Overhead shot of halved sweet potato and black bean burrito.

I’ve done a 180. Last week I encouraged you to use canned beans; this week I’m telling you to cook them from scratch AND, if you’re up for it, to roll your own flour tortillas.

Ignore me. Or don’t:

Earlier this week, for reasons I cannot explain, I made flour tortillas from scratch, something I did often years ago, but can’t justify making a priority anymore.

And then, with a full pot of slow cooker black beans on hand, I took my favorite quesadilla recipe down a different path: I made burritos instead, warming the homemade tortillas slightly, then rolling them with Boston lettuce, sour cream, a little grated Monterey Jack, the smoky sweet potato filling, a spoonful of those warm, creamy beans, and a big squeeze of lime.

When everything is made from scratch — the tortillas, the beans, the filling — there’s no way together it won’t be good. But even so, I was surprised by the combination, by both its freshness and heartiness, by how delicious and satisfying it all tasted as a whole.

Moreover, once everything is made — I know, I know, easier said than done — you have all the components on hand for a quick dinner. Twice this week, after late evening activities, these burritos were dinner. They came together in no time, and they were inhaled about just as quickly. Famished!

If you find yourself holed up this weekend, and you’re up for a little adventure, here’s your game plan:

  1. Break out your crock pot tonight or first thing tomorrow morning, and Cook. Those. Beans.
  2. Tomorrow (or tonight!), make the sweet potato taco filling (recipe included below) — it takes no time to throw together, especially if you have a food processor. It stores well in the fridge, too.
  3. And, should you find yourself twiddling your thumbs, roll out some tortillas — there’s nothing to it: whisk together flour, salt and baking powder; cut in softened butter; add warm water; knead briefly; let rest; shape and roll! Video included below. They’re so much fun. You can do it 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

PS: You guys are loving these two recipes:

Here’s the play-by-play: Make or find some good tortillas.

A stack of homemade flour tortillas.
An overhead shot of a stack of homemade flour tortillas.

Gather the fillings: sweet potato taco filling (recipe below), black beans (slow cooker if you’re up for it), grated cheese, sour cream, and lime.

Overhead shot of a skillet holding sweet potato taco filling.

Start layering …

Overhead shot of a homemade flour tortilla topped with Boston lettuce.
An overhead shot of a sweet potato and black bean burrito, unrolled.
Overhead shot of halved sweet potato and black bean burrito.
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Overhead shot of halved sweet potato and black bean burrito.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

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4.9 from 18 reviews

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Description

Black Beans: You can use one 15-oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed, or if you’re up for cooking from scratch, here are two options:

Ingredients

For the sweet potato filling:

  • 1½ cups finely chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 to 5 cups grated peeled sweet potato
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • generous pinch of cayenne
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • a cup or more of finely minced cilantro
  • fresh lime juice to taste

For assembly:

  • 6 burrito-sized tortillas, homemade are fun
  • sweet potato filling
  • 1.5 cups cooked black beans, see notes above
  • Boston lettuce or other
  • grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack to taste
  • sour cream to taste
  • fresh lime to taste

Instructions

  1. Make the sweet potato filling: In a large sauté pan set over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the grated sweet potatoes, chili powder, cumin and cayenne, turn the heat to low, and cook, covered — covering is important to prevent sticking — for about 8-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure it’s not sticking or burning. When the sweet potato is tender, add salt and pepper to taste and remove the filling from the heat. Stir in the cilantro. Squeeze 1/2 a lime over the sweet potatoes, mix, taste, and adjust with more lime and salt to taste until it tastes nicely seasoned.
  2. Assemble the burritos. Gather all of your ingredients. I like to warm up my beans in a small skillet, and if my sweet potato filling has been refrigerated, I like to warm that up, too. I also like to quickly warm up my tortillas (30 seconds) in a large, dry skillet.
  3. Place a tortilla on a plate. Top with lettuce. Top with beans, then cheese, sweet potato filling, sour cream, and a big squeeze of lime. Roll into a burrito. Halve and serve. (Obviously: layer the fillings as you wish.) Repeat with remaining tortillas and ingredients.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Burrito
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Mexican