Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

I've been doing some casual catering for some work events lately, staff lunches, board meeting dinners, etc. Since we're a new non-profit, I try to keep the food costs down. This can require some creativity when you're cooking for 15-25 people. One of the biggest hits out of all these meals has been the sweet potato black bean enchiladas. The sweet/salty/spicy combination is intriguing and everyone seems to enjoy them. Little do they know, these guys are a piece of cake (well, actually, making a piece of cake would be a lot harder than this) to make. But you get the picture.

These could easily be turned gluten free (use corn tortillas) and/or vegan (omit the cheese). But no matter your dietary preferences, you're gunna need to start with a few sweet potatoes.

After boiling the potatoes until tender, add black beans and a few other additions to make the enchilada filling.

Cumin is the key spice.

A little salsa and a little sour cream go into the mixture to ensure it doesn't dry out.

More salsa and enchilada sauce coat the bottom of the pan before the enchiladas get placed into it.

Fill those tortillas, roll, and place in the salsa sauce bath.

One they're all rolled up and place in the pan, top with a little more salsa and enchilada sauce.

Top with cheese (if you're into that kind of thing), and bake. Now the only question left to ask is.... What does the finished product look like? Well, I guess you'll just have to make them and see for yourself. The truth is, I forgot to take "end product" pictures. But, I promise you these enchiladas won't disappoint.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Serves 4-6

- 2 large sweet potatoes or 3 medium sized

- 2 tsp salt

- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

- 1/2 cup corn (I used canned, fresh would be great too)

- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp chili powder

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- 2 cups salsa, divided

- 1 large can enchilada sauce (found near the salsa in the grocery store)

- 8-10 medium sized flour or corn tortillas (I used flour in this recipe)

- 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

- Peel and cube the sweet potatoes.

- Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, add salt and sweet potato cubes. Boil until tender when poked with a fork.

- Drain sweet potatoes and let cool.

- While the potato cubes are cooling, mix together the rest of the filling ingredients; black beans, pepper, corn, onion, garlic, spices, sour cream, and 1/2 cup salsa.

- Mix in the sweet potatoes.

- Mix remaining 1 and 1/2 cups salsa with the enchilada sauce in a medium mixing bowl. Pour 1/3 of it into the bottom of a 9/13 inch pan.

- Place 1/3 cup of the sweet potato and black bean mixture into each tortilla, roll up, place seam side down into the pan.

- Once all the enchiladas have been rolled and placed in the pan, pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top.

- Layer cheese on the enchiladas and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the center is hot and the cheese is melted.