Meatless Enchilada Casserole
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Meatless Enchilada Casserole is a vegetarian meal, combining sweet potatoes and black beans with tortillas, cheese, and a homemade enchilada sauce that is key to great flavor. You are going to want this in your arsenal for healthy eating!
Black Bean Enchiladas
Meatless Monday is a thing at our home. It’s an opportunity for us all to take a break from eating meat and to focus on more plant-based foods. We don’t always eat meatless on Mondays, but we try to at least one or two days per week.
Some other meatless meals we enjoy are Chickpea Spinach Curry, Spicy Peanut Noodles, Pesto Veggie Sandwich, or Crispy Black Bean Tacos.
Why This Recipe Works:
- FEEDS A CROWD – This is a large casserole that feeds a crowd. It makes great leftovers for busy weeknights too.
- FULL OF FLAVOR – We love our Tex-Mex meals and this one is full of spicy flavors. The whole family will love this Mexican-inspired recipe.
- HEALTHY RECIPE – We’re using lots of veggies, lower-carb tortillas, and a flavorful sauce in this healthy casserole. A great recipe for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients Used:
These ingredients are pantry staples in my kitchen. You can also make the enchilada sauce several days before and store it in the refrigerator or the freezer.
- Potatoes – You’ll need about 2.5 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed.
- Beans – Black Beans are used but you could use another type of bean like pinto beans or cannellini beans instead.
- Olive Oil – We use extra-virgin olive oil.
- Veggies – Yellow Onion, Jalapeno, and Garlic.
- S & P – I normally use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Red Enchilada Sauce – This is a key ingredient. Make up a batch of my homemade enchilada sauce for maximum flavor and freeze whatever you don’t use. It’s good in so many other recipes!
- Flour Tortillas – I used a lower-carb tortilla version and it was delish.
- Cheese – Mexican cheese is highly recommended but you could use Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack, or sharp cheddar.
- To serve – Use some chopped-up cilantro for the top of the casserole, some cilantro lime rice, and avocado slices. So good!
Use the remaining enchilada sauce in our Chicken Tortilla Soup, Skillet Beef Enchiladas, or Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce.
How to make Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole:
Step 1
Make enchilada sauce. If possible, make the enchilada sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator. You’ll need about three cups of sauce for this recipe. See the homemade recipe on the blog.
Use vegetable broth in the homemade sauce recipe to keep this vegetarian.
Step 2
Cook potatoes. Place peeled and cubed potatoes in a medium stock pot, and cover with water and plenty of salt. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. Strain the water off the potatoes and return to the stove to get additional moisture off. Add cooked sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
Step 3
Sauté the veggies. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil and chopped onions, jalapeños, and salt & pepper. Cook for several minutes, or until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Spoon veggies into the mixing bowl with the potatoes.
Step 4
Mash veggie filling. Rinse and strain the canned beans. Add them to the mixing bowl, and mash the potato/veggie mixture with a potato masher until well combined. It’s ok for the potatoes to have some chunks remaining.
Step 5
Assemble casserole. In a 9×13 casserole dish, assemble the casserole as follows.
- Add 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish and spread evenly
- Slice the tortillas in half and arrange them on top of the sauce.
- Add 1/2 of the sweet potato bean mixture
- Add about one cup of sauce
- Top with one cup of cheese.
- Then add another layer of tortillas, the remaining sweet potato bean mixture, another cup of sauce, the remaining tortillas, and then the remaining sauce. Top with another cup of cheese.
Step 6
Bake. Bake casserole, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes, or until slightly browned on top, and hot and bubbly. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
Step 7
Serve. Serve large servings of enchilada casserole with some chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes, and avocado slices.
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
What to serve with Meatless Enchiladas:
This Mexican lasagna can be paired with a variety of sides, like the following.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, you can use store-bought sauce in place of homemade. I recommend using a medium-heat version if you use canned sauce.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish because the sweet potatoes will produce extra moisture after freezing.
You can add any color of red bell peppers, frozen corn, and/or some quinoa for extra protein. Instead of low-carb tortillas, you could use any regular version you enjoy.
Yes, you can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to bake. Simply add a few extra minutes to the baking time if cooking from chilled.
The spice level can be adjusted by adding extra spice to the enchilada sauce. Additionally, you can control the heat by adding more or less jalapeno peppers or adding chili powder/cayenne pepper.
Other Enchilada Recipes to enjoy:
- Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas – These use salsa verde instead of enchilada sauce. A great alternative.
- Shredded Beef Chipotle Enchiladas – This is a nice, beefy recipe that I happen to love.
- Skillet Beef Enchiladas – A simpler enchilada recipe that can easily be made in under an hour.
- Chicken Tortilla Soup – Not enchiladas, but it includes the homemade enchilada sauce and has such a great flavor. Healthy too!
Kitchen Tools used for this recipe:
- Peeler – Used to peel the sweet potatoes.
- Potato Masher – For mashing the potatoes.
- Global 7-inch Knife – My favorite kitchen knife.
xoxo ~Sue
Meatless Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion – chopped
- 1 medium jalapeno – diced
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 2.5 pounds sweet potatoes – peeled and cubed
- 30 oz. black beans – rinsed and strained
- 3 cups homemade enchilada sauce
- 10 medium flour tortillas
- 8 oz. Mexican cheese
- cilantro – to serve
- cilantro lime rice – to serve
- avocado slices – to serve
Instructions
- Make enchilada sauce. If possible, make the enchilada sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator. You'll need about three cups of sauce for this recipe. See the homemade recipe on the blog.
- Cook potatoes. Place peeled and cubed potatoes in a medium stock pot, and cover with water and plenty of salt. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. Strain the water off the potatoes and return to the stove to get additional moisture off. Add cooked sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
- Sauté the veggies. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil and chopped onions, jalapeños, and salt & pepper. Cook for several minutes, or until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Spoon veggies into the mixing bowl with the potatoes.
- Mash veggie filling. Rinse and strain the canned beans. Add them to the mixing bowl, and mash the potato/veggie mixture with a potato masher until well combined. It's ok for the potatoes to have some chunks remaining.
- Assemble casserole. In a 9×13 casserole dish, assemble the casserole as follows.Add 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the dish and spread evenly. Slice the tortillas in half and arrange them on top of the sauce. Add 1/2 of the sweet potato bean mixture. Add about one cup of sauce. Top with one cup of cheese. Then add another layer of tortillas, the remaining sweet potato bean mixture, one cup of sauce, the remaining tortillas, and then the remaining sauce. Top with another cup of cheese.
- Bake. Bake casserole, uncovered, for approximately 35 minutes, or until slightly browned on top, and hot and bubbly. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Serve. Serve large servings of enchilada casserole with some chopped cilantro and avocado slices.
Notes
- You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to bake. Simply add a few extra minutes to the baking time if cooking from chilled.
- The spice level can be adjusted by adding extra spice to the enchilada sauce. Additionally, you can control the heat by adding more or less jalapeno peppers or adding chili powder/cayenne pepper.
- Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
No meat. No problem. Tastes great and is filling! ❤️✅?
Exactly!