Chile Verde Enchiladas

Amazing vegetarian enchiladas that are tasty and filling

These enchiladas are becoming a staple here as they are full of flavor, simple to make, and will have you coming back for seconds. The original recipe and inspiration for these can be found here:

https://cookieandkate.com/black-bean-sweet-potato-enchiladas/

I’ve modified the recipe slightly as there are some ingredients that are not so “popular” here at the Herland household. For those, I will list them as optional.

Prep time: 15 – 30 mins
Cook time: 25 mins

Ingredient List:
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Enchilada filling:

• 1 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes (2 small-to-medium)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans (see the Simple Black Bean recipe)
• 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 ounces (½ cup) crumbled feta cheese
• 2 small cans (4 ounces each) diced green chiles
• 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and minced (OPTIONAL)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder (OPTIONAL)
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (OPTIONAL)
• ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:

• 2 cups (16 ounces) mild salsa verde, either homemade or store-bought
• 10 corn tortillas
• 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¼ cup chopped red onion (OPTIONAL)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Equipment:
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Oven – set to 425
Skillet to warm tortillas
Large mixing bowl
Glass / pyrex / backing dish

Instructions:
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1.) First – cut the sweet potatoes in half, coat with a little olive oil, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil and bake in the oven for 25 mins or until done. You may need to cook a big longer.
2.) While the potatoes are cooking, mix the rest of the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl, set aside for the sweet potatoes once they are done cooking.

PRO-TIP: you might find pre-cooked and frozen sweet potatoes in your grocery frozen aisle. If so, you can thaw those and add them directly to the filling mix.

3.) After filling is prepped, start heating up the tortillas on a medium hot skillet, dip the edge of the tortilla in a small bowl of veggie oil to pick up a little bit of oil, transfer to the skillet and spin the tortilla to spread the oil. Let the tortilla cook for about a minute or so, it should start to soften and change color slightly, flip over and let cook for another minute. The goal is to get the tortilla *partially* cooked so it is soft. NOT crispy. Depending on the size of the skillet, you could get a few of those bad boys working at a time. Continue working the tortilla until you have the stack all nice and warm.

Another PRO-TIP: you can just microwave the tortillas for about a minute, but I prefer the flavor of the skillet heated ones myself.

4.) By now the sweet pots should be cooked. Take them out of the oven, mind the heat and steam that will come out. Test with a fork or a squeeze. Potatoes should be soft and thoroughly cooked. Let them cool long enough to handle them, use a spoon and scoop out the potato into the prepped filling. Mix in and you are ready to roll the enchiladas.
5.) Spay some veggie oil (PAM) on baking dish and cover the bottom with a layer of verde sauce. Not too much, just coat the bottom. Take a tortilla and spoon in about 2-3 tablespoons of filling just off center and roll the tortilla up. Adjust the amount of filling to how much you’d like in there. Some like skinny, some like them large, up to you. Place rolled enchilada in baking dish. Continue until all the filling or tortillas are used up. If you have extra filling, cook of a few more tortillas real quick or freeze it for later.

6.) Pour remaining verde sauce (or as much as you’d like) over the rolled enchiladas, add Monterrey Jack cheese and place in 425 oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly and crispy.
7.) Take sour cream and water and mix in small bowl / dish. Serve enchiladas with fresh cilantro and creamy sour cream on top.

Plating / final steps / drink pairings:
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I usually serve these with my Spanish rice ( see that recipe soon) and fresh cooked black beans. This filling is delicious recipe and it is veggie!! You’ll never miss the meat.

Drink paring:

As with the black beans – Victoria beer is the way to go but another alternative is Pacifico beer with a lime wedge. Not to heavy and has a rich flavor.