This sweet potato carbonara is made spicy with some red pepper and sriracha for a great, noodle-less version of a classic pasta comfort food.
After a week off and far too many episodes of season 4 of The Walking Dead (we finished it last night).
Now I’m desperately researching how I can somehow find season 5 online to see what happens to them at Terminus <– how didn’t they see that coming?!
I finally got back into the kitchen yesterday afternoon to make this sweet potato carbonara.
I’ve had this recipe in my head for weeks now but day after day just kept going by and my couch, the wood stove and pretty Christmas tree just kept winning out. Aka: my laziness took over.
Carbonara is pure comfort food to me.
My mom used to make it very infrequently when we were kids and it was always such a treat.
It’s hard not to get excited about pasta + bacon + creamy eggy goodness.
On my first trip to Italy, I ordered it at a Venetian street-side restaurant overlooking the grand canal thinking it’d be the best carbonara of my life only to be seriously disappointed in how it compared to mom’s.
I can’t even explain what it lacked, it just didn’t even come close to the carbonara I knew and loved.
So with this version, that’s what I wanted to achieve.
All the creamy comfort (with the fresh pop of parsley – my favorite) with a little less of the carb overload (like this sweet potato noodle dish) because let’s be honest, no one can actually eat just one serving size of pasta, it’s more like three.
My beloved julienne peeler came out and 5 minutes later I had noodled the heck out of probably the largest sweet potato I’ve ever seen.
Tossed with eggs, milk, parmesan, bacon and some spice (not original to mom’s version, but who doesn’t love some spice?), this sweet potato carbonara became exactly what I’d been dreaming up in my head for the last couple weeks.
Glad I finally got off the couch to make it.
Love This Recipe For Spicy Sweet Potato Carbonara?
Try other sweet potato recipes like harissa sweet potato hash, turkey sausage stuffed sweet potatoes and shrimp Caesar salad stuffed sweet potatoes.
This gnocchi carbonara is also a comforting twist on the classic Italian recipe.
Spicy Sweet Potato Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into noodles with a julienne peeler or spiralizer
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 shallots, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add bacon and cook until crisp.
- Reduce heat to medium, add shallots and cook for about 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook 1 more minute and turn off heat.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potato noodles to the pot once boiling and cook for about 5 minutes until soft.
- While sweet potato noodles cook, whisk together the eggs, milk, sriracha and parmesan in a small bowl.
- Drain the sweet potatoes and return them to the pot.
- Immediately pour the egg mixture into the pot and toss with tongs until well coated. Make sure to do this quickly so the egg doesn’t scramble. It should coat the noodles in a creamy sauce and will cook from the heat of the noodles.
- Add the bacon/shallot mixture and parsley to the noodles and toss again.
- Serve immediately with more parmesan and parsley for garnish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I love carbonara, and this sweet potato version looks so delicious!!
So the Walking Dead is probably the ONLY show I have not started yet. To see that you love it…. makes me think that perhaps I would like it too. You don’t seem like the zombie type of fan, so I’m guessing it is not as lame as I think? I might start it now…
This carbonara looks freaking awesome, and I love that you reduced the carbs!
I can assure you, there’s nothing I find lamer and more irritating than zombie and vampire shows/movies. This isn’t like that at all. The zombies are kinda just peripheral in this series. You MUST watch :)
Oh girl. we could talk for DAYS about this. Days.
Love it! I’ve actually never made carbonara with egg….I know I’m terrible but I must give it a try!
So, so clever, Gina! And these photos are just stunning! Pinned!
Sweet potatoes rule and loving the healthy spin on carbonara! Happing in our house soon!
This looks so incredibly good. I can’t wait to try!
I think you can catch season 5 of The Walking Dead on Amazon Prime, but I think you have to pay per episode. Maybe they will run them on TV during the marathon? I’m still catching up on the last half of season four (on Netflix). But then I get swallowed into 237659 other things and TV watching doesn’t happen.
Totally digging this carbanara dish. I have four giant sweet potatoes sitting on my counter. Some of them may have a purpose now. :) Happy New Year, Gina!
Love this! I need to get me one of those peelers! :)
MMMmmm! I want to dive into that plate, someone grab me a fork! It looks so yummy! Pinned!
I’ve got a sweet potato carbonara recipe too – the sweet potato is such a tasty twist! I can’t wait to try yours, and I love that little bit of heat! Pinned!