Black Bean Sweet Potato Mexican Bake | Gluten Free

This Black Bean Sweet Potato Mexican Bake is a delicious and adaptable twist on my favorite enchiladas. You can put it on top of chips to make an elaborate nachos plate, fill tortillas with it, put it on top of a grain, or just eat it as is! It is full of flavor (as all Mexican food should be) and healthy!

When my husband and I first started dating and were answering those typical “get to know you questions”, I shared that my favorite type of food is Mexican. To which he paused and made a sort of grimace. He didn’t like Mexican food?!?! I seriously questioned whether or not this relationship could work.

On date 4 or 5, we went to the Art Institute in downtown Chicago (free day!) then walked to a Mexican restaurant by Rick Bayless. (One of us got us lost and refused to look at a map…it’s amazing he stuck with me!). The food there was not traditional Mexican food, like tacos or burritos, and Steve thought it was delicious! I remember him saying, “This is Mexican food?!” and feeling my heart melt a bit more. I knew I could win him over to the good Mexican food side. Ever since I’ve been regularly introducing him to new dishes with great flavor. In fact, now we have Mexican food every Tuesday night, tacos or not!

Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

About two years into my vegetarian journey, I was introduced to the combination of black beans and sweet potatoes. It is such a lovely combination, especially in Mexican food!

This dish is an easy take on my Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas. This recipe takes less prep, is easily gluten-free, and is super adaptable to a variety of ways to make it a meal. Also, you save on calories if you skip the tortillas altogether. You could even turn this into a loaded nachos plate for football games and people may not even miss the meat!

This dish will feed at least 6-8 people. If you need it to go further, serve it over rice, greens, or as taco filling. It will freeze and reheat easily as well.

What do I need to make this Black Bean Sweet Potato Mexican Bake?

Most of what goes into this recipe are things I already have on hand in a typical week. The item I need to intentionally put on the shopping list is the enchilada sauce. I use a green enchilada sauce and find it a bit tricky to find one that is gluten-free. If that doesn’t matter to you, then you may have an easier time finding it.

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Food Ingredients

• 4 Sweet Potatoes (medium)
• 2 1/2 cups Black Beans (or 2 cans)
• Cumin, 1/2 tsp
• Onion powder, 1/2 tsp
• Oregano, 1/2 tsp
• Smoked Paprika, 1/4 tsp
• Salt1/2 tsp
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
• 8 oz Green Enchilada Sauce (Frontera Green Chili Enchilada Sauce is Gluten Free)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Plus you’ll want to have any serving extras on hand. Chips, tortillas, rice, salad greens, etc.

Prepping and Cooking Materials

• Small mixing bowl
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife (preferably a Chef’s knife, I really like my WÜSTHOF knife set)
• Casserole dish (Like this 2.5 qt ceramic Corning Ware dish with lid)
• Lid or foil
• Garlic press (optional, but handy. Mine is pictured below and you just roll/press it over the garlic!)
• Measuring spoons

How do I make Black Bean Sweet Potato Mexican Bake?

This dish is easy and has a lot of hands-off time that you can use to prep guacamole, toppings, and whatever you plan to serve it with.

First, while the oven is preheating, get those sweet potatoes chopped. Make them relatively small but not minced (mostly so it doesn’t take too long to cook). I leave the peels on because I understand they have more nutrients but feel free to skin them if you prefer.

Next, drizzle olive oil in the baking dish then put sweet potatoes in the dish and drizzle with the remaining olive oil; mix to coat. Cover (with either a glass lid or foil) and bake for 25 minutes. The potatoes need to bake longer than everything else, but I don’t like to dirty a baking sheet, so I just roast them in the baking dish. If you are short on time, you could spread them out on a baking sheet and then transfer them into this dish. They would likely need to bake for 15-20 minutes that way.

While the potatoes are baking, season your black beans. If using canned, rinse and drain them then add in cumin, onion powder, oregano, salt, garlic, and smoked paprika. I love to make black beans in the Instant Pot. Check out the recipe in my Quick and Easy Seasoned Black Beans post.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and lower the temperature to 400 F. Mix the seasoned black beans, enchilada sauce, and 1 cup of cheese in with the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes. You want the potatoes to be soft and the cheese melted.

What should I serve this with?

One of the things I love about this recipe is that it is so versatile in how you serve it. You can have it served over rice on day one and as leftovers on loaded nachos on day 4 and it feels like two different dishes!

You can eat this dish as is and it is delicious. It has lots of good flavors and does not need anything else to help with the taste. However, I like variety, and to make it stretch further, so I like to eat it one of these ways:

• Loaded Nacho style – On chips and loaded with salsa and guacamole or Avocado Cream
• On top of rice or quinoa, with salsa and guacamole
• On a bed of salad greens with tomatoes, peppers, and of course, salsa and guacamole
• As tacos In corn tortillas (or flour if you are not gluten-free), with toppings (including but not limited to salsa and guacamole)

You can top it any of these ways with whatever sounds good to you. I clearly like salsa and guacamole but you can add tomatoes, peppers, minced cilantro, etc. Get creative!

I hope you enjoy this Black Bean Sweet Potato Mexican Bake. Don’t forget to rate it and share it with others!

Other Recipes I Think You’ll Enjoy

• QUICK AND EASY SEASONED BLACK BEANS | INSTANT POT
• BLACK BEAN SWEET POTATO ENCHILADAS | A SIMPLE GLUTEN-FREE OPTION
• SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS VEGETARIAN CHILI | WITH VEGETABLES

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