Enchilada Bowls with Sweet Potato Noodles are a great way to use up leftover meat. The sweet potatoes are a far healthier choice than rice, and compliment the smoky flavor of the sauce.

I am addicted to the rice bowls at Chipotle: I choose this slightly healthier option rather than a bigger-than-my-head calorie-bomb burrito loaded to the gills with meat, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. On the other hand, I am also a fan of eating out as little as possible—not only to save money, but also to maintain a healthy diet. Therefore, I made it my mission to make similar—but even healthier—bowls at home. Enchilada bowls with sweet potato noodles are my latest iteration of that quest.
Substituting sweet potato for rice in these enchilada bowls adds a whole new layer of healthfulness. Why?
Enchilada bowls with sweet potato noodles: why I chose sweet potato over rice. A biochemistry lesson
I tend to lapse into science nerdiness upon occasion—thanks in advance, dear reader, for putting up with me.
Simple vs. complex carbohydrates
Sure, sweet potatoes are loaded with carbs just like rice—but they're complex carbohydrates rather than the simple processed, refined carbohydrates we find in white rice. A "complex carbohydrate" is made up of a longer chain of sugar molecules (e.g., polysaccharides), which takes more time to be broken down by your body than is the case with simple carbs (e.g., mono- and disaccharides). As a result, your body gains a more sustained supply of energy from breaking down complex carbs as opposed to the blood sugar spike that is typical of simple carbs. For this reason, sweet potatoes are better for people following a diabetic diet than white rice.
Antioxidants
We all know that humans need oxygen to survive, right? Unfortunately, oxygen can also do damage to the human body—from the tissue level right down to cells and DNA. Normal metabolism—breaking down nutrients, making new molecules, and lots of other cool stuff our body does every day—also creates nasty little molecules known as reactive oxygen species (ROS: these little beasties are also formed from environmental inputs like cigarette smoke, some chemicals, pollution, etc.). To be very simplistic, ROS are like teeny-tiny marauders, rampaging around your body and wreaking havoc—known as oxidative damage—on tissues, cells, and DNA. These marauders can actually alter DNA, potentially shutting off protective mechanisms and turning on genes associated with diseases like cancer.
And doesn't it just figure: this kind of damage doesn't just go away—it accumulates as we grow older.
If ROS are the body's marauders, antioxidants are its "peacekeepers." Antioxidants essentially go around disarming the nasty ROS, slowing down and even preventing cellular damage. Although the body naturally makes some antioxidants on its own, there are others—B-carotene and vitamins C and E, for example—that can only be acquired through your diet. So it makes tons of sense to choose foods that contain a lot of antioxidants. For example, cranberries are superheroes in this category.
Long story short (too late!): sweet potatoes beat out white rice in both the complex carbohydrate and antioxidant departments, so they're a win-win. Thus, sweet potato noodles.
Making enchilada bowls with sweet potato noodles
"Awesome Sauce"
Most store-bought enchilada sauces I've ever tried are completely vile. It's very easy to make enchilada sauce at home using dried guajillo chiles, onions, garlic, and tomatoes, though I recommend setting aside a weekend morning or afternoon to do it. I keep portions of the sauce in the freezer to pull out for easy meals. This "saucy two-step" enchilada sauce was the subject of a recent post, but you can also make a quick-and-dirty enchilada sauce using tomato sauce, chili powder, onion powder, and some cumin (I'll post that recipe soon!).
Meat...or no meat
These enchilada bowls are fantastic for dinner on busy weeknights. You can use whatever meat you happen to have kicking around in your fridge: for example, leftover rotisserie chicken is perfect. My hubster smokes lots of pork butts during the summer, so we usually have a bunch of smoked pulled pork in the freezer—it's divine in enchilada bowls. OR, you can simply stick to the black beans and leave the meat out altogether. (For reasons that I don't fully understand, black beans and sweet potato are a match made in heaven.)
Meal prep for enchilada bowls with sweet potato noodles
Just about every aspect of this meal can be done in advance: spiralizing the sweet potatoes (keep them in a zip-top bag), cooking the meat, making the sauce, grating the cheese, and prepping any toppings you want. Then, at dinner time, it's a simple matter of giving the noodles a quick sauté in a non-stick skillet, heating the meat and beans, and setting out all the components buffet-style for a fun DIY enchilada bowl bar. I love toppings like thinly sliced jalapeños, chopped onions, cilantro, and tomatoes. I also set out some Mexican crema (or sour cream), hot sauce (since the enchilada sauce itself isn't especially hot), and cotija cheese.
There's a fantastic riot of flavor going on in these bowls: the sweetness of the potatoes is the perfect foil to the smokiness and richness of the enchilada sauce, beans, and pork, while the cotija cheese and crema lend a sharp, creamy counterpoint. Enchilada bowls with sweet potato noodles became a quick favorite in my family, and I hope it will in yours as well!
Enchilada Bowls with Sweet Potato Noodles
Enchilada bowls with sweet potato noodles are a healthy, fast meal pairing sweet potato noodles with black beans, smoky enchilada sauce, your choice of meat, & cotija cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken or pork
- 1 can organic black beans
- 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled & spiralized
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce,, divided
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. salt,, divided
- ⅛ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Toppings
- 1 large tomato,, chopped
- 1 small sweet yellow onion,, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro,, chopped
- 2 jalapeños,, thinly sliced (seed them first if you like milder peppers)
- Mexican crema, (or sour cream, optional)
- cotija cheese,, grated (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the black beans over low heat in a saucepan. Season with cumin and ¼ tsp. of salt (or to taste). Reheat the chicken or pork.
- Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high and add olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the sweet potato noodles; use tongs to toss and coat with the olive oil. Continue to toss the noodles for 5-6 minutes, or until they reach the consistency you like (I prefer a tiny bit of crunch). Season with ¼ tsp. of salt; toss well and remove from heat.
- Mix the chicken or pork with ¾ cup of the red enchilada sauce.
- To assemble the bowls, layer noodles on the bottom (about ¾ cup); add ¼ cup of black beans, and ½ cup of chicken or pork. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and drizzle with the crema and a tbsp. or two of enchilada sauce. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
The enchilada sauce can be made in advance: it's a great weekend cooking project. Store in the freezer until you're ready to use it.
Prep the sweet potato noodles the night before or the morning of; store in the fridge in a zip-top bag.
You can also prep all of the toppings in advance and keep them in the fridge.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Related
A delicious, smoky sauce made with dried guajillo chiles, charred tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Great for a weekend cooking project, then store it in the freezer for busy weeknights. |
Corina says
I love the use of the sweet potato noodles in this - such a healthy recipe and it sounds delicious too!
Michelle says
Thanks, Corina!
Patty @pattysaveurs.com says
Looks scrumptious Michelle, very much appreciated the comparison between rice and sweet potato, very interesting, thanks! 🙂
Michelle says
Thank you, Patty! Thanks for stopping by!
Laura says
Thank you for opening my eye to sweet potatoes, I didn't know they are better for diabetic diets. I love your scientific chit chat and this recipe is really appealing. I will add it on my meal plan
Michelle says
Thank you, Laura! I'm glad you enjoyed the science-y part! 😉
Linda says
I have never thought about making sweet potato noodles...zucchini sometimes, yes, but this looks awesome! My boyfriend loves sweet potatoes, I' ll surprise him with this, sure he will love it!Thanks for the recipe.
Michelle says
You're welcome, Linda! Yes, I was stuck on zucchini for the longest time before I realized that SO much more can be spiralized—I even like some veggies better!
Anjali says
I've totally been into spiralizing recently! So these sweet potato noodles in enchilada sound great!
Michelle says
"Help! I'm spiralizing and can't stop!" ME TOO. Thanks for stopping by!
Rae says
I love the use of sweet potatoes in this recipe! Enchiladas is one of my favorite dishes and this makes it a healthier meal by far.
Michelle says
Thanks, Rae! Sweet potatoes go so great with smoky flavors, and they're so healthy!
Luci's Morsels says
Sweet potato noodles; genius! This looks delicious and I love that it doesn't wreck a healthy eating plan. This looks so flavorful and I can't wait to try this one. Thanks for sharing! Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.
Michelle says
Thank you, Luci! I hope you love it!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
I've never had an enchilada bowl before but that sounds so good to me! The sweet potato noddles are extra special too, so fun and delicious!
Michelle says
Thanks, Emily! They ARE fun to make.
Tara says
My husband is a huge fan of the rice bowls. I love your version with sweet potatoes. Such a great switch. And the breakdown of the components is incredibly helpful.
Michelle says
Thank you, Tara! I hope you love these! 😉
Kim @ Three Olives Branch says
Fun idea incorporating the sweet potato! Love Mexican food anything, yum!
Michelle says
Thank you, Kim! 🙂
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C says
I actually geeked out on your explanation of why sweet potatoes are better than white rice. I love sweet potatoes! Now, I just need to get a spiralizer.
Michelle says
Haha, thanks Andrea!! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who geeks out to science-y stuff. 😉
Megan Marlowe says
I always make zucchini noodles but for some reason never thought to make sweet potato noodles! What a genius idea! I cannot wait to try this!
Michelle says
Hi, Megan! I know what you mean: I was stuck on zoodles for the longest time. Now I've branched out and found several kinds of veggie noodle that I like even better!
Deanna says
I love sweet potato! This sounds like heaven to me, i have to try it!!!
Michelle says
Thanks, Deanna!