Sweet potato noodles are a healthy way to enjoy the comforting vibe of a pasta dish with a bit more added nutrition. They’re vegetarian and gluten-free with a fun twist to a classic Alfredo dish.
A few years ago, veggie noodles were all the rage. At the time, I only owned a
It was during this spiralizing obsession that this sweet potato noodle dish was created. Except back then, the recipe was completely different. There was goat cheese and figs involved, and while delicious, I recently decided to overhaul it with ingredients and flavors that are a bit more universally loved.
The result is this creamy sweet potato noodle recipe tossed with garlicky wilted spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. The sauce is created with sweet potatoes, milk and parmesan and makes for a decadent yet healthier variation on Alfredo sauce.
If you’re looking for something naturally gluten-free and a bit lower carb than pasta, look no further.
How To Make Sweet Potato Noodles
If you came here looking for Korean sweet potato noodles or sweet potato glass noodles, those are different. This recipe uses whole sweet potatoes and spiralizes them, whereas sweet potato glass noodles are more heavily processed and sold that way as a packaged item pasta item.
You can make these sweet potato noodles one of three ways:
- Using a
spiralizer — There are multiple types of these that range from a stand alone tool for about $30 to attachments for a stand mixer for a bit more. - Use a julienne peeler — This $8 option is the most cost effective but requires some extra elbow grease and time. I used this option for years though before buying a
spiralizer . - Buy store-bought sweet potato noodles — If you don’t have a way to make the noodles at home, you can always buy them pre-made. Many grocery stores now offer this convenience item in the produce section.
Once you’ve decided on how to spiralize the sweet potato into noodles, you’ll start by peeling the potato.
If you’re using a
If you’re using a
What You’ll Need For This Creamy Sweet Potato Noodle Recipe
Now that you’ve turned the sweet potatoes into noodles, here are the other ingredients for this recipe.
The Sauce
While not quite an Alfredo sauce, this creamy sauce made with more sweet potatoes, mimics it really well in a deliciously nutritious way.
- Sweet potatoes — Boiled and blended, this makes up the creamy base of the sauce.
- Onion & garlic — Add extra flavor to the sauce.
- Jarred red peppers — Roasted red peppers bring some life to the sweet potato flavor and a bit of punch.
- Milk — You can use any type of milk you prefer, making this recipe adaptable to any diet.
- Parmesan — A little bit of grated cheese helps make the sauce extra creamy and decadent. Feel free to substitute Pecorino Romano if you prefer sheep’s milk cheeses.
- Spices — Salt, pepper and smoked paprika add flavor.
The Noodles
Just using sweet potato noodles would be a bit boring so there are a few added components to this dish to make it interesting.
- Sweet potato noodles
- Baby spinach — Or any other leafy green like kale, Swiss chard, etc.
- Sun-dried tomatoes — The ones packed in olive oil bring great flavor but you can also use the dried kind.
- Fresh basil — Any fresh chopped herb works fine here but I love the zesty punch of basil for this recipe.
How To Make This Sweet Potato Noodle Recipe
Start with the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so until fragrant.
Simultaneously, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt then add the cubed sweet potatoes to the pot. Boil them for about 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain and allow to cool for a few minutes. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel then add to a blender with the cooked onion mixture and remaining sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tip
Try adding some ground cinnamon and nutmeg to the sauce. It might sound weird, but these sweet spices go really well with savory dishes, especially sweet potatoes. This recipe for pumpkin stuffed shells includes both and they’re the perfect subtle addition to the ricotta filling.
Make the noodles by adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Once hot, place the prepared sweet potato noodles in the pan and cook, tossing frequently, for 2-5 minutes until the noodles are al dente. Transfer the noodles to a plate and set aside (or push them to one side of the pan). Add the remaining tablespoon of oil along with the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the sweet potato noodles back in the pan, pour the sauce over top and toss everything together until well combined. Add a touch more milk if the sauce is too thick.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with the fresh basil and extra parmesan. The full recipe card can be found below for more details.
Why You’ll Love It
- The faux-cream sauce is so deliciously decadent. One of my favorite things to do is make a killer cream sauce from vegetables. These butternut squash lasagna roll-ups and this creamy pumpkin garlic pasta are perfect examples of that. You’ll love this sauce so much!
- It’s a fun way to enjoy sweet potatoes in a new light if you’re sick of roasting, mashing and turning them into fries.
- Satisfies a pasta craving without actually being pasta.
- Can work as a side dish or be more of a main course with the addition of some protein like leftover shredded chicken or sliced steak on top.
More Veggie Noodle Recipes To Try
Spaghetti squash is the original veggie noodle, naturally turning into faux-pasta after cooking. I love combining it with pesto for an easy side dish.
These zucchini noodles with creamy avocado sauce are one of my first forays into the world of zoodles and even won me a radio contest back in the day!
Kohlrabi is probably not a vegetable you’d think to turn into noodles but it makes a great crunchy salad.
If you want another way to use sweet potato noodles, try this sweet potato carbonara recipe.
Sweet Potato Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 jarred red peppers, 135g / 4.7 oz
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes, 280g / 9.8oz
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup milk of choice , plus more to thin if needed
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated, plus more to serve
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Optional 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
For the Noodles:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large sweet potatoes, 800g / 28 oz
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, chives, or other herbs of choice
- Olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- In a large non-stick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the cubed sweet potato and boil for 15 minutes until soft. Drain. Allow to cool slightly then pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels..
- Add the sautéed onions and garlic, jarred peppers, sweet potato, milk, cheese, salt, pepper and optional paprika and blitz in a high speed blender (or food processor) until smooth.
- Peel sweet potatoes and spiralize using the thicker ribbon blade. Discard the edges of the sweet potatoes as needed.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes noodles; toss in the pan for 2 – 4 minutes with tongs until al-dente. You may need to do this in two batches so they cook properly. Remove the noodles from the pan and transfer to a dish. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes for 1 minute.
- Add the noodles back into the pan then pour the sauce on top and toss to combine. Add more milk or water if the sauce is a little thick.
- Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and top with fresh herbs to serve.
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.
Sweet Potato Noodles? That is so dang creative!
Well I am relieved that I am not a crazy person because I would eat this for SURE! Yummy combo.
Loving all of the yummy flavours going on in this dish.. I must recreate the recipe, nothing beats noodles for dinner!
This is seriously so amazing, it’s all my favourite things in one dish! I can’t wait to try this ,we have a bunch of sweet potatoes and figs. Thanks for the recipe!
https://mindfullyaudrina.blogspot.com/
Oh. My. God. I must make this. It sounds incredible!!
What!? Really!? Kinda grossed out but I’m with you.. they are too delicious to not eat.
Loving this recipe with the creamy goat cheese, sweet figs, and then crunchy nutty hazelnuts. Basically its everything you want in a big!
I think I will stay away from that article.. I don’t want it to ruin figs for me!!
So pretty. And as for the figs… I’m going to have to read that and fwd it to the Mr. I wonder if people allergic to wasps stings can somehow then be allergic to figs?
WOW and I mean WOW what a great recipe. I have been incorporating fresh figs into our dinners throughout the week and this is a genius recipe.
Wow! The flavors sound fantastic.. and looks really yummy!