Vegetarian Enchilada Bake
80
Last updated on Oct 26, 2021
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
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.
My family really enjoyed this! I don’t know if I would make it again because I found that the prep took a long time (much more than 20 minutes for me!!), but we enjoyed it for the one time 🙂
You can always prep the sauce and the veggies the day before to save time when making this for dinner. 🙂 I’m glad your family enjoyed this bake though!
Thanks for this recipe. I’m always looking for ways to extend my garden, living in the northern climate, so finding recipes to freeze is a bonus. I had a haul of sweet potatoes this fall so this recipe was great. I was also able to use my tomatoes, peppers, and onions from the garden as well! Thanks you for posting this recipe!
You’re so welcome, Alimae. I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for trying it, I appreciate it. 🙂
This recipe is so delicious! The first time I made it was years ago but I keep coming back. It’s easy to pull together for company and satisfying for meat eaters and vegetarians alike!
Yay!! So glad you’ve been loving this recipe, Laurel. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I doubled the recipe, then froze both casseroles. (One is for a meal train, and the other was for my family to try before giving the other away.) We left the jalapeno out, but everything else was the same. I thought it was fantastic. Healthy, tasty, hearty, and easy to make after freezing. My 3 and 4 year old both ate it as well. A great recipe, and one I will make again.
Oh yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit and good to know it froze well. Thanks for making this and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Reagan. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Super easy to make. i prepped the veggies ahead of time and it came together quickly. I will definitely make this again!
I may do slightly less spice if I think my 5 year old will try it, and more spice if I can’t get her to try it next time!
So glad this recipe was a hit, Sam!! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Half of my family is vegetarian and half is not. I make a mean chicken enchilada casserole that was my son’s favorite before choosing to eat vegetarian. I found this recipe while looking for something that might satisfy his enchilada cravings and this was certainly it. The entire family actually loves it (a first for the meat eaters in my house). I used flour tortillas and added a bit of cumin to the recipe. I used canned red enchilada sauce for ease and it is delicious!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Lisa!! I’m so glad this dish was a hit with your entire family. Thanks so much for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
I LOVE this recipe. Very flavorful and easy to make. I made 1.5x the sauce for one recipe – afraid it would t be enough. And it was MORE than enough!
So good! Highly recommend.
Ahh I love hearing that, Megan! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
This may be my favorites dish of all time! Followed the recipe exactly and it is absolutely delicious and so easy! We loved the spicy flavor, it’s not overbearing at all. You must make this recipe! I’ll be making it for a dinner party soon!
Woot woot!! This makes me so happy reading. I’m glad you enjoyed this dish and thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me, Tammy. 🙂
Hi Brittany! I’m late to the party on this recipe, but I came here after seeing that you made it for Lex from Restoring Radiance! I’m wondering, what steps did you take to do this as a “make ahead/bake later” meal? Did you bake it and just have her bake it to heat it? Thanks!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I scoured the internet trying to find a healthier, vegetarian version of enchilada casserole and was so happy to have stumbled across your site. I added aome leftover roasted corn and used canned enchilada sauce for convenience, and it came out delicious. Will definitely make again!