Green Chile Enchiladas

PSA, amigos: Mexican food can be healthy! Sharing my healthy “fresh Mex” tips here and a recipe for plant-based Green Chile Enchiladas with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans and homemade salsa verde.

These Green Chile Enchiladas are one of my favorite things to make, both because I love me some Mexican food, but also because it’s a great dish to make and have friends over.

My recipe has cumin-roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, dairy-free almond “queso”, plus a fresh cilantro relish with scallion and pumpkin seeds. Guacamole optional, but who doesn’t love guac?

Recipe rundown… 

For the tortillas:

The tortillas can be grain-based or grain-free. There are so many options on the market not, it’s not just down to flour or corn anymore. That said, I do love a good organic heirloom corn tortilla and corn are traditionally used for enchiladas. Try Masienda if you like corn, or Siete for grain-free.

For the fillings: 

Fillings can range from plant-based to lean meat (or seafood) for omnivores. Depending on if you’re taco-ing or baking up some enchiladas, the options are numerous.

For my recipe I like to roast halved sweet potatoes with some avocado oil, cumin, oregano, s&p. Then you just scoop out the potato flesh. To that I add some canned black beans. Easy peasy.

Homemade Charred Tomatillo Salsa Verde

For the salsa topping: 

If you haven’t made my Charred Tomatillo Salsa Verde yet stop everything you are doing and go grab some tomatillos! Kidding, but it’s an integral part of this dish. No time to make the sauce? No problemo, Siete and La Fundidora make green sauces. And Whole Foods usually carries both.

For “cheesy” toppings: 

For a “cheesy” topping, the options abound. But I love almond “queso” here, aka Kite Hill ricotta. This make a perfect combo with the spicy flavors of the rest of the dish. Or you can use Just Like vegan feta, which tastes like goat cheese.

Cilantro “relish” topping:

For something a little fresh on top I like to do a cilantro “relish”. This should be added to the baked enchiladas just before serving, for max freshness. I like to use pumpkin seeds for some crunch, too.

And that’s the whole enchilada… recipe below!

Wondering what to serve with Green Chile Enchiladas? Try these…

Mexican Kale Caesar (vegan, GF)

Charred Tomatillo Salsa Verde (vegan, GF)

Dark Chocolate Mousse (vegan, GF)

Print Recipe

Green Chile Enchiladas

Charred corn tortillas with cumin roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, tomatillo salsa, almond queso, cilantro relish

Course

Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

Mexican

Keyword

anti-inflammatory, dairy free, diabetes friendly, fall/autumn, gluten free, grain free, healthy, kosher, low sugar, party food, salsas and sauces, spring, summer, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, winter

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

50 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

Enchilada ingredients

• 2 each sweet potatoes scrubbed and halved lengthwise
• 1 tsp avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• to taste salt & pepper
• 4 each corn tortillas
• 1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed *you may not need whole can

Topping ingredients

• 1 recipe (or jar of) tomatillo salsa verde see blog post for brand recs
• 1/2 cup almond “queso" such as Kite Hill ricotta
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 each scallions sliced thin
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 each lime
• to taste salt

Course Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish Cuisine Mexican Keyword anti-inflammatory, dairy free, diabetes friendly, fall/autumn, gluten free, grain free, healthy, kosher, low sugar, party food, salsas and sauces, spring, summer, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, winter Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 50 minutes Servings servings Ingredients Enchilada ingredients 2 each sweet potatoes scrubbed and halved lengthwise 1 tsp avocado oil 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp dried oregano to taste salt & pepper 4 each corn tortillas 1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed *you may not need whole can Topping ingredients 1 recipe (or jar of) tomatillo salsa verde see blog post for brand recs 1/2 cup almond “queso" such as Kite Hill ricotta 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves 2 each scallions sliced thin 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds 1 each lime to taste salt

Instructions

1. heat oven to 450°, line a sheet pan with parchment paper
2. drizzle cut sides of sweet potatoes with oil, season with cumin, oregano and some salt, bake until fork tender, about 30 minutes, reduce oven to 350°
3. scoop sweet potato flesh into bowl, then season to taste with salt & pepper
4. optional: char tortillas about one minute on open flame (on gas stove)
5. roll enchiladas: on a flat work surface, divide sweet potato evenly among tortillas, then add 1/4 cup or just over of black beans, roll up cigar style, seam side down
6. prepare bake pan: place some of salsa verde in the bottom of a bake pan, then place enchiladas into pan, seam side down; top enchiladas with remaining salsa verde, cheese of choice and bake at 350 to warm through, about 15-20 minutes
7. meanwhile, make “relish”: in a small bowl combine cilantro, scallions, pumpkin seeds, salt and a squeeze of lime
8. to serve, top enchiladas with cilantro relish

Recipe Notes

Serves 4 with one enchilada per person, or serves 2 with two enchiladas per person

Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com