Spiralized Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole loaded with veggies, black beans and doused in a simple homemade enchilada sauce | Gluten Free + Vegetarian
This sweet potato enchilada casserole is my compromise between really wanting to eat healthy while simultaneously wanting to eat ALL. THE. CHEESE.
It’s a real problem for me…the cheese thing that is. This casserole one the other hand is the exact opposite of a problem.
It’s
Delicious
Uncomplicated
Meat Free
Healthy
& Perfectly Cheesy
Let’s just say I’m into it and I think you will be too!
About this Recipe: Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole
I bought my spiralizer about a year ago now and to this day it is still my favorite kitchen tool. I held out on making that purchase for quite a while because I was reluctant about losing the counter/storage space but it’s been well worth the investment. If you’re also concerned about another kitchen gadget taking up space there are also easier to store hand held versions that you could look into. It makes eating vegetables so much easier because most the time it doesn’t even feel like you’re eating vegetables. Also, the spirals look cool and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the way food looks has a huge impact on my perception of its taste.
At the base of this recipe you’ll find a couple of spiralized sweet potatoes, making up the bulk of this dish. The potatoes are topped off with sautéed peppers, onion, sweet corn, and black beans doused in enchilada sauce.
I’ve included a recipe for enchilada sauce in the recipe because I’m not impressed with the limited gluten free options we have at our local grocery store, but feel free to use store bought if you want to cut down on time and ingredients needed.
If you do choose to make your sauce from scratch it’s an easy enough process and only adds another 10 minutes to your cooking time while also allowing you to choose your preferred level of spice. Super easy with a few basic ingredients & spices.
Perfect for your next Meatless Monday and also any other day of the week because veggies + cheese = love.
Spiralized Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole
Spiralized Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole loaded with veggies, black beans and doused in a simple homemade enchilada sauce | Gluten Free + Vegetarian
Ingredients
Casserole
- 2-3 | 12 oz medium sized sweet potatoes, spiralized
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 sweet peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks, any color will do
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, recipe below or use store bought
- 1 cup | 3.5 oz grated cheese, cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican blend, etc
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon gluten free all purpose flour, can sub with arrowroot or tapioca starch for grain free version
- 2 tablespoons chili powder, mild, medium, or hot
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- salt to taste
Instructions
Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°Lightly grease or oil a 9inch x 13 inch casserole dish. Place the spiralized sweet potatoes in the casserole dish and set aside.
- In a large skillet warm the 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a medium heat. Add the diced onions to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes minutes until soft and tender. Add the diced peppers, garlic, and salt and continue sautéing another 4-5 minutes until the peppers are soft. Stir frequently to keep the garlic from burning. Turn off the heat and stir in corn and black beans.
- Once mixed in transfer the veggies in the skillet to the casserole dish and spread over the top of the sweet potatoes. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top and use a spoon to gently mix everything together.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Briefly remove the casserole from the oven to cover the top with the grated cheese and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Once the cheese is fully melted remove the casserole from the oven and set aside to let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into and serving.
- Top with any additional toppings: cilantro, chopped scallions, avocado slices, sour cream, etc and serve warm
Homemade enchilada sauce
- In a small sauce pot warm the olive oil. Add the flour, tomato paste and seasonings to the oil and stir together to form a roux. Add the stock and whisk it all together to remove any lumps in the sauce. Let the sauce simmer on the stove for 7-10 minutes. Remove from the heat until you're ready to add it to your casserole or store it in an air tight container in the fridge. Use it within 3 days.
Notes
The spiciness of this dish will depend on the spiciness of your enchilada sauce. If you're making the enchilada sauce from scratch with this recipe you can customize the spice by the type of chili powder you use (mild, medium, or hot)
Brandi says
So tasty! Made just as recipe stated. Didn’t have any peppers though so I added some pickled jalapenos. Made a sweet heat.
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks so much Brandi! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I do love the sound of adding pickled jalapenos, too! Yum!
Cindy says
This is very yummy. Can I freeze it for individual servings as I am the only one eating it?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Cindy! You can absolutely freeze the leftovers in single serving portions. If you have time, let it defrost before reheating in the oven or microwave, but you can reheat from from if needed. If you’re reheating from frozen in the oven, you’ll need to add at least 20-30 minutes on to the original cook time.
Evelyn says
This is one of my favorite vegetarian meals. I am not a vegetarian, but I like to prepare one vegetarian meal every week or more. This is easy. I notice in your video that you use the orange sweet potato that we call yam, but I make this with the cream-colored sweet potato, and we really like it. Of course color usually means more nutrients, so I probably should use “yam.”
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Evelyn! I’m so happy to hear how much you’ve enjoyed this! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to leave a comment 🙂
Lesley K. says
This recipe is not only tasty but fast and easy to make. I didn’t have any red enchilada sauce so I used green chili enchilada sauce and it was great. Topped it off with chopped avocados, cilantro, and black olives.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Lesley! So happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
I now don’t know why I’ve never made this using green enchilada sauce – you’ve given me something new to try out this week!
Christine says
Can this be made in a crockpot? Want to make for Christmas dinner but the oven space will be slim. I have made this casserole many times and absolutely love it!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Christine! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it so much! I haven’t made this in a crockpot yet, but I do think it would still work based on how other similar recipes have come out. Since there’s no meat in this dish you should cook in about 2-3 hours on high. Mix everything together in the pot except for the cheese and cook. After about 2 hours, check how tender the peppers and sweet potatoes are. If soft, sprinkle the cheese over the top and cook another 30-60 minutes until melted and that should do it.
Hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas!
Amanda says
Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious! I made it in the morning so I just had to put it in the oven when dinner time rolled around. It was perfect!
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! So glad to hear that – thanks so much Amanda!
RW says
Love the look of this but for some reason mine came out very runny with a lot of watery stuff in the bottom of dish. Is that from sweet potatoes? Did I miss something? Delicious otherwise!
Sarah Nevins says
I think the excess water likely came from the bell peppers. Sometimes that can be hard to avoid because some peppers will just naturally contain more water than others. If you wanted to avoid that in the future fully you can always sauté the peppers on the stove top for about 5 minutes before adding them to the casserole. This will ensure that you sweat out most of the water on the stove so that it doesn’t seep out into the casserole.
Heidi says
Trying this recipe tonight! When making the enchlilada sauce, when is the tomato paste added?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Heidi! So sorry about that! The tomato paste should be added in when you add the spices. Hope you loved it!
CeeCee Wieber says
Really enjoy this recipe! Very unique and flavorfull, yet also has the comfort factor. Nutritous and filling. Thank you
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks so much CeeCee! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂