I know it’s still only February, but I am SO ready for Cinco de Mayo. So, in the spirit of yummy margaritas and Mexican food, I whipped up these incredible Chorizo and Sweet Potato Enchiladas. The spicy chorizo is the perfect contrast to the creamy and slightly sweet tasting sweet potatoes. Poblano peppers add just a bit more heat and a bit of freshness to bring it all together. They’re so simple, yet oh-so good!
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What Kind of Enchilada Sauce Should I Use?
I used my own homemade Easy Red Enchilada Sauce for these enchiladas because it’s super fast to make, tastes 100x better than the canned stuff, and costs less. If you’ve never made my enchilada sauce before, you’ve got to try it. I promise you’ll never go back to the can.
What Kind of Tortillas Should I Use?
Corn tortillas are best for enchiladas, and don’t forget to toast them first! Toasting the tortillas, either over an open flame or in a dry skillet, gives the tortillas a wonderfully toasty corn flavor. That being said, I ended up using flour tortillas for these. Don’t judge! Sometimes you’ve got to use what’s on hand and using flour tortillas are better than not making enchiladas at all. ;) Flour tortillas don’t get as much benefit from toasting as corn tortillas do, so you can skip that step when using flour tortillas.
Can You Freeze Enchiladas?
Yes! This makes a great make-ahead meal. After baking, divide the enchiladas into single serving containers. Chill the enchiladas in the refrigerator first, then transfer them to the freezer the next day. They’ll be good in the freezer for about three months and can be reheated quickly in the microwave.
Chorizo and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Servings 8 enchiladasIngredients
- 1 lb. sweet potato ($1.17)
- 1 poblano pepper ($0.75)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.08)
- 3 links 3/4 lb. chorizo ($3.00)
- 8 7-inch tortillas ($1.26)
- 1 batch homemade enchilada sauce* ($0.80)
- 1.5 cups shredded cheese ($1.50)
- 3-4 green onions, sliced ($0.21)
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small cubes (about 1/4-inch). Remove the stem and seeds from the poblano and also dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Mince the garlic.
- In a large skillet, sauté the sweet potato, poblano, and garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat until they begin to soften (about 5-7 minutes). Squeeze the chorizo out of it’s casing into the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium heat, breaking up the chorizo into pieces as you stir, until the chorizo is cooked through (5-7 minutes more).
- Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the chorizo sweet potato filling into each tortilla, then roll into a cigar shape. Place the filled and rolled tortillas in the baking dish, seam side down. They should fill the dish and fit tightly against each other to prevent unrolling.
- Pour the enchilada sauce over the the rolled tortillas and top with shredded cheese. Bake in the oven until the edges begin to bubble (about 20-25 minutes). Top with sliced green onions after baking. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!You might also like our Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers!
How to Make Sweet Potato Enchiladas – Step By Step Photos
Start with a medium sized sweet potato (about 1 lb.) and one poblano pepper. Peel and dice the sweet potato into 1/4-inch cubes. Cut the stem off the pepper, slice lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds. Dice the pepper into pieces similar in size to the sweet potato. Mince a couple of cloves of garlic (not pictured).
Add the diced sweet potato, poblano, and minced garlic to a large skillet with 2 Tbsp vegetable oil. Sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften (5-7 minutes).
You’ll notice that the sweet potato cubes begin to look slightly translucent as they soften.
This is the chorizo I used. You’ll need Mexican chorizo, which is a fresh sausage, as opposed to Spanish chorizo, which is a cured sausage (and hard). I only used 3 of the 5 links here because I wanted an even mix of meat and veggies. The other two were frozen for later use.
Squeeze the chorizo out of its casing into the skillet. Break the sausage up with your spatula as it cooks. Sauté the chorizo until it is fully browned (5-7 minutes). Chorizo can be kind of oily so if you’re concerned about the fat, cook the chorizo in a separate skillet and then drain off the fat before adding it to the sweet potato mix.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the chorizo sweet potato filling into each 7-inch tortilla (I used flour, but you can use corn if you prefer). Roll the tortillas into a cigar shape.
Place all of the filled and rolled enchiladas in a baking dish, seam side down (coat the dish with non-stick spray for easy clean up). Make sure they’re packed in closely so that they don’t unroll.
Pour red enchilada sauce over top of the filled enchiladas. I used my homemade Easy Red Enchilada Sauce, although I only added about 3/4 of the batch. You can use a 15oz. can of store bought sauce, if needed.
Sprinkle 1.5 cups shredded cheese over the enchiladas and place them in a preheated 375ºF oven. Bake until the sauce begins to bubble around the edges (about 20-25 minutes).
And then when it comes out it will be all ooey, gooey and delicious! Top the Chorizo and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with 3-4 sliced green onions, then ENJOY!
YUM.
Really yummy but quite spicy, I wouldn’t add any extra spice to it. Never had chorizo before and I bought the expensive local stuff at the co-op as the local grocery store was out. This may have contributed to the heat. I think it also cut down on the grease.
So I bought cooked chorizo because I did read the whole recipe. It was fine but added several minutes to my prep time because it’s really hard to get cooked sausage out of its casing. Maybe that wasn’t even necessary. Also my local market doesn’t carry poblano so I subbed serrano and it was delicious!
What do you think about substituting ground beef for chorize then adding extra flavours?
Yes, you can definitely do that. If you google a recipe for chorizo, you can just add the same spices that you would to pork.
I have made this so many times thank you soooo much!!! Also tried it with Trader Joes soy chorizo and mmmmmhmmm
You can get a vegetarian version of the chorizo at the grocery store..its called SOYRIZO and is delicious!
I’ve made this a few times now and it is DELICIOUS. Now my husband’s ears perk up whenever I say I’m making this for dinner :) Perfect meal for a cold winter night! Might be my favorite from the cookbook!
I made these on Friday with the addition of olives and have been enjoying the delicious leftovers all weekend!
Did you really use 3/4 cup of the filling in each enchilada? I know I am probably being too particular and should just eyeball it, but going with just under 2/3 cup per enchilada I was only able to fill 6 tortillas.
Yep, about 3/4. Of course I didn’t meticulously measure each one. :) I measured the first one and eyeballed the rest to match.
Do you have a suggestion for an alternative to chorizo that would still capture the balance of flavors? I’ve looked in over 3 stores for it with no luck this time around! (Unfortunately, because it’s one of my favs..)
If you can get some plain ground pork, you can add spices to it to make your own chorizo. :D Here is one recipe, although I’m sure there are many more out there.
If you don’t want all the grease of regular chorizo or would prefer to eat something that is not animal based, many stores carry soyrizo. It is very similar to chorizo but is soy based. Not as greasy and a good substitute for anything you’d use the regular stuff for.
We tried this last night and it was delicious! The last time I tried chorizo I HATED it. But I think I have to blame the brand…we had a different brand in our enchiladas and it was really tasty. So I went into this dish being very apprehensive but I wasn’t disappointed. Thank you!!
These are probably my favorite thing I have made from your site. I shred the sweet potato in the food processor so they soften quicker. (Also husband is picky about texture). I often don’t use the red sauce or just a little because I love the filling so much!! Thanks for this recipe!!
OK. So i hate when ppl change the recipe and then rate it. But…i only had a green bell pepper so i used that instead of the poblano. i am very familiar with the flavor of poblano and i know for SURE that having a poblano instead of a green bell would have made taken this over the top. this is so good, so simple. so so so good. i also made it with your red enchilada sauce. i’m pretty sure i busted my husband drinking the sauce in the kitchen. these enchiladas were the first time ever that my husband actually packed his leftovers for lunch and was excited to eat the whole thing 2 more times. i will be making this again EXACTLY how its written. i trust you grrrl. thank you so much for this recipe!
I’ve made this recipe several times and love it! Your website is amazing. Tonight I made it lazy style. I threw yams, pasilla pepper (California name for poblano I learned today), garlic, and olive oil in a baking pan and into a 400° oven. I stirred it periodically, then added chorizo and baked until done. Put it in a bowl, then layered corn tortillas, mixture, corn tortillas, the rest of the mixture, sauce, and topped with cheese. Back in the oven for 10 minutes and done! It’s a hit in my house and I often serve it when out of towners visit. Keep up the great work!
These things are awesome. I made the Sat night and I cant stop thinking about them. I even made your enchilada sauce instead of buying a can. Perfect.
I cant wait to try out some more of your recipes! Thanks a bunch!
I wonder if this would work with corn tortillas. Growing up we made them with corn. I never knew you could make them with flour tortillas.
Yep, you can use corn if you’d like. :)