Mexican-Inspired Sweet Potato Casserole

If there’s one type of cuisine I couldn’t live without, it would definitely be Mexican food. Rice, beans, peppers, salsa, avocados, tortillas…I just love it all.

I’m also a big fan of casseroles because they’re warm and satisfying, and they usually make enough leftovers for lunch the following day.

For this casserole, we’re layering spiralized sweet potatoes almost like you would a lasagna with salsa, black beans, peppers, onions, and cheese. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

If you don’t have a spiralizer, don’t worry, you can still make the casserole using diced sweet potatoes instead. However, the benefit to spiralizing them is that they take a lot less less time to cook. Plus, for whatever reason, they’re more fun to eat when they’re shaped like spaghetti.

I threw in jalapeño and used medium salsa because we like spicy food in our house, but feel free to adjust the recipe to your personal preferences. You can always leave out the jalapeño and use your favorite mild (or hot, if you like) salsa.

Mexican-Inspired Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato noodles make this Mexican-inspired casserole a low-carb dinner.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers (any color), cored and sliced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, cored and sliced
• 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• A pinch of salt
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I like a blend of Monterey jack and cheddar)
• 4 medium sweet potatoes, spiralized
• Diced tomatoes, avocado and fresh cilantro for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then lightly grease an 8×10″ casserole dish.
2. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, until translucent. Next add the bell peppers, jalapeño, corn, chili powder, cumin, and salt then stir and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the salsa and beans, then set aside.
3. Layer half of the spiralized sweet potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish then cover with half of the vegetable mixture and top with 1 cup of the cheese. Finish with the remaining sweet potatoes, vegetables and cheese, then cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the foil, set the oven to broil and cook for about 5 more minutes, just until the cheese is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then garnish with diced tomatoes, avocado and cilantro before serving.

Notes

If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can dice the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes instead