Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos
These quick and healthy black bean and sweet potato burritos are completely and utterly the most delicious meal in the history of ever.
Have you ever made something and then nervously waited, cringing and biting your nails, for your spouse or roommate or child or friend or whoever to take a bite because you were pretty surely almost positive they weren’t going to like it but you really, really, really wanted them to love it?
Have you? I have. A lot.
And I was very anxious to know how Brian would respond when he walked in from work to find out we were having Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos for dinner (he’s a meat-loving, hearty meal kind of guy and while he never complains about some of the craziness I put on the dinner table, I know he’s not always doing cartwheels when he walks in and sees vegetable overload instead of brisket).
To his credit, he barely batted an eye (although I did see his nose crinkle a bit) and by the time we had both taken our first bites, we were looking over the heads of our rowdy children at the table and meeting each others eyes in complete agreement that these burritos are completely and utterly the most delicious meal in the history of ever.
This is definitely one of those recipes where I wish I could jump through the computer screen, take your little face in my grubby hands and insist that you make immediately with the threat that I won’t leave you alone until you do. A scary thought, indeed.
If you didn’t know already, sweet potatoes and black beans were meant for each other. Throw in some other vegetables, simple spices and a delicious fresh taste of lime and cilantro and you have an epically good meal.
Roasting all the vegetables together before tossing with the black beans knocks this meal out of the park.
The glorious news is that the vegetable and bean filling can be made the day or so before you want to assemble the burritos which makes for a seriously fast meal when you are ready for the sweet potato and black bean love.
These burritos are on our menu plan for this week {again} and no pressure, but they should definitely make it on to yours, too.
What To Serve With This:
Chips and a really great dip, like this Spinach Artichoke Dip
Fresh, seasonal fruit
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed small (about 3-4 cups)
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
- 1 red pepper, diced small
- 1 small red onion, diced small (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ – ½ cup chopped cilantro, depending on your taste
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, from about 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 6-8 burrito-size tortillas, whole wheat, white or other favorite variety
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, jalapeno, red pepper and red onion with the olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Dump the coated veggies onto a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 18-20 minutes, tossing halfway through. The vegetables should be tender but not mushy at the end of cooking time.
- Let the vegetable mixture cool. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and toss with the black beans, cilantro and lime juice. Taste the mixture and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to assemble the burritos or use immediately.
- Place 3-4 tortillas on a microwave-safe plat and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15-20 seconds until the tortillas are pliable. Place 1/4 cup or so of the vegetable mixture in the center of the tortilla and top with a sprinkle with shredded cheese, a little of each kind.. Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll up. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until you have all the burritos you need (the filling can be refrigerated and used for 3-4 days).
- Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes, until heated through and the top of the tortilla is golden brown. Adjust the baking time as needed depending on if the filling has been refrigerated or not. For a softer tortilla, wrap each burrito in tin foil and heat through. Serve immediately.
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Recipe Source: adapted slightly from this Tasty Kitchen recipe
Thanks for a lovely recipe! I made this yesterday with a few changes: I used 4 small sweet potatoes, 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper, added a zucchini, and doubled the spices. While roasting the vege’s, I also roasted a few chicken tenderloins, which I added to the burrito. I didn’t have any black beans, so I used 1 can of cranberry beans and 1 can of kidney beans. I skipped the cheese but added guacamole and some salsa. Over all, very tasty and filling!
These burritos are awesome, but the filling was even better for breakfast – top with a sunny side egg, some jack and chipotle salsa = best morning ever.
Made these and LOVE them, even better than the recipe I had been using before. The other recipe uses spinach, but no red pepper or jalapeno. I never use jalapeno but took a chance in this recipe and I’m glad I did. SO very good! Our nephew is over now and raving over them 🙂 Thanks!!
These were so easy to make and so tasty.
Note: I baked the sweet potatoes a few days ahead and peeled and cubed them for the recipe. Then I tossed all items together with the seasoning-since I didn’t roast the sweet potatoes with the spices.
I didn’t use the jalapeño either since I am pregnant and can’t take too much spice right now. These still had a great kick to them. These are going on my meatless Monday rotation.
So very easy to assemble last minute.
I found these via pinterest and I am so glad I did. I have made them 5 times. The flavor is so good. I freeze them for easy lunches and they taste great out of the freezer. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
My father in the recent months has become vegetarian due to health reasons… aka high cholesterol… and has been eating salads and well, salads. I went home a few weeks ago and made these for him, and I must say this recipe might have changed his life. These are truly worth all the chopping! Thanks for bringing this recipe to the table.. literally. 🙂
LOVED these! I can’t wait to make them again and keep in the refrigerator for an easy lunch. So, so yummy!
Um these are SO good. I’m not even a sweet potato fan. But this recipe has made me a believer. I used one medium and one large orange sweet potato…I ended up with 4 cups diced potato and then some left over. I made the filling 24 hours before putting it in tortillas and baking. It sat great in the fridge and, if anything, just got stronger in the flavors it already had (a good thing!).
Great, great, great! Thank you!
Thanks Mel!! I made these for my family with the *white* sweet potato and then I made them the next week for my sisters family using a *white* sweet potato and I’m making them again tonight with an *orange* sweet potato because I like them so much. The filling is tasty and the method for baking them in the oven is genius–so crispy and easy and NOT fried! You ROCK!
These turned out really yummy…! I think I could have fooled my husband, except he came home before the burritos were wrapped. (sweet potatoes again?! haha I am on a black bean and sweet potato kick) Even then, I think he was pleasantly surprised. We froze some extras for lunches.
Hi Mel, I just finished the batch I made. I wasn’t sure how my kids would eat these, so I made a half batch for me to eat for lunches. I have to say- the first day, I wasn’t quite digging these. But I don’t know if it got better in the fridge, or I just got used to this flavor combination, but I ended up liking them! 🙂 It was SO handy having this all ready in the fridge, and I can just make one (or two) every day till it’s gone. I made the crispy version of these, and I will definitely use that method again with other burritos! They were perfectly crisp! 🙂
I made these tonight and they were excellent!
Ok Mel, I just ate dinner and I STILL think these burritos look awesome. Kara actually pointed me to this post. I think we’ll be eating these in the next two days. Turns out we already have most of the stuff. I’m a huge fan of sweet potatoes and black beans. Keep these awesome posts coming!
I agree with Ava. It definitely requires more baking time. I would say AT LEAST 30 more like 40 minutes. Maybe that is why I can get away with using 2 jalapenos, cause they lose their heat. I made this again last night, and we are having leftovers tonight!
Made twice already – yum! I do think the potatoes need to be baked much longer though, even if cut pretty small.
Made these for dinner tonite…FABULOUS!!!! Thank you.
These are delicious! Love this combination that I would have not thought to put together – my meat-loving husband even loved these. Thanks for the great recipes!
You must itty bitty limes. I’ve noticed on a recipe or two previous that the approximate measurement of the juice of one lime is far less than when I measure my lime juice. I just squeezed the smallest one I have and got nearly 2-1/2 Tablespoons! Fortunately I love the citrusy element and don’t have to squeeze more limes. But I am curious about the type of limes you use.
Mary – 99% of the yams or sweet potatoes you see in grocery stores in the US are sweet potatoes (true yams are very uncommon). In fact, I was just going to do a post on sweet potatoes vs. yams. Sweet potatoes can have white flesh or orange flesh. I think your white-fleshed sweet potato should work just fine (they aren’t quite as sweet and velvety as the orange variety but will still work). The reason some sweet potatoes are labeled yams is because that’s how the USDA labels the orange variety, even though they are really sweet potatoes. Hope that helps!
I wouldn’t have made this but your post convinced me otherwise and I can not tell you how glad I am that I did. This is a new staple.
Help! Why is my Ziplist Recipe Box empty? Where did all my saved recipes go?
So I bought a sweet potato and I checked to make sure it was a sweet potato (not a yam) but got home and when I cut it open the flesh of “my” sweet potato is white and not orange like yours (am I seeing the picture right? That’s the only orange/yellow thing in the ingredients as far as I can tell). Help! I’m so confused? I’m new to this sweet potato thing . . .
Love that these are meatless and filled with the amazing combination of sweet potatoes and black beans! Thanks for sharing 🙂
These burritos look so delicious AND healthy, the best of both worlds! Looks like a great recipe to add to my weekly rotation! 🙂
Made these last night but didn’t bake- just filled and topped with avocado. Delish! My husband said the flavors just popped on the first bite.
I’ve been trying to eat vegan for 100 days and the other day I roasted sweet potatoes in the oven and then mixed them with some caramelized onions and ate them in a tortilla. It was pretty good. But then today I saw this recipe! Wow! If I’d only known… I can’t wait to make it! Thanks so much!
I’ve been making a version of these – http://tastysensations.blogspot.com/2010/04/vegetarian-burritos.html for a few years now and I really love them. I bake them and freeze them and they are great reheated. Sadly, my husband has had them 1 or 2 times too many. So I think I will try this version and see if they will be better received! 🙂
Oh, friend! You are all kinds of awesome. This looks and sounds delicious!
Sweet potatoes and black beans? Sounds like a match made in heaven! Bookmarking this to try really soon.
Do you think these would still taste good without the lime juice? I’m allergic to citrus, but would love to try these! Or if you know of a substitute that might work? Thanks for all of your fabulous recipes.
Just wanted to suggest possibly using Amchoor Powder instead of Lime? I make Channa Masala all the time, and the recipe lists Amchoor powder OR lime juice. You’d have to figure out where to get it in your area… probably an indian foods store!
So this is TOTALLY going to be dinner one night this week! Love love love sweet potatoes and black beans together- discovered it from a diet I followed once! Hubby might not like it the best in the world, but if I give him some rice on the side, he’ll usually eat it and be happy. Maybe he’ll love it, though!
Just made these – so good! I thought I was going to have to make a few adaptions. We live in Hamden, CT and were pounded with 40″ of snow this weekend and have been completely trapped at home. But the plows finally came this afternoon and my hubby was anxious to go check things out so I sent him to the store for red bell pepper & onion. Truly delish. [FYI: Our jalapeno had a real kick to it even after removing the ribs & seeds!]
This sounds terrific. I’ve decided to give up wheat for a while and do a bit more on the vegetarian front so have been looking for some new recipes. My husband loves sweet potatoes. I’m sure I can find gluten free tortillas to round it all out.
all. the. time. it’s such a win when they like the thing that you were convinced they weren’t going to like. i KNOW i would like these!
This is a great combination and the colors are beautiful. Great shot! You make a burrito look great!
I only find out after a meal when my husband is nervous about dinner. His signature quote is, “that was actually good.”
Such a great combination of flavors in these meatless burritos, Mel! They look sca-rumptious!
No joke, I bought all the stuff to make these a few days ago and keep putting it off because I wasn’t super pleased with the recipe I had for it. I caught myself thinking “if only Mel had a sweet potato black bean burrito recipe posted, my life would be complete.”
And now, my life is complete. Can’t wait to try these!
I LOVE these! I make them often! I found the original recipe on Pinterest last year. I do prefer to use the 2 jalapenos it calls for because after being roasted, they are not spicy AT ALL! I also use much more Cumin to add more flavor! I LOVE the red bell pepper in it. I think that makes all the difference, and have used 2 one time which ended up very tasty. I’m going to have to make these tomorrow!!!! Love love love these! I am always left over with more filling than how many tortillas it says to have, so I have the filling for a lunch the next day…healthy and delicious!
Adrienne – I’ve never frozen the filling/burritos but if it were me, I’d roll up the filling inside the tortillas and freeze that way.
Ali – I’m not sure about using white potatoes – I love the flavor of sweet potatoes so they probably have the potential to be a little bit more bland with regular potatoes. Just adjust seasonings to taste and play around with what you may need to add to help. Good luck!
Melanie C. – I served them with salad, fresh fruit, vegetables and cornbread. Rice would be delicious, too.
These look delicious and healthy. Love all the flavors!
YUM!!! I’m definitely making these this week, I can only imagine the explosion of flavors!!
I was curious what you serve with them? I was thinking salad or rice?
So it sounds delicious, but I hate sweet potatoes. Sorry!! Do you think it would be an easy substitution to put in white potatoes? Do you think is need to put in something else to make up for the lack of the sweet potato?
These look so fabulous! Great recipe!
I’ve been making these for a while from the recipe from Aggie of Aggies’ Kitchen.
I love them. Last time, I just roasted the veggies, mixed them with a bit of leftover brown rice and stuck the mixture in the fridge. Then I made myself a burrito for lunch every day for a week!
Funny you should post this today because I was already planning on making these this week. Great minds think alike, I guess. 😉
Mel,
What do you think about freezing these? Before baking, or after? Seems like something yummy I could take to work and microwave… Thanks!
Tortillas are, in my book, a miracle food. You can wrap nearly anything in them. We use them for lunch roll-ups every day, and your mixture of goodies can be a marvelous variation from our usual ingredients.
I’ve been making a version of these for years…so delicious! Thanks for the reminder; they might make it to the dinner table tonight.
These look really yummy. I love sweet potatoes and black beans but would have never thought to put them together. Thanks Mel!
I know that feeling well, Melanie! My husband is a “it’s not a meal unless there’s meat” kind of guy. These burritos look delicious, hearty and filling- no meat required for me, but my husband may ask for a side of chicken with it! 😉