Brown Rice and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

For the Enchilada Sauce*:

1 tsp. olive oil

½ cup finely minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. chili powder

½ tbsp. cumin

¼ tsp. salt

15 oz. can tomato sauce

½ cup water

For the Casserole:

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 lb. ground turkey

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

½ cup finely chopped onion

Sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

Make the Enchilada Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a low simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook the brown rice:

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in the(instant) brown rice; cover and remove from heat.

Cook the Sweet Potatoes:

Set a steamer basket over a pot of water and bring to a boil. Place sweet potato cubes in the steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool slightly.

Assemble the Casserole:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, brown rice, sweet potatoes, black beans, enchilada sauce, 1 ½ cups of the cheese, onion and turkey. Stir until everything is well combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining ½ cup of cheese.

Bake until casserole is hot and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

*You can substitute 15 ounces of store-bought enchilada sauce if you prefer.