Creamy Sweet Potato Noodles

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.

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A few years ago, veggie noodles were all the rage. At the time, I only owned a julienne peeler and was going to town on any vegetable that I could use it on. It started with zucchini and progressed all the way to winter squash like these butternut squash noodles.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 spiralizer, cut the potato in half and align it on the spiralizer so it’s centered. You can choose whichever blade you prefer to get different noodle thicknesses.

If you’re using a julienne peeler, you don’t need to cut the potato in half. Simply peel the potato and then use the julienne peeler to make strands. This will give you thinner noodles than a spiralizer so keep that in mind when cooking as they will cook faster in the pan.

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.

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.

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Sweet Potato Noodles

By: Gina Matsoukas

Servings: 6 servings

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

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Sweet potato noodles with garlicky spinach and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy sweet potato-based sauce are a gluten-free, vegetarian twist on Alfredo.

Equipment

• Spiralizer
• Julienne peeler

Ingredients 

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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

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 258kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 7gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 543mgPotassium: 990mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 22992IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

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Gina Matsoukas

Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

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.