Sweet Potato, Pinto and Black Bean Enchiladas with White Cheddar Sauce

When Ryan and I meet new people, and they learn that I blog about food, they generally say to Ryan something along the lines of, “Lucky you! You must eat so much good food!”

Except he forgets to eat. Like, it’ll be 8:00 at night, I’ll ask what he ate during the day, and he’ll look super pensive for what feels like a LONG time, and then realize he ate NOTHING.

I would not be functional. Actually, I would never be in that situation.

This, friends, is how I know these enchiladas are awesome: Mr. Forgets To Eat ate these twice a day, every day, until they were gone…and I made 2 batches of them.

I sort of knew he’d like these, because there’s a white cheddar sauce, jalapeños, and an enchilada is basically a stuffed tortilla, and we all know how he feels about food stuffed inside of food. I just didn’t expect him to like them enough to remember to eat them without being reminded because, well, that never happens.

I also ate these every day until they were gone, although I never eat the same food twice in a day (unless we’re talking about dessert, because YES). There are so many levels of flavor going on inside each little enchilada: creamy chili-spiced sweet potato and pinto bean spread, garlicky black beans with red bell peppers and jalapeños, and a rich white cheddar sauce. Bake it up all bubbly, and then serve it with a dollop of cool Greek yogurt or sour cream, and some fresh cilantro or sage (we LOVED sage with these).

Ryan ate two enchiladas at every sitting, but I stuck with one because they’re quite filling, and also I liked having a handful of tortilla chips on the side. They would also be great with a side of spanish quinoa – especially if you scoop up some of that cheddar sauce with the quinoa – mmmmmmmYES.

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato, Pinto and Black Bean Enchiladas with White Cheddar Sauce

Vegetarian enchiladas made with a chili-spiced sweet potato and pinto spread, black beans, and a rich white cheddar sauce.

Yield: 8 enchiladas

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

Chili-Spiced Sweet Potato and Pinto Bean Spread

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup 2% Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoons olive oil

White Cheddar Sauce

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups 2 % milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces sharp white cheddar, shredded

Black Bean Enchiladas

• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 ounces sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 8 small corn tortillas
• Fresh sage and/or cilantro, for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Poke several holes in the potato with a fork, and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Push through a potato ricer into a food processor. If you don't have a potato ricer, peel the potato before microwaving, and after microwaving, slice into chunks.
3. Add the pinto beans, salt, chili powder, Greek yogurt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil to the food processor. Process until smooth.
4. For the cheddar sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium pan, and whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the milk and salt, and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in the cheese.
5. For the filling, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, and then add the onion and salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Pour in the black beans, red bell pepper, jalapeño, and all spices, and cook for 5-7 minutes minutes, until the peppers start to soften slightly.
6. Spread a couple tablespoons of the sweet potato mixture on each tortilla, and top with the bean/pepper mixture. Roll up tight, and place seam-side down in a greased 9x9-inch pan.
7. Pour the cheese sauce over the rolled enchiladas, and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.
8. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
9. Serve with a dollop of sour cream/Greek yogurt, avocado, and fresh cilantro.

I used a 9x9 square pan, which was a little tight. If you're having trouble fitting your enchiladas in a square pan, use a 9x13 - that'll work fine. 

I used small corn tortillas for these, because I like the texture, but you can definitely use whole wheat or regular flour tortillas if you prefer. They will likely be a little larger, so you'll want to make them in a 9x13 pan. 

Gluten Free Option: Sub 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten free flour for the 1 tablespoon flour called for in the recipe.

Nutrition Information: Serving Size: 1 enchilada, Calories: 334, Sugar: 6.0g, Sodium: 425mg, Fat: 11.3g, Saturated Fat: 4.7g, Carbs: 42.8g, Fiber: 8.3g, Protein: 16.0g, Cholesterol: 21mg