Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta

Suggested total time: 30 minutes
Recipe: Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta (recipe from Hy-Vee)
Ingredients:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups shredded, peeled sweet potato (about 1 medium)
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preparation:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Cook pasta until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes or according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, cook 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Stirring occasionally until sizzling and fragrant.
• Add the sweet potato, bell pepper, tomatoes and water. Cook, stirring occasionally until the bell pepper is tender crisp. Approx. 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from heat after pepper is crisp, cover and keep warm.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta.
• Drain the pasta.
• Return the pasta to the pot.
• Add the vegetable mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, parsley, tarragon, vinegar or lemon juice.
• Toss to combine.
• Add the reserved pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time to achieve the desired consistency.

This is a great recipe. I’ve never had sweet potatoes in my pasta before, but it might become more of something that I do now. I will say that I spent almost 45 minutes just cutting up my vegetables with an addition 30 minutes of actual cooking. I couldn’t find any cloves, so I used this garlic salt that I had instead for a substitute. I didn’t use fresh parsley or tarragon because I couldn’t find any so I used some dried ones I had. I also omitted the goat cheese as I have no idea where I would get anything like that and it’s a dairy item which I can’t consume.

Overall, this dish smells phenomenal. It tastes delicious too. I wasn’t sure how well it would turn out since I was adding sweet potatoes to pasta, but I was pleasantly surprised. If you’re looking for something to liven up your pasta, give this one a try!

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Stuffed Peppers