Sweet Potato Enchiladas

There's something you should know about my family. We love Mexican food. Like, a lot. It's generally quick and easy to make as well as inexpensive. And did I mention it's fracking delicious?! Yeah. It is. So, I wasn't really surprised when my sister started talking about how she's been craving enchiladas. Being the awesome sister I am, I came home and rooted around in my pantry and fridge for enchilada ingredients.

How exactly did sweet potato enter the picture, you may ask. Well, sweet potato made an appearance for a few reasons. First, sweet potatoes are vegetables and vegetables are good for us. Second, I don't eat dairy and I needed a binder in place of cheese. The texture of mashed sweet potato works perfectly to hold the enchilada innards together and the background of sweetness to the sharp spicy notes in the enchilada sauce are perfect together. Lastly, the sweet potato is cheaper than the organic grass fed meat I buy and it works excellently to stretch the more expensive ingredient into a few more servings. 

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 6 tortillas
• 1 large sweet potato, baked until soft
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 small green pepper, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 lb ground meat of your choice
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• 12 oz enchilada sauce (I used Wildtree brand sauce, but you can use whatever you have on hand.)

1. Brown ground meat in a large pan. Drain.

2. Return the same pan to medium heat. Add in chopped shallot and green pepper. Saute for 1-2 minutes before adding the drained ground meat back into the pan. Mix all that up and remove from heat.

3. Peel and mash the baked sweet potato. Throw that in with the ground meat mixture and mix well. 

4. If you want cheese in your enchiladas, add 1/2c. Otherwise, skip to step #5.

5. Lay your tortilla on a flat surface, scoop about 1/3c of the meat and sweet potato mixture onto the tortilla and roll. Lay seam side down in a greased pan. Repeat until all your tortillas are in the pan. 

6. Pour all of the enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas, making sure to cover each one. If you're using cheese, top the enchiladas with the remaining 1/2c of cheese. 

I was nice and made a special pan of enchiladas with cheese for my sister.

7. Pop in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and enjoy warm.

The best part of this recipe is its versatility. Everything from the ingredients right on down to the toppings can be played with to cater to your tastes and needs. For example, my husband is gluten free. No problem, I'll just use corn tortillas. Dairy free? Skip the cheese. (I did!) As for the meat component in the recipe, I've used 50/50 mix of ground beef and venison, all ground beef or all ground turkey and they all worked well. Or, if you're going for a vegetarian dish, just forego the meat all together. You could eat the enchiladas plain or top with avocado, sliced black olives or sour cream. Like I said, super versatile. 

Added bonus, this recipe can be made ahead and kept in the fridge. Just follow the recipe until you have the filled and rolled tortillas in a pan then put in the fridge. 30 minutes before you're ready to eat remove the pan from the fridge, pour on the enchilada sauce and pop in the oven. Or, you can make extra and freeze in single portions for a quick lunch. The possibilities are deliciously endless!