Delicious, meatless Sweet Potato Enchiladas are chock full of delicious and good-for-you vegetables, brown rice, black beans and salsa. This meal is a quick, family-friendly dinner!
Sweet Potato Enchiladas
These Sweet Potato Enchiladas are a game changer! I whipped them up often during my college days, and they were one of the first dishes I introduced to my husband. He used to be all about meat in every meal, but these veggie-filled wonders made him rethink that. Trust me, they’re just as hearty and satisfying as any meat dish out there.
In this post, I’ll show you how to nail these enchiladas, top them off just right, throw in some cool variations (like a simple homemade taco seasoning), and prep them for later or freezing. Let’s get started!
Ingredients In Sweet Potato Enchiladas
These wholesome ingredients not only pack a nutritional punch but also elevate the enchiladas to the delicious dinner they are.
- Brown rice: Gives a filling base and helps hold everything together.
- Olive oil: Helps cook and sauté the veggies.
- Sweet potatoes & bell peppers: Add a sweet flavor and a nice texture to the mix.
- Taco seasoning: Gives a spicy kick to the filling.
- Minced garlic: Brings in depth and aroma.
- Black beans: Boosts the protein and adds some bite.
- Salsa: Lends tanginess and moisture to both the filling and baking dish.
- Lime juice & cilantro: Together, they offer a fresh, citrus-herby touch to the filling.
- Cheddar cheese: Melts for a creamy texture and savory taste.
- Red enchilada sauce: Moistens and flavors the enchiladas during baking.
- Tortillas: Wraps up the filling to make the enchiladas.
Quick Tip
For a quick enchilada seasoning, either grab a taco seasoning packet or make your own mix: combine 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon each of paprika and cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, roasted garlic powder, sea salt, and cracked pepper. Whisk them in a bowl, and it’s ready to use! To prep ahead, mix several batches and store for later.
How To Make Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Cook Veggies: In a big pan with some olive oil, cook the cut-up sweet potatoes until they’re a bit soft and have a light brown color, about 7 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add Flavor: Mix in your spices and garlic. Turn the heat down a bit so nothing burns.
- Mix in Beans: Add black beans to the pan and stir them around.
- Add Extras: Pour in salsa, cilantro, and lime juice.
- Add Rice: Mix in your cooked rice. Give it a taste and add more spices if you want.
- Fill & Roll: Put some filling and cheese on a tortilla, roll it up, and put it in a baking dish.
- Bake: Pour some enchilada sauce and cheese on top, then bake. When it’s done, add any toppings you like. Enjoy!
What to top your Sweet Potato Enchiladas with
Whatever you like to top enchiladas with will likely work here. Below are some of our favorites:
- Fresh lime: The juice and individual wedges so people can add more to their sweet potato black bean enchiladas.
- Fresh cilantro: Sprinkle on finely diced or a big handful if you love cilantro.
- Pico de gallo or a fresh tomato: Add a scoop of pico or dice up some cherry tomatoes to add on top.
- Fresh avocado: Thinly sliced or chopped, avocado adds so much to this dish. (A scoop of guacamole also works great.)
- Sour cream: Fat-free or lite work great! You can also use plain Greek yogurt.
- Jalapeños: If you want some heat, add some thinly sliced jalapeños right on top.
Variations
Switch It Up
- Add an onion: Add 1/2 cup diced yellow onion when sautéing the sweet potatoes.
- Sweet peppers: You can leave them out or substitute a green or poblano pepper.
- Roasted sweet potato enchiladas: If you’d rather have roasted sweet potatoes (instead of cooking in the skillet), check out this post for making roasted sweet potatoes; use those in this recipe instead.
- Make a black bean sweet potato enchilada casserole: Instead of enchiladas by following this recipe.
- Reduce calories: You can use reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (and less of it) and fat-free sour cream.
- Add heat: If you like things spicy, add in a can of fire-roasted diced green chiles. You could also add a diced jalapeño pepper to the enchiladas. Another way to add more heat would be to add an extra 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Storage
- Enchiladas are freezer-friendly! Assemble without baking, store in a freezer-safe pan, cover with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen for 50-60 minutes. The filling can also be frozen and thawed as needed. Remember to follow general freezing guidelines for best outcomes.
- For refrigerating enchiladas, place them in an airtight container or tightly wrap them, and store on the middle fridge shelf. They’re best consumed within 3-4 days. Keep wet toppings separate to retain tortilla quality, and always reheat thoroughly before serving.
More Sweet Potato Recipes:
- One skillet Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
- Crockpot Sweet Potato Stew
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Southwestern-inspired
- Baked Sweet Potatoes quick and easy
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
These meatless Sweet Potato Enchiladas are loaded with veggies, brown rice, black beans, and salsa—perfect for a quick, family-friendly dinner!
Equipment
- Large pan 12 inches
- Baking pan 9 x 13-inch
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked brown rice made from 1 cup uncooked rice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 cups diced sweet potatoes in 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup sweet bell peppers very thinly sliced
- 1 packet taco seasoning see note 1 for homemade
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1-3/4 cup salsa divided; I used mild
- 1 lime
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Cooking spray
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 12 white tortillas or whole-wheat tortillas
- Toppings as desired see note 2
Instructions
- Peel and chop sweet potatoes into small pieces. In a large pan (12 inches), combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and sweet potatoes over medium-high heat. Cook until potatoes begin to get tender (about 8 minutes), then add the 1 cup thinly sliced sweet peppers (remove stems and seeds and chop) with the last tablespoon olive oil. Cook an additional 3–4 minutes.
- Add taco seasoning packet or homemade taco seasoning (see note 1) and minced garlic. Sauté for 1–2 minutes or until fragrant. Add drained and rinsed black beans. Stir for another 30 seconds to a minute.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 cup salsa, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and the chopped cilantro. Stir. Add in cooked rice and stir again to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings to preference (increase any spices; add salt and pepper).
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add remaining 3/4 cup salsa to the bottom of the pan and spread evenly with a wooden spoon.
- Scoop 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the left side of a tortilla. Sprinkle with a handful of Cheddar cheese, about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons. Roll up tightly. Place the enchilada seam-side-down into the prepared pan. Repeat until the pan is filled with enchiladas. (I usually fit 8 in a 9x13 pan and save the remaining 4 to make in an 8x8 pan.)
- Pour 1 cup red enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Bake 15–20 minutes or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are warmed through.
- Remove and serve with sour cream, extra salsa or freshly chopped tomatoes, additional cilantro, additional limes/lime juice, and/or ripe avocado or guacamole.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To make homemade taco seasoning, combine the following in a small bowl and whisk together: 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper. Make several batches of this and save for the next time you need more!
Note 2: Try some of these toppings: sour cream, extra salsa, cilantro, and/or green onions.
Storage: Enchiladas can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container (or tightly wrapped) for 3–4 days. Keep wet toppings separate. To freeze, assemble them without baking, store in a freezer-safe pan, cover with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1158mg | Potassium: 434mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4507IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am not sure why people rate these recipes when they haven’t even made them. (Makes me crazy)
Well, I have made these enchiladas and I LOVE THEM. I am one of those people that think dinner is not a
meal without meat. But, like your husband, this is one meal I do not feel like I am missing meat. I made it
exactly as recipe calls and I will now say that it is one of my all time favorite meals. Very filling, healthy and
delicious. I have pinned several of your recipes, but this is the first that I have actually made. Now I know
I must try your other recipes.
I’m having a hard time deciding which one of your recipes to try first! Have you ever tried roasting the sweet potatoes, or does sauteing give the same flavor?
Haha! Thank you Pamela! 🙂 I have tried roasting them before and while I do think the flavor is slightly better with roasting than sautéing, I don’t find the work to be worth it for the final taste. But if you want to, definitely roast them!! 🙂
Do none of your husbands know how much meat costs???? I’m making my menu for the week and my hubby is ASKING for me to find meatless ideas. This looks delish and going on this weeks menu!
I am really liking your recipes! You go into great detail on what needs to be done and how to do it. Thank you.
You are so sweet — thank you Margie! That means a lot to me 🙂
I made these last night for cinco de mayo and they were SO delicious and flavorful! We had a mixed crowd of vegetarians and meat eaters and everyone found them to be filling. I wish I had made a double batch!
I am so glad to hear you all liked these 🙂 This is one of my families favorite recipes! Thank you for your comment!
I just made these, and they were soooo good! I forgot to buy the lime and cilantro, and I used colby jack cheese that I had left over, and they were still super yummy. Now, I only ended up making six in a 9×13 pan, so I don’t know how I was supposed to possibly fit twelve in there, but this worked out great. I had a little bit of filling left over, and it tastes wonderful by itself.
Hi Chelsea! I’ve never taken the time to write a comment for a recipe, but I had to this time! I LOVE how healthy you made this. I usually have to change recipes to “fix” them (sometimes with a lot of trial and error…haha!), but you’ve done all the work for me! Thank you!!! I made these enchiladas and they were WONDERFUL! Everybody loved them! Super easy and quick to make, yet full of flavor!
I’ve checked out several other recipes you’ve made and I have them in my “queue”.
Thanks again for all your work!
Melody
Made these last night! So good and taste very fresh. I also made these for my bf who didn’t even notice that there was no meat in these!!!
So glad to hear!!! I am happy you both liked them 🙂 Thanks for the comment Lisa!
I cannot wait to try them for our next taco Tuesday – they look incredible
I made these today and they were really yummy. Didn’t miss the protein at all.
So glad to hear!! Thanks so much for trying these and leaving a comment Donna! 🙂 Have a wonderful day!