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This healthy pasta recipe features spiralized sweet potato noodles tossed in a fast, dairy-free roasted red pepper sauce. It makes a delicious plant-based weeknight meal, and it’s great for allergy-friendly homes as it’s nut-free and gluten-free, too.
Spiralized sweet potato noodles are one of my favorite healthy pasta substitutes, because they have a comforting flavor and texture, while also providing loads of nutrition in each bite. (I use this spiralizer at home– it’s my favorite!)
Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin A and magnesium, which are thought to help protect against the effects of stress and aging, and they’re also loaded with fiber to help leave you feeling satisfied.
This dairy-free roasted red pepper sauce gets its “creaminess” from additional sweet potato, which I simply steam while my red peppers are broiling in the oven.
The combination of sweet red peppers, creamy potatoes, and a touch of sauteed garlic makes this sauce slightly sweet, a little spicy, and ultra comforting.
You can add any other vegetables you like to this quick noodle stir fry. My family is partial to adding fresh or frozen peas when we have them on hand, and we’ve also added sauteed mushrooms and asparagus, when it’s in season.
Since you can taste this stir-fry as you go, it’s hard to go wrong. Just be sure to season these “noodles” generously with salt and pepper, since you’re not using a traditional pasta (which traditionally has plenty of salt already included.)
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Noodles
- 2 large sweet potatoes , peeled (save 1/2 potato for sauce)
- 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- sea salt , to taste
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup steamed sweet potato (mashed)
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Slice one of the large sweet potatoes in half, and cut that half into chunks so that you can steam them for the sauce. You'll need roughly 1 1/2 cups of raw sweet potato chunks to produce 1 cup of mashed sweet potato for the sauce.
- Steam the sweet potato by placing the chunks into a small saucepan fitted with a steamer basket and an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and then lower the heat to let the potatoes steam until fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes are steaming, you can roast your own red peppers or use about 1/2 cup of jarred roasted red peppers.
- Use a spiralizer or vegetable peeler to create "noodles" out of the remaining sweet potatoes, then set them aside.
- To prepare the Red Pepper Sauce, warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and briefly saute the minced garlic, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the cooked garlic to a blender, along with the steamed sweet potato chunks, roasted red pepper, water, basil, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- To prepare the sweet potato noodles, saute them in a touch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in the peas and sauce, and saute until the noodles are as tender as you'd like them to be. Adjust any seasoning to taste, and serve warm.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply saute everything in a warm skillet again until piping hot.
Nutrition
Calories per serving: 378, Fat: 26g, Carbohydrates: 34, Fat: 26, Protein: 6g
Recipe Notes:
- Sweet potatoes come in two varieties– the classic orange color that people also call yams, and a type with white flesh. I think you can use these interchangeably, so feel free to use whichever type is easiest for you to locate. I used orange fleshed sweet potatoes for the noodles, and steamed white sweet potatoes for the sauce, because I already had those pre-steamed for my baby to eat, as well.
- Because this is an easy skillet meal, feel free to make any modifications you see fit, and just taste as you go. You could use zucchini noodles for a lower-carb noodle, and steamed cauliflower instead of the potatoes in the sauce, if you like. Just adjust the seasoning as you see fit!
- If you’re in a hurry, you can skip sauteing the garlic for the red pepper sauce, but it will have more of a spicy bite that way!
As always, please leave a comment below if you make any modifications, so we can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to serve sweet potatoes?
Which nut milk is best to use….any suggestions??
Homemade almond milk is usually my go-to!
This sounds lovely and really tasty. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
Seriously delicious & fun to make, too!
We’ve shared this recipe (and a link!) on our Facebook Page for our vegetable spiralizer the Noodle Doodle. Looks yummy!
I love sweet potato “noodles” this looks so simple and delicious. Can’t wait to try!!
Has anyone tried the cream sauce with zucchini noodles? I use zucchini for a spaghetti type dish and a Spanish dish with cumin and cayenne. But I’m wondering if it would work when with a creamier sauce like this one. Either way! LOVE this idea.
Thank you for such a wonderful website. I am going to try the vegan lifestyle again and wish I would have known about your website the first time I decided to go vegan. Can I make this in advance to take into work for lunch or is best served immediately? T