Black Bean Enchiladas are the perfect vegetarian dinner that will even win over meat eaters! The combination of our homemade enchilada sauce with the black bean and sweet potato filling, and simple spices is an absolute winner.
If you have been following me for a while, you may know that a lot of my love for cooking comes from my mom. She is no longer with us, but she raised a family for years on wholesome and delicious vegetarian recipes. She could work magic in the kitchen.
Even if your family doesn’t follow a vegetarian diet, there are a lot of benefits of rounding out your diet with one meatless meal a week. This black bean enchilada recipe is the perfect way to do that. They are packed with flavor and nutrients. They will leave even the most committed carnivore satisfied.
Not only that, but this is a very budget-friendly dinner!
How to Make Black Bean Enchiladas
The key to this recipe is multitasking! While your enchilada sauce is simmering, get started on prepping those other ingredients.
Make the Enchilada Sauce
Sauté an onion in a skillet. Stir in spices and flour. Then slowly whisk in chicken stock. Stir in tomato sauce and garlic. Simmer for five minutes. Transfer the enchilada sauce to a blender to make it smooth. Then pour the pureed red enchilada sauce back into the pan you used to make it.
Make the Black Bean Filling
While the enchilada sauce is simmering, combine the ingredients for the filling (black beans, cooked sweet potato, chiles, garlic, spices, and one cup of cheese) in a large bowl.
Put the Enchiladas Together
Pour some of the remaining sauce into the bottom of your baking dish and pour the rest from the blender back into the skillet. Working with one corn tortilla at a time, dip the tortilla in the enchilada sauce and then add 1/4 cup of the black bean filling. Roll the tortilla and add it seam side down to the baking dish.
Bake the Enchiladas
Top with whatever enchilada sauce is left and the remainder of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered.
Tips and Tricks
- Canned or dry black beans: I use canned black beans in my recipes because I think they are so convenient- they just need to be rinsed well to remove some of the sodium they are packed in. If you prefer to start with dry black beans, soak them overnight, and then drain, rinse, and simmer them for 45 minutes before making this recipe. You will need 1/2 a heaping cup of dry black beans for this recipe.
- Using store-bought enchilada sauce: This recipe calls for homemade enchilada sauce, which is my absolute favorite. I use it in so many recipes. That being said, it does add some time to this recipe. If you want to shave that time off, replace the homemade enchilada sauce with two cups of store-bought enchilada sauce and proceed with the recipe as written, dipping the tortilla shells in the store-bought sauce.
- Storing corn tortillas: Did you know that corn tortillas need to be stored in the refrigerator after purchasing? This helps keep them nice and fresh and also makes them easier to work with for recipes like this.
- Making this recipe vegan: Just swap the cheese for a vegan cheese. I recommend finding a brand that you trust to melt well.
- Leaving out the sweet potatoes: If you want to make this recipe without sweet potatoes, I recommend replacing them with another one cup of black beans.
Making Ahead
This recipe can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Make it up until Step 9. Cover and put in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake them, put the dish (uncovered) in the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is bubbling.
Freezing Black Bean Enchiladas
To freeze these, make them through Step 8. Then wrap them in aluminum foil three times. Freeze for up to three months. When you are ready to make them, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and follow the baking instructions, adding a bit more time to account for them being cold.
What to Serve with Black Bean Enchiladas
If you are looking for other great vegetarian sides, here are a few of my favorites.
If you make these Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you.
Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder see note 2
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 cloves garlic minced
For Enchiladas
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 sweet potato cooked and diced (see note 3)
- 4.5 ounces diced green chiles undrained
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 10 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese see note 4
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large skillet for the enchilada sauce, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add 1 diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 small yellow onion, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Stir chili powder and cumin into the onion for the enchilada sauce and cook for about thirty seconds. Then stir in 1 tablespoon all purpose flour. Slowly whisk in vegetable stock. Then stir in the tomato sauce and minced garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, 15 ounces tomato sauce, 1 cup vegetable stock, 2 cloves garlic
- Transfer the enchilada sauce to a blender and blend to make smooth (optional). Pour 1/2 cup into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the rest of the enchilada sauce back to the skillet you cooked it in.
- In a large bowl, combine the black beans, sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, chiles, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and 1 cup of cheese.15 ounces black beans, 1 sweet potato, 4.5 ounces diced green chiles, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- Working with one tortilla at a time, dip it in the enchilada sauce. Then add 1/4 cup of the black bean filling. Roll and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue with all 10 tortillas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top, and then top with the remaining cheese.10 corn tortillas, 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
Recipe Video
Notes
- You can replace this enchilada sauce recipe with two cups of store-bought sauce.
- This recipe is mild. If you would like to make it spicy, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the enchilada sauce. You can also buy hot green chiles instead of mild.
- Cooking sweet potatoes: These can be cooked in the microwave (prick it and microwave for 5 minutes, turning halfway through), in the oven (50 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit), or in the slow cooker (washed but not dried and for 3-4 hours on high).
- The preparation time for this recipe includes shredding Colby Jack cheese from the block. I highly recommend using block cheese and shredding it yourself, as it melts significantly better.
Pamela says
Hi! Love all of your recipes!! However on this recipe, I forwarded it to a Vegetarian friend, and then I saw in the recipe that you used Chicken Stock, which she can’t have. Can you use a vegetable stock to make it a true Vegetarian dish ?
Thank you!
Pamela, Thank you SO MUCH for bringing this to my attention! I’m a little horrified I didn’t catch it. We made these off our chicken enchiladas and just neglected to update that piece of the recipe. Yes! Vegetable stock is what we used!
Cheryl Newton says
Hi, Lisa! Could I replace the sweet potatoes with regular potatoes? Thanks!
You for sure could. I don’t know if I would for this recipe. I just think the sweet potato adds such a perfect texture and taste. I’d be a little worried you would be disappointed with a regular potato.