Sweet Potato Spaghetti Marinara
Sweet potato spaghetti marinara is a great alternative to traditional pasta!
A few years ago I bought a spiralizer and I started spiralizing everything. I became one of those annoying people who forced new creations on anyone who came into my house. While some of them were excellent, some were… well… really, really bad. Just because you can make pasta ribbons and spaghetti out of lots of things, doesn’t mean you should.
So, I took a break from my spiralizer.
Now, let me tell you about this amazing marinara sauce. Because it is truly is amazing. A few weeks ago I spent 5 glorious days on vacation in Anguilla. I had the honor of being able to cook with a great chef from Italy and we made his favorite simple pasta sauce. This is my version of his recipe (I used parsley instead of basil because I wanted to try it and I had some great looking parsley in my fridge) — it’s simple and it’s delicious!
I walked into Whole Foods the other day, and in the produce department, there they were — containers of pre-cut sweet potato spaghetti. They called my name. So, I’m back at it again… and I’m excited to make these sweet potato noodles so many different ways. But for now, I wanted a vehicle for this great sauce.
This sweet potato spaghetti marinara is awesome. It was a great experiment (I’m sure there will be some more losers along the way, but this recipe is great) and it was even good cold out of the refrigerator during the week.
And here’s another vegetable spaghetti that’s a winner: Raw Spaghetti Zucchini Antipasto Salad.
Here are some of the reasons you should make this sweet potato spaghetti marinara recipe:
Sweet potatoes are good for your digestive system. They can be good for both constipation and diarrhea. These orange gems also help rid your body of excess water, are good for breast health, help people with diabetes and actually can help ease night blindness. In olden times, it was common in China to rub mashed sweet potatoes on poison insect bites to remove the toxins. I haven’t tried this, but if you see me looking a tad orange, this will be why…
Parsley has been shown to reduce tumors in the lungs and to neutralize the effects of carcinogens, including cigarette smoke. It is high in vitamins A and C, and is good for your heart. This herb is also a natural breath freshener. So, if you have a chance to use more than a few sprigs as a garnish, go for it.
In Chinese medicine, we use tomatoes to aid in digestion and to help detoxify the body. They are also good to combat excess cholesterol, lessen inflammation and curb asthma. Tomatoes can also quench thirst, and they can help fight some kidney infections.
Scallions, as I tell you often, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.
| Sweet Potato Spaghetti Marinara | Print |
- 1 lb sweet potato spaghetti noodles (I was able to buy them pre-spiralized, but you can spiralize a few large peeled sweet potatoes yourself)
- 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 very large shallot, peeled and quartered (feel free to use an onion instead)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup packed parsley (leaves and stems)
- 1 28-oz can tomatoes with basil (use whatever canned tomatoes you have on hand)
- For topping:
- 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 scallions, sliced
- ¼ cup parsley
- Blanch the sweet potato spaghetti in a pot of salted hot water for 20 seconds, then drain it and set it aside.
- Make the sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the oil.
- Add the shallot, garlic, and parsley.
- Cook, over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully pour the tomatoes into the pot, season generously with salt and pepper, and let the sauce cook for 45-minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Let the sauce cook a little bit, and then blend it in a standard blender or use an immersion blender, until it's very smooth.
- Pour the sauce back into the pot, add the sweet potato noodles, and cook over low heat about 5 minutes or until the noodles are cooked, but still al dente.
- Meanwhile, sauce the scallions and ¼ cup parsley in 2 Tbs oil for about 1-min.
- Top the spaghetti with the sautéed scallions and parsley,
- Enjoy!
Looks great. I never had spaghetti like this, thanks a lot
Keith, if you’ve never had it, you should try it. I love it! Thanks!
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