This spiralized sweet potato layered chicken enchilada casserole is gluten-free, packed with veggies and protein, and saves well for meal prep and leftovers. The layers of enchilada sauce, sweet potato, spinach, black beans, and chicken are delicious and make for a healthy weeknight meal.
Chicken and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole
Enchiladas are one of my favorite dishes to order while out at a Mexican restaurant. They’re just cheesy enough and I always find myself forking everything on the table into the leftover enchilada sauce. Enchiladas are typically made from rolled up tortillas, but in this gluten-free, grain-free version, we’re using spiralized sweet potatoes in layers, to make a lasagna-style enchilada casserole. Who doesn’t love lasagna and enchiladas?
To get your sweet potatoes in these chip slices with the Inspiralizer, watch this video. It’s safer, easier and quicker than using a mandolin, in my humble opinion. After you’ve prepare your sweet potato, you’ll need to make this homemade enchilada sauce (or just buy about 2 cups of store bought enchilada sauce.) I highly recommend making this perfectly balanced enchilada sauce that’s healthier and full of real, wholesome ingredients. Every bite you take of this casserole, you’ll love the hint of spice in the sauce.
Once you have your chip slices and enchilada sauce made, it’s time for the fun part: to make the layers! As you’ll see below, it’s easy to do and makes for a beautiful slice. Here’s a step by step visual:
These freeze well and save as leftovers in the fridge, so definitely add this to the meal prep friendly list! Depending on how you slice the casserole, you can make 6 giant slices or 12 slices. I recommend making 12 and serving with a yummy side salad or veggie, like some corn or string beans.
Watch our video of this recipe using the Inspiralizer and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Chicken and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 3 large sweet potatoes peeled
- 2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups shredded chicken breasts
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 4 cups baby spinach
- sliced avocado to serve
For the enchilada sauce:
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 16 oz or two 8oz cans tomato sauce
- 1.5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Prepare the enchilada sauce. Heat the oil in a medium pot over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the arrowroot powder. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk until combine, about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Increase the heat to high to bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
- While enchilada sauce cooks, spiralize the sweet potatoes. Slice halfway through the sweet potatoes lengthwise, careful not to pierce through the center. Spiralize on Blade A to yield chip slices. Set aside.
- Spread ½ cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer, overlapping slightly to cover up any little gaps. Sprinkle over with half of the beans, half of the chicken, 1 cup of the cheese, ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and half of the spinach evenly over the sweet potato slices. Repeat starting with laying out the sweet potato slices and then the beans, chicken, cheese, enchilada sauce, and spinach. Finish the casserole with the remaining sweet potatoes and enchilada sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake the casserole for 40 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and casserole bubbles, about 5 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Top with avocado and cilantro. Serve.
comments