Spicy Weeknight Delight

I've never made enchiladas before, but I was in an adventurous mood last night. So I picked up some low-carb tortillas from Trader Joe's (surprisingly good) and filled them with all the delicious items that A Couple Cooks recommend in their recipe "Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Green Chile Enchiladas," with a couple modifications for cheapness's sake. I was very content when out of the oven emerged 6 steaming, spicy, filling homemade enchiladas, desperately begging for my consumption, for a mere $2.70 per serving (2 enchiladas). What can I say but, "The price is right?"

ENCHILADAS A LA CHEAP
FILLED WITH SWEET POTATO, BLACK BEAN AND GREEN CHILI 

THE GOODS

1 large sweet potato ($0.30)
1 15 oz. can black beans ($0.75)
1 cup diced green chilies, canned ($0.89)
1-2 cups of salsa ($1.99)
1 medium red onion ($0.40)
1 tablespoon chili powder (not sure, had this on hand)
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded ($2.49)
5 flour tortillas ($1.29)
Salt and pepper

Note: I did not use cumin (although the recipe called for 1/4 tablespoon), sour cream, or fresh cilantro. I also substituted Colby jack cheese with cheddar cheese, and salsa verde with regular chipotle salsa.

The Grand Total: $8.11 for at least 3 servings (if 1 serving is 2 enchiladas), $2.70 per serving

THE WAY

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel and dice the sweet potato. Place in a pot and cover with water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, around 12 to 15 minutes.

In the meantime, finely chop the red onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. (If using cilantro to garnish, you could chop it at this time as well.) In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potato, black beans, red onion, diced green chilies, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (and 1/4 tablespoon cumin, if you're using it). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then mix to combine.

Then, assemble the enchiladas. First, warm the tortillas for a minute in the microwave. Spread 1/2 cup of salsa at the bottom of a baking dish. Then fill each tortilla with a scoop of the filling, and a handful of cheese. Roll them up and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. When all enchiladas are in the dish, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of salsa and the remaining cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted.


Note: As a time saver, you could cook the sweet potato beforehand, and even prepare the entire filling in advance.