A delicious meatless dish – sweet potato enchiladas chock full of delicious and good-for-you vegetables, brown rice, and tomato salsa. This meal is a quick dinner and family friendly!
And the only thing to follow eating about 10 batches of hot fudge cookies is a healthy + meatless meal. This one is definitely the meal to fit the bill. Look at me rhyme 🙂
But seriously, this recipe is one of those “healthy” meals that is secretly healthy. Like you wouldn’t guess it was healthy because it tastes so flavorful and rich! Although, depending on the amount of cheese you are piling in these and on top of these, it becomes a little less healthy. The great thing is you can totally scale down (or up) the amount of cheese! I’ve even had these with no cheese and still LOVED them. I know, I bet you never guessed I would say that.
Obviously I usually pile on these cheese when I make these.
I’m speaking like I’ve made these a time or two and that’s because I have. Probably over a dozen times because they are a family (and personal) favorite. Why I haven’t shared the recipe until now is completely beyond me.
And those of you unconvinced about a meatless meal – well this is the meal that I used to convince my husband dinner could be dinner without meat in it. This was the first meatless meal I ever made for him and he had no idea. He LOVED it. And when I was so excited after he asked for seconds, he wondered what was up.
I had to tell him these were healthy + meatless. Direct quote, “These don’t have meat? Hmmm. I didn’t notice.” MAJOR WIN for the then newlyweds.
And ever since then, the meatless meals have continued with success. It’s like my secret goal for him to LOVE dinner and there to not be meat in there. Because anyone that follows me on Pinterest, well, you may have noticed I have a board called, “My Husband is a Carnivore.” Truer words were never spoken.
This meal can’t be considered under 30 minutes, because baking time and brown rice cooking, but as far as your preparation time/working in the kitchen – definitely under 30 minutes.
When I was in college (and working 2 jobs), I would prepare the “filling” for these enchiladas (usually doubling it) beforehand on a lighter school day and then have it ready to go into tortillas come dinner time. So if you have a prep day, this is the perfect meal to do beforehand! Once the filling it done, you just stuff the tortillas, cover with sauce + cheese, and bake. If you do make the filling beforehand though, warm it up in a skillet or in the microwave before filling up the tortillas or the insides will likely be cold. And you don’t really want to cook these for longer than the time indicated with the cheese on it. (You can bake without the cheese for about 15-20 minutes covered and then uncover and add cheese and cook until melted)
I don’t love enchiladas warmed up the next day (am I weird or is this normal?), so if that’s you, fill up the tortillas with just what you’ll eat and store the rest of the fillings + toppings in the fridge to throw together another day. And if you don’t want to bake them all over again, it’s pretty easy to roll up the filling in a tortilla and warm it up in a skillet. Just make sure the filling is packed in there (roll it up like a burrito) and then turn it around in a skillet until all the edges are lightly browned. Top with warmed enchilada sauce and you are good to go!
Okay time to impress those meat-lovers with this meal!!
Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice uncooked
- 3 tablespoons olive oil separated
- 1 cup sweet bell peppers
- 2 cups sweet potatoes
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic optional
- 1 and 3/4 cup salsa separated, I used mild
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro packed with stems removed
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese separated
- 12 white or whole-wheat tortillas
- Optional: sour cream, extra salsa, cilantro, green onions
Instructions
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Follow package directions to cook one 1 cup of brown rice. So when it is cooked, it will yield about 2 cups.
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Meanwhile, peel and chop (into small pieces) the sweet potatoes. In a large skillet, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and the sweet potatoes over medium-high heat.
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Cook until the potatoes begin to get tender (about 8 minutes) and then add in the sweet peppers (remove stems and seeds and chop) with the last tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes and then add in the minced garlic and black beans. Stir for another 30 seconds to a minute.
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In a large bowl combine the sweet potato mixture with 1 cup salsa, 1 packet taco seasoning (you can use less than a packet if desired), and cooked rice. Stir it all together really well. Add in the lime juice and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. (Increase lime juice or cilantro here if desired).
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray. Smooth on the bottom of the pan the remaining 3/4 cup of salsa.
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Scoop about 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the left side of a white or whole-wheat tortilla. Sprinkle with a handful of cheddar cheese (you can leave it out for a healthier meal). Roll it up.
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Place the enchilada seam-side down into the prepared pan. Repeat until the pan is filled with enchiladas.
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Pour 1 cup red enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. (If you use packaged and pre-shredded cheese it tends to get greasy when baked so I like to use freshly grated!)
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Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are warmed through.
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Remove and enjoy immediately with sour cream (I use fat free), extra salsa, shredded cilantro, or chopped green onions.
Here are some more sweet potato recipes:
One Skillet Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls
Crockpot Sweet Potato, Chicken, and Quinoa Soup
Crockpot Quinoa and Sweet Potato Fajitas
How you know your a talented photographer? Being able to make a full fledged meat eater pass up a steak for that. Pinning.
HOLD UP. Your hubs didn’t not the general meat-less qualities? Okay, I need to make this for my man…I can’t get that guy to eat something meatless if my life depending on it. And, if for some reason he doesn’t go for it…
Well, more for me 😀 Pinned!
Healthy and meatless definitely sounds like a great meal, Chelsea! I love the look of these sweet potato enchiladas! What a fabulous idea to use sweet potatoes as a Mexican dish! And I think my husband would totally go for this too, even though it’s meatless! 🙂 Pinned!
NOW you’re talking!! I could eat enchiladas any day of the week! I love that these are stuffed with sweet potatoes!! YUM!! These pics are just gorgeous!! 🙂
Chelsea, I love this enchilada recipe! Between the sneaky “meatlessness” and the gorgeous photos, you have me sold! I can’t wait to make this!
I am SO going to try these! they look so de-lish and super filling! pinning this for sure!
I’ve never tried sweet potato in an enchilada but I’m sure it’s delish! Bet the kids would love them too! 🙂
Happy Wednesday Chelsea!
Mmm! This looks amazing. My husband is totally a carnivore, too, but he’ll eat things like this. Gotta try it!
These photos are amazing! I love meatless dishes that are hearty enough to pass off as “meat full!” Love this!
Love meals where you don’t realize how healthy they are. And if you’d made this recipe over a dozen times, then I KNOW I’ve got to try it!
what a great recipe! and I love your pictures! So pretty!
This dish looks so good I don’t think i would even miss the meat. I love the idea of using sweet potatoes they are my new favorite!
I LOVE these enchiladas! They look delicious filled with that amazing sweet potato! So good, definitely bookmarking the recipe to try! Your photography is stunning!
Oh my gosh, how perfect are these enchiladas! Enchiladas are one of my favorite things ever, and this reminded me that I haven’t made them at home in awhile. So genius to use sweet potatoes in these! 🙂
Awesome looking enchiladas Chelsea! I love that they are meat free, I’ll have to test them out on my major carnivore husband and see if he approves!
I love pretty much any and all enchiladas – these look amazing! Especially with the sweet potato – my favorite!
These are the prettiest enchiladas I ever did see.
Chelsea these enchiladas are absolutely gorgeous! Can you come over and pipe all my drizzles on ALL my food?! heehee jk but seriously I just pinned this because it’s going into my meal rotation ASAP. 😀
I for one am totally ok with you following up those amazing cookies with something insanely delicious as these enchiladas! These look incredible, girl! Pinned!
Hahaha, I’ll have to try these – I have a carnivore for a husband too, who is definitely not impressed when I try to have a meatless meal. It’s just not a meal without meat according to him! If this was given a thumbs up by a meat loving guy, I will definitely have to try it on mine! 🙂
I LOVE this, Chelsea, and the filling alone is enough to make me very happy! These are so gonna happen. Pinning!
Definitely a delicious weeknight recipe Chelsea! I can definitely see myself making it for the family during the week – and of course piling on a whole lotta cheese..
This is genius! They look so amazing. Pinning 😉
Anything sweet potato and I’m totally in, but in an enchilada with all kinds of cheesy goodness?! I’m ready to faceplant into the entire pan. These look seriously amazing, Chelsea! And your photos are gorgeous. 🙂 pinned!
These look amazing Chelsea! Not only are they so pretty in the dish, they look like they taste great too! I saw your My Husband is a Carnivore board just the other day – it made me LOL! Pinned so I can make these later!
I love a secretly healthy meal – those are the best! These enchiladas look so flavorful and delicious. I definitely don’t miss the meat!
Looks and sounds delicious! May be perfect for using up my overflowing basket of sweet potatoes 🙂 Beautiful photos, too!
Beautiful Chelsea!! These look SO good!!!!
Sweet potato enchiladas?! Why have I never thought of that… this is amazing! Definitely a meal I want to eat tonight… and I just so happen to have some sweet potatoes on the counter #forthewin. Pinning!
legit just wrote about this in my last post, getting Dave to consider meals dinner that don’t involve meat!! these look seriously bomb and the pictures are GORGEOUS! loves
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!
I cannot wait to try them for our next taco Tuesday – they look incredible
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!
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
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.
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 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 🙂
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’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!! 🙂
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.
Nutrition Facts (if anyone is interested)
Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 323
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13 g 19 %
Saturated Fat 5 g 24 %
Monounsaturated Fat 4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 22 mg 7 %
Sodium 1001 mg 42 %
Potassium 335 mg 10 %
Total Carbohydrate 44 g 15 %
Dietary Fiber 9 g 35 %
Sugars 9 g
Protein 10 g 20 %
Vitamin A 79 %
Vitamin C 203 %
Calcium 18 %
Iron 22 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
Quick question, does this actually produce enough filling for 12 regular sized tortillas, or 12 taco-sized tortillas?
Yes, regular sized tortillas! And you’ll probably even have some extra filling 🙂