There are three things that Ryan won't touch - sweet potatoes, coconuts and beets. Since all of these are in my fav list, I only cook with them when he is out of town. I have tried everything to get him to like these ingredients, but he won't budge!
Well, lucky for me, Ryan was going out of town and my bestie Meg was coming over for a girls night.
I decided to make dinner with one of the "hubbie-hated" ingredients. I came across this creamy sweet potato pasta dish on How Sweet It Is a few weeks ago that I wanted to try. Since Meg and I had a run the next morning and I was on a kale-kick - this recipe was perfect!
Serves: 4 good size portions
Prep Time: 45 minutes (cooking sweet potato)
Cook Time: 25 minutes
1 large sweet potato, cooked, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 T unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 T whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 box favorite pasta (preferably noodles) - I use Ancient Quinoa Harvest linguini
1 bunch of kale, leaves torn from stems and chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or plain olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
To cook the sweet potato, pierce with a fork several times and cook in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take out and peel when cooled enough to the touch. The skin should come right off.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large cookie sheet, add kale and drizzle sesame oil (or olive oil) and salt and pepper over. Toss to coat with your hands and massage kale for 1-2 minutes, until flavors are well distributed. Bake for about 15 minutes, tossing 1-2 times while cooking, until crispy. Remove and set aside. Watch carefully so they don't burn.
Bring pasta water to a boil and prepare pasta according to directions.
In a medium bowl mash the sweet potato and add the milk and cheese, stir until well blended. Set aside.
Melt butter over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add in shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt, cooking for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Increase heat to medium and add in flour, whisking constantly to create somewhat of a roux. Once the roux has turned golden, add in mashed sweet potato mixture, whisking to combine. Let the mixture come to a simmer in order for it to thicken a bit, but be careful because it thickens quickly. If it becomes too thick, simply add a little milk to thin it out. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once pasta is finished cooking, reserve a cup of pasta water before draining the noodles. Add noodles directly into the sweet potato sauce and stir (easiest with tongs if you used a long noodle). Let sit for a few minutes, then transfer everything to a large bowl. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta waterTop with crispy kale and additional Parmesan.
If you have leftovers, add a bit of water or milk when reheating to loosen up the sauce again.
Well, lucky for me, Ryan was going out of town and my bestie Meg was coming over for a girls night.
 |
| Crispy kale. |
 |
| Look at that creamy goodness! |
With cosmos poured and creamy sweet potato pasta with crispy kale in hand - let girls night commence!
Sweet Potato Pasta with Crispy Kale
Serves: 4 good size portions
Prep Time: 45 minutes (cooking sweet potato)
Cook Time: 25 minutes
1 large sweet potato, cooked, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 T unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 T whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 box favorite pasta (preferably noodles) - I use Ancient Quinoa Harvest linguini
1 bunch of kale, leaves torn from stems and chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or plain olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
To cook the sweet potato, pierce with a fork several times and cook in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take out and peel when cooled enough to the touch. The skin should come right off.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large cookie sheet, add kale and drizzle sesame oil (or olive oil) and salt and pepper over. Toss to coat with your hands and massage kale for 1-2 minutes, until flavors are well distributed. Bake for about 15 minutes, tossing 1-2 times while cooking, until crispy. Remove and set aside. Watch carefully so they don't burn.
Bring pasta water to a boil and prepare pasta according to directions.
In a medium bowl mash the sweet potato and add the milk and cheese, stir until well blended. Set aside.
Melt butter over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add in shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt, cooking for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Increase heat to medium and add in flour, whisking constantly to create somewhat of a roux. Once the roux has turned golden, add in mashed sweet potato mixture, whisking to combine. Let the mixture come to a simmer in order for it to thicken a bit, but be careful because it thickens quickly. If it becomes too thick, simply add a little milk to thin it out. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once pasta is finished cooking, reserve a cup of pasta water before draining the noodles. Add noodles directly into the sweet potato sauce and stir (easiest with tongs if you used a long noodle). Let sit for a few minutes, then transfer everything to a large bowl. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta waterTop with crispy kale and additional Parmesan.
If you have leftovers, add a bit of water or milk when reheating to loosen up the sauce again.
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