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 multi tasking! While your enchilada sauce is simmering, get started on prepping those other ingredients.
Cooking Sweet Potatoes
This recipe calls for just one cup of cooked sweet potato. That is about one medium sweet potato. This is a great recipe to make the night after having Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – just make an extra sweet potato. Otherwise here are a few options for cooking them.
Cook it in the microwave. The quickest way is to cook the sweet potato in the microwave while prepping the other ingredients. Prick the washed sweet potato several times with a fork. Then microwave for 5 minutes, turning it over half way through. If it isn’t fork tender, keep microwaving for 30 second intervals until it is.Bake it in the oven. Poke the sweet potato several times with a fork. Rub with a little olive oil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes in a 400 degree oven or until it is easy to pierce it with a skewer.Make them in the crockpot. Sweet Potatoes in the slow cooker are my favorite. Wash them and without drying them, wrap them in foil and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Canned or Dry Black Beans
I use canned black beans in my recipes because I think they are so convenient. If you also grab a can of black beans to make this recipe, make sure that you do a good job rinsing them. The liquid they are packed in has a lot of sodium and will affect the taste of the final dish if they aren’t rinsed. If you prefer to start with dry black beans, soak them overnight and then drain them and rinse them before making this recipe. You will need 1/2 a heaping cup of dry black beans for this recipe.
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 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
When making casseroles that you plan on baking from frozen, I highly recommend making them in a disposable baking dish. This way you won’t risk cracking the dish when it goes from the freezer to the hot oven. 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 take them right out of the oven and bake them for 35 to 55 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.
Other Vegetarian Dinners
If you are looking for other great vegetarian dinners, here are a few of my favorites.
Broccoli Pasta – I grew up eating this recipe and it is still one of my favorites.Zucchini Lasagna – This is also a great low carb dinner!Black Bean Tacos – I love this recipe, with all the flavors you won’t even miss the meat.Greek Quinoa Salad – This is a great recipe to make and take the leftovers for lunch the next day.
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.
