Hands down the best Vegetarian Enchiladas ever. Say hello to these sweet potato, kale and black bean enchiladas!
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Okay let's get one thing out of the way up front... I'm a die hard enchilada fan but I MUCH prefer them with flour tortillas. They are more pliable and I love their texture once they bake down a bit. I know thats sacrilegious to some, so feel free to use corn if that's more your jam. I've done it before here and I have to admit they are delicious. I'm just a flour kinda girl.
Okay... now that we've got that out of the way let's talk about these easy Vegetarian Enchiladas! I'm having a moment with all things Sweet Potatoes, Kale and Black Beans. They all just work so well together, and I thought why not stuff them into some enchiladas, smother them with enchilada sauce, cheese and a chipotle crema. Match made in heaven. These vegetarian black bean enchiladas are going to be on repeat and I know you guys are going to love them!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Sweet Potatoes
- Kale
- Diced Green Chiles
- Ground Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Enchilada Sauce (red or green)
- Black Beans
- Flour Tortillas
- Pepper Jack Cheese
- Mexican-Blend Shredded Cheese
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
How to Make Vegetarian Enchiladas
To make Vegetarian Enchiladas start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Them in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onions and sweet potatoes. Sauté for about 10 minutes until soft and then add the kale and cook down until wilted. Add the diced green chiles, cumin, salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Next, add the black beans into the mixture along with ½ cup of your favorite enchilada sauce. Stir to combine and let simmer until sweet potatoes are tender and then remove from heat.
Now move on to assembling the enchiladas. Set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, veggie mixture, cheese and green onions. Lay out the tortillas on a flat surface and add equal amounts of the veggie and onion mixture, pepper jack cheese, and 1 tablespoon of green onions each and roll it closed.
Pour another ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place the rolled up tortillas in the dish. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, garnished with the remaining green onions, cilantro and plenty of Adam’s Green Sauce.
Variations and Substitutions
Kale - Any kind works – Curly kale or Lacinato/Dino kale.
Beans - If you want to make Vegetarian Enchiladas without beans just omit the black beans and they'll still be incredible.
Enchilada Sauce - Feel free to use your favorite red or green enchilada sauce here. Trader Joes has an incredible bottled enchilada sauce if that’s close to you. Otherwise I love Herdez Salsa Cremosa.
Cheese - I love a Pepper Jack and Mexican-blend cheese moment because it melts so beautifully. Cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack or anything similar would also work wonderfully! If you want to make this recipe vegan omit the cheese and top with a few slices of avocado for some extra creaminess.
Tips & Tricks
You’ll see that the recipe below calls for flour tortillas, this is just my personal preference and I understand that some people are team corn tortillas 100% of the time. I support you and you are absolutely allowed to use corn tortillas.
That being said, if you’re using corn tortillas, slightly warm the tortillas in some vegetable oil before assembling (5 seconds on each side.) This helps make them more pliable and easier to roll.
FAQ's
What else can you put in enchiladas?
Really any combo! Chicken, ground beef, vegetables, beans, rice, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole can all be used to fill enchiladas.
Why are my enchiladas always soggy?
Here are two tips to fix soggy enchiladas. First, slightly warm the tortillas by frying them in some vegetable oil before assembling for 5 seconds on each side before filling and rolling. The second tip is to spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan and a thin layer on top of the enchiladas once they're in the baking dish. You don't want to drown the enchiladas in the sauce, you're just trying to coat them.
Which is best for enchiladas corn or flour tortillas?
Traditionally enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, but you’ll see that this recipe calls for flour tortillas. This is just my personal preference, I find flour tortillas easier to roll and less likely to break compared to corn tortillas. That being said, if you’re using corn tortillas, slightly warm the tortillas by frying them in some vegetable oil before assembling (5 seconds on each side.) This helps make them more pliable and easier to roll.
Similar Recipes
- Bean and Cheese Enchiladas (watch how to make Bean and Cheese Enchiladas here)
- Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
- Skillet Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Bake
Tools Used to Make This
What you’ll need:
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion medium diced
- 1 ½ cup diced sweet potatoes
- 1 bunch kale thinly shredded
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 15.5 ounce can store-bought enchilada sauce (red or green) divided
- 1 15.5 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 10 large flour tortillas
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup mexican-blend shredded cheese
- 8 Green Onions finely sliced, divided
- Cilantro
- Adam's Green Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onions and sweet potatoes saute for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the kale and cook down until wilted. Add the diced green chiles, cumin, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Season with salt as needed.
- Add the black beans into the mixture along with ½ cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir to combine and let simmer until sweet potatoes are tender and then remove from heat.
- To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, veggie mixture, cheese and green onions. Lay out the tortillas on a flat surface and add equal amounts of the veggie and onion mixture, pepper jack cheese, and 1 tablespoon of green onions each.
- Pour another ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place the rolled up tortillas in the dish. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, garnished with the remaining green onions, cilantro and plenty of Adam’s Green Sauce.
Notes
- If you want to make this recipe vegan omit the cheese and top with a few slices of avocado for some extra creaminess.
What about using collards instead of kale??
Totally works!!
Am I supposed to cook the sweet potatoes first? I'm noticing a lot reviews where people boiled/cooked the sweet potatoes first. Thank you!
it says how to cook them in step 2 🙂
Yummy! However, used corn tortillas which break when you try to roll them. Maybe should have dipped in enchilada sauce first to soften them?
yup! that would help soften them! Or you can do a quick fry for about 5 seconds in some hot oil
I love everything about this recipe!!
Just wondering how long enchiladas can sit in sauce/pan before baking? Also, can you freeze and then cook later?
I wouldn't let them sit for more than 3 hours! and yes you can totally freeze and bake later