BAKED BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO FLAUTAS

These cheesy Baked Dark Bean and Nice Potato Flautas are usually among my hottest recipes actually, and once and for all reason too!

I proceeded to go full-on neurotic with this particular recipe. I examined. And examined. And tested even more.

Poor me perfect? I had to consume all those tasty flautas. The horror.

Every time they tasted excellent, but I’m a little ruthless. I needed them to become downright irresistable.

It’s time that veggies get center stage inside a dish, and not simply become an after-thought, slapped on our plates just like a pile of unfortunate peas. Not really that peas are usually sad, however when you spend hrs slaving over a primary course and then microwave a little pouch of buttered peas and put them close to your masterpiece of a primary dish… nicely, that’s sort of sad. Veggies require love too! Therefore, as usually, I’m here to provide vegetables 1st billing.

COURSE APPETIZER, MAIN DISH
CUISINE MEXICAN
KEYWORD BAKED BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO FLAUTAS
PREP TIME 25 MINUTES
COOK TIME 16 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME 41 MINUTES
SERVINGS 9 FLAUTAS

Ingredients

• 9 corn tortillas
• 1 cup black beans (drained + rinsed if using canned)
• 1 cup mexi-corn (corn + red/green peppers)
• 1 small/medium sweet potato
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried or fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes optional
• 2 oz full-fat or 1/3 fat cream cheese room temperature (optional but tasty!)
• 4-6 ounces grated cheese* plus extra to taste
• 1-2 TBSP taco sauce, enchilada sauce, or salsa plus extra to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• all-natural olive oil spray or plain oil
• parsley or cilantro + fresh veggies to garnish

DIP IT!

• salsa
• sour cream or Greek yogurt
• uacamole

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 425F.
2. Poke a few holes in your sweet potato, wrap it in a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave on high for about 6-8 minutes. The paper towel trick keeps the potato moist
3. While you wait, combine corn, diced or minced peppers, and diced or minced onion with your black beans, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, cayenne, and taco sauce/salsa. If you prefer very tender veggies, feel free to saute the vegetables first in a little butter or oil to tenderize. Your cayenne and red pepper flakes will control the spice-factor; adjust those to taste. I alternate between using my favorite flavorful red enchilada sauce, spicy taco sauce, and a natural, zesty salsa like Mrs. Renfros Green Salsa, all have produced delicious results!
4. Once your sweet potato is cooked, fluff the inside with a fork and add the flesh [minus the skin] to the rest of your veggies and mix thoroughly.
5. Add salt, pepper, and any additional seasoning to taste. I usually add a little extra sprinkle chili powder, cumin, and garlic!
6. Next, working in small batches of maybe 3-4 tortillas, wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Follow it up with an additional 30 seconds, if needed. The goal here is to steam the tortillas so they roll into perfect flautas without breaking or cracking =) This trick works like a charm!
7. Immediately spray or rub one side each tortilla with oil and add “line” of veggie filling to the center of the “dry side” of each tortilla, about 1-inch thick.
8. Top it off with a layer of cheese [as much or as little as you want! if you’re using cream cheese as well you can mix it into the shredded cheese before topping] and roll the tortilla.
9. Place on a wire baking/cooling rack and seal with a toothpick, if needed.
10. Repeat these steps until you have a rack full of flautas.
11. Give them one more teeny spritz of olive oil to get them extra crispy [no-frying! whoo!] and set the rack baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. The wire rack elevates the flautas and allows them to get nice and crispy on both sides. If you don’t own a wire rack, simply place the flautas on aluminum foil after spraying and turn over halfway through cooking so both sides will get a chance to crisp up. Uber easy!
12. Bake on the middle rack, at 425F, for 15 minutes.
13. At the end, set to broil on HIGH for just under a minute to crisp the tortillas into a perfectly golden, crunchy shell.
14. Pile high with any + all veggies you have on hand and serve with plain greek yogurt, salsa, and guacamole for dipping! You can even whip up a small bowl of jalapeno ranch for dunking too! If you have any fresh lime or cilantro both will make a tasty garnish!

Recipe Notes

My favorite cheese options are habanero cheddar, sharp cheddar, and/or Pepper Jack!