but it was all gone!
★★★★★
Caitlin
I love this recipe so much! I live alone so I love making this and taking leftovers to work for lunch (it reheats so well). It’s also great to make ahead of time and throw some in the freezer to reheat on a weeknight when you don’t feel like cooking. I love that this meal is meatless, but so flavorful. My coworkers are always asking me for this recipe because it looks so good and I make it so often!
★★★★★
Veronica
We LOVED these! Has anyone tried freezing and re-heating? I’m 8 mo pregnant and want to make a batch for the freezer for post babe if so :P
Veronica
NVM the comment right before mine just answered it (palm to forehead…) :)
Kate
I believe these freeze well!
Dani
I love this recipe. The only change I’ve made is that I cube the potatoes instead and toss them and roast them with some spices and oil for about 15-20 minutes. I just like the texture better. Everything else I keep the same and it is delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Dani!
Karrie Riemer
This recipe was seriously delicious!!! One of the best things I’ve made. We are living in Germany and they do not do Mexican food at all. We are always craving it. I had to sub a few things. They don’t have Colby so I used mostly gouda with a bit of cheddar. No green chilies so I roasted some very mild small green peppers, seeded and chopped. I found jarred jalapenos so used about 1/4 cup diced. No corn tortillas but used small flour ones and fried quickly on each side first. No sour cream here but used a mixture of quark and plain yogurt. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!!
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that, Karri! I really appreciate you sharing.
Hoa Le
Are you supposed to drain the green chilies? If so, can you please edit this recipe to indicate that?
I was really looking forward to this recipe as it had been recommended a bunch of times in some FB mommy groups I follow.
I made it tonight following the directions and using the exact ingredients. I even used a scale for the filling so i could get the proportions right as it was my first time making it.
I am a seasoned cook but I have never cooked with canned green chilies before so I did not drain them. The end result was a big mushy sloppy mess. I will try again but will drain the chilies as that is probably the issue.
★★★
Kate
Hi Hoa, No need to drain here. But if you find them really watery, as some brands may vary, you can. I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe.
Hoa Le
Thanks for the response! Sorry I meant to rate it 4 stars because my husband LOVED IT LOL. I’m going to try it next time and drain the chilies :)
★★★★
AshtonCook
So yummy!!! Everyone loved it!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for your review.
Sarah
Been making this recipe for over a year now, and it never fails! It’s a go-to for us, and we sometimes make extra stuffing so we can eat with chips later on! The BEST :)
★★★★★
Nancy
I made the sweet potato and bean enchiladas. It was a big hit. And very filling. We are skipping meat for awhile. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
MARINA SALAMA
I’m not a huge fan of salsa Verde, do you think I can sub out for your homemade enchilada sauce instead? (I’ve been making that one for years… It’s SO delicious!)
Kate
Sure! Let me know what you think.
Jenny
Made this for dinner last night-wonderful! I added some red onion to the mix and added lime juice and chipotle seasoning to the sour cream drizzle (barely used any water since I had the lime juice) to give it a kick. Instead of rolling the enchiladas, I layered cut up tortillas and the filling and made it like a casserole to save some time. Loved it!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Jenny! Thanks for your review.
Hayley
What size of tortillas did you use?
Kate
Hi Hayley! Standard size for whole wheat, roughly 10 inches I believe.
Kaitlin
Could I prepare the filling one day before I plan to assemble and bake the enchiladas?
Kate
You could try it! It might get a little watery, but let me know how it goes for you.
Rosina
I make these aaaalll the time now! They are soooo good. I make mine vegan and add lots of green onion inside and I use a normal salsa and they taste AMAZING!
★★★★★
Shannon Pyne
OMG THIS WAS SO GOOD! As soon as the filling was done I tasted it and I knew it was going to come out tasty but I didn’t think THIS TASTY! The onions, sour cream and cilantro really put such an amazing finishing touch on it. I made some home made guac to go with it as well as an extra topping. Made as directly but simply omitted the jalapeno pepper as I don’t like it too spicy.
I also made a second batch for my 18 month old baby – I made the filling and did not add the can of peppers or the cayenne (so zero spice) and used a white bean and corn salsa with no spice for the sauce part instead of the salsa Verde. Once I assembled his enchilada, I then added the spice to the filling to make the adult enchiladas.
The whole house loved it!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! That’s great. I’m glad you were obsessed with the filling even before you had it all together. Thank you for sharing your variation, Shannon.
Bizz
Outstanding. We roasted then the onion (for the topping) with the sweet potatoes for more depth of flavor and less red onion breath. Layered the tortillas (so I could skip the steps of heating, filling and rolling) without sacrificing flavor, but saving time. Prepared all 2 days ahead, covered and stored in fridge until tonight. Baked at 400° for 35 minutes and it was perfect. I did make salsa verde from scratch (C+K recipe) and used that plus lime juice to thin the sour cream. All of this to say this recipe is very forgiving. Will absolutely be adding it into our regular rotation. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I appreciate you taking the time to share your approach! Thanks for the review.
Pooja
Absolutely loved this recipe! I don’t cook very often (or at all!) and this recipe was perfect for a beginner. My family were very impressed!
★★★★★
Basia
This recipe was delicious. I love cooking healthy for my family. My husband and 2 older teenagers said this was one of their favorites, and to definitely make it again soon. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! Thank you for sharing and for your review, Basia.
Victoria
This was so delicious and easy! I roasted the sweet potato and made the filling a day ahead so I just had to roll up the enchiladas and pop them in the oven tonight. Adding this to our rotation of family dinners!
★★★★★
Cortney
I LOVE this recipe! I could eat it every week! But my 3 y/o says it’s too spicy. I omitted the jalapeno and it’s still too much for her. If I omit the diced green Chiles, is there a substitution or should I just omit entirely?
Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds like she is very sensitive to spice. You can omit, but you will start to change the recipe. Maybe add a little more of the other spices she can handle. Let me know how it goes for you!
Cortney
I tried using one can of green chiles instead of two and put lots of the sour cream drizzle to help with the spice. She still noticed the spice but she ate it, so I’m taking that as a success! I’m pushing her to accept spice slowly – it’s so important to keep reintroducing kids to different flavors! Thanks for your help :)
Mallory Kopp
The perfect amount of cheese and spice!
★★★★★
Lexi
I’m a little confused about the cheese quantity needed. Twice in the recipe, it states “4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese.” However, 1 cup = 8 ounces. I’m not sure what the correct quantity to be used is?? Thank you.
Kate
Hi Lexi! Wet & dry vary with weight. 1 cup or 4oz for this recipe is correct for the cheese.
Erica Keller
Love, love, love this recipe! I am yet to try something that I do not like from your blog. However, this dinner is my all-time favorite! The enchiladas are so flavorful and contain the perfect amount of spice. I can’t wait to try another recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you love this one, Erica!
Chantal
I will be making this today. After discovering your site being a vegetarian for the last 5 weeks has been easy! I’m just not sure about the size of the tortillas. They come in about 6 inch and 10 sizes.
marisa
I am so grateful a friend told me about your recipes Kate! We have yet to try one we didn’t like, and even my husband can’t believe how delicious meals can be with out meat.
Can’t wait to try this recipe, however I am wondering what can I tweak to make this a bit less spicy? -asking for the kids ;)