If you don't have the red enchilada sauce on hand, start with that. It takes about 10 minutes to whip up. The instructions for making this delicious healthy comfort food meal are broken down between beans, sweet potatoes, enchilada mixture, assembly, and baking. It might seem a little complicated at first, but after you do it once or twice, you may not even need to refer back to this recipe when you make it again.

Beans

This recipe uses one 15-ounce can of no salt added (or low sodium) black beans. If you decide to make your own from dried black beans, start with that. You'll need 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans for this recipe. Check out this article on how to cook dried beans using the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop methods.

If using canned black beans, drain and rinse and then set aside.

Sweet potatoes

Prepare the sweet potatoes by peeling and dicing them into bite-size pieces (about 1/2-inch thick). Place the sweet potatoes into a medium pot with about 3 to 4 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and drain diced sweet potato and set aside. You don't want the sweet potato to get mushy. They should be tender but still firm.

Enchilada mixture

Preheat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and dry saute for 4 minutes or until the onions start to brown.

Add red bell pepper, garlic, and spices, and give it a good stir to incorporate. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Add cooked black beans, sweet potatoes, and about 1/4 cup of red enchilada sauce. Carefully stir to incorporate.

To finish off the mixture for this casserole, add the fresh spinach. Put the lid on the saute pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to let the spinach wilt. Remove the lid and turn off the heat. Stir, so the spinach is combined with the rest of the enchilada casserole mixture. Set the pan aside.

Assemble and bake

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).

Stack and slice the corn tortillas into four or six sections.

Prepare the casserole dish for assembly. An 8x8-, 9x9-, or 10.5x7.5-inch casserole dish works well. Pour a few tablespoons of the red enchilada sauce into the bottom of the dish and swirl around, so it coats the entire bottom. Add a layer of the corn tortillas directly onto the sauce at the bottom. Then spoon on a layer of the enchilada mixture. Add another layer of corn tortillas and pour a few more tablespoons of red enchilada sauce on top. Spoon more mixture and repeat until you've used up the rest of the corn tortillas and enchilada mixture. Finally, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the entire casserole.

Cover the casserole dish with foil, put it into the preheated oven, and bake at 350 F (180 C) for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to get that deep rich color on top.

Remove from the oven and enjoy with fresh chopped cilantro, lime juice, and any optional toppings.

Leftovers for this casserole keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This recipe is also great for meal prep. Portion out the casserole put it into airtight containers, and freeze for up to 4 months. Reheat from frozen in the microwave (at reduced power) or oven (at 325 F (160 C) for 15 to 20 minutes) for a convenient, healthy, and delicious weeknight meal.