Recipe/ Sides/ Vegetarian

Scratch Slow Roasted Sweet Potato Pasta

Who likes Sweet Potato Pasta? Raise your hand. Or, who likes sweet potatoes? Raise your hand. Or, who likes potatoes? Or sweet anything? Raise yo mo’ fo’ hand, ‘yo!

Homemade Sweet Potato Pasta - She Eats

I’m not exactly a picky eater when it comes to vegetables (or sweets for that matter). That’s why whenever our Saanich Organics CSA box would show up each week it was like Christmas – a package loaded with fresh, local, seasonal fruits and veggies that I drew inspiration for the blog from. It was an adventure in cooking each and every day – even with particularly uninteresting vegetables like parsnips, turnips or sprouts; There are only so many places you can stick sprouts without causing a serious bacterial infection.

Most of you already know this (the next bit – not the unhygienic sprout action), but in an effort to find new inspiration now that I’m in the unfortunate position of not having a CSA, I needed to find a new way to get excited about ingredients – particularly in my near-food-desert neighborhood. So I assign myself a vegetable each week and then have to create a new dish. This week? Sweet potatoes. But here’s the thing…

Dried Sweet Potato Pasta - She Eats

I’m not exactly the biggest fan of sweet potatoes. I don’t mind them, but they aren’t usually something I reach for at the farmer’s market. I tend to lean more toward fresh new baby potatoes or rainbow carrots or the oh-so-now-and-glamorous bunch of kale. But that was reason enough to try something new with a vegetable that probably doesn’t quite get the attention it deserves… At least in my kitchen. Enter Sweet Potato Pasta.

I’m not even kidding. This isn’t your Nona’s run of the mill pasta (but it’s pretty darn close).

Fresh Sweet Potato Pasta Noodles - She Eats

It was interesting doing research for this recipe because about 98.4% of the people out there who’ve made Sweet Potato Pasta were really posting about how to thinly slice sweet potatoes, saute them and serve them up as “noodles”. I don’t know about you, but as someone who lasciviously adores Italian food, I wouldn’t exactly call that pasta. Give me the flour!

Having a bit of experience with hand-making pasta in the past between my Scratch Ravioli with Lemony Ricotta, Chard & Caramelized Onion and even Basic Gnocchi, Garden Beet Gnocchi or other Italian bases like Basic Polenta or Polenta Fries

Homemade Sweet Potato Pasta - She Eats

I felt like I could handle this shit. And as I well documented it on Instagram, handle it I did. This pasta ended up tender, flavorful, brilliantly colored, loaded with the nutritional goodness of sweet potatoes and so unbelievably silky… It was heaven on a plate. Topped off with a demi-glace of the Balsamic Slow Braised Grass-Fed Beef Short Rib liquid I tossed it in (though you could just use olive oil or any veggie or cream based sauce to keep it veggie friendly), it was an orgasm on a plate. And in my pants. You want this.

Scratch Slow Roasted Sweet Potato Pasta

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Lbs Tipo “00″ Flour (very fine sieved flour) + Extra Flour for dusting
  • 3 Large Free-Range Organic Eggs
  • 1 Tsp Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 Lb Sweet Potatoes
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. As it heats, stab the sweet potatoes a few times on each side to allow for steam to escape (and to avoid a giant exploding mess in your oven). Drizzle a little olive oil over the sweet potatoes, be sure to rub all over and then season with coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Wrap in foil, place on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until cooked through and soft. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool to touch.
  3. When you can grab them without too much burning on your little hands, scoop flesh into a food processor, puree until smooth. Set aside; Discard skins to the compost.
  4. Now make the pasta! Dump 1 1/2 lbs of flour and fine sea salt on the counter. Starting from the peak, take your fingers and make a well in the center, gently pushing the flour out as your hand moves in careful circles. You want to make sure you have walls all the way around.
  5. Crack your eggs in the center of the well – this is fun! And dump in up to 1 C of the cooled, pureed sweet potatoes.
  6. Now, gently and patiently mix little bits of flour into the eggs until all the flour is incorporated. Use your hands.
  7. Once all the flour is incorporated, knead the dough. Kneading is very easy and a great arm workout! Pretty much bang, massage, flip and rotate the dough until it has the consistency of play-dough all over. If it’s drier than that, add a little bit of water. If it’s too wet (and it likely could be depending on your altitude and sweet potatoes) add a little bit more flour, 1/4 a cup at a time until you can knead without it sticking to your hands all over the place. Only add as much as is necessary though so your pasta isn't too wet or too dry. As soon as it reminds you of play-dough – smooth, elastic, firm – cut into four to eight equal sized pieces, wrap well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
  8. Remove dough from fridge, 1 piece at a time. Unwrap and run it through your pasta maker at the most open setting (mine is 1). Fold it in half and then again put through the machine. Repeat 6-8 times until you have a rather rectangular looking piece of dough. Flip to the next setting (2). Put through the machine. Now move to 3, then 4, etc… Until it's of the desired thickness. For this particular pasta - linguine - I went up to 6.
  9. Separate and hang from a drying rack until ready to cook.
  10. To cook: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt well (it should taste like sea water). Dump in the pasta, stir, cook for 3-4 minutes or until el dente. Drain and serve with sauce of your choice – i.e. Keep it veggie friendly with Saucy Tomato Sauce topped with a good helping of finely grated Parmesan, or use brown butter, a cream sauce, meat ragù or whatever else tickles your fancy!

Eat.

Notes

* If your dough starts getting too long to handle comfortably cut it and work with it as two pieces.* If your dough seems to be getting caught in the machine and is making your strips rough, dust machine and section you're working with, with a little extra flour.

 

Homemade Sweet Potato Pasta Making - She EatsHave you ever infused pasta with anything? Tried Sweet Potato Pasta? What dishes do you refuse to compromise on? Have we met on Instagram yet?

 

  • Jane's Adventures in Dinner
    March 28, 2014 at 11:27 AM

    Holy Moly! That is some of the tastiest pasta that I’ve seen in a very long time. Pinning for sure!

    • Kristy Gardner
      March 28, 2014 at 2:13 PM

      Thank you Jane!! I’m glad you like it! It was a bit of work but so worth the effort!!

  • Christine @ Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers
    March 28, 2014 at 2:43 PM

    Oh wow! Homemade pasta is on my “to do” list… and you’ve just pushed it right up to the tippy-top with this one!!! 🙂

    • Kristy Gardner
      March 28, 2014 at 3:17 PM

      You should totally do it Christine 🙂 It’s something that seems way more complex than it actually is. I think baking bread is WAY scarier – both are basically 3 ingredients or so but with pasta there’s no yeast = nothing to fail! haha.. Just be sure to make sure you have plenty of flour on hand for this particular recipe because the liquid content of your sweet potatoes MAY be higher than mine or even vice versa. When it gets stretchy playdoughy, you’re good.

  • Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
    March 28, 2014 at 5:02 PM

    Hot damn. Can I come visit you and you can teach me your pasta making ways? This just looks too good. Give me all the carbs!

    • Kristy Gardner
      March 30, 2014 at 10:23 AM

      HAHA! Heck yeah! I’ll even make space on my couch for you to sleep 🙂

  • Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
    March 30, 2014 at 3:45 PM

    I love your drink made it into the pasta picture. If I bring the wine, would you please make this for me?

    • Kristy Gardner
      April 10, 2014 at 10:33 AM

      HAHAHAHA – my drinks make it into everywhere. And absofreakinglutely. 🙂

  • Kirsten
    March 30, 2014 at 5:21 PM

    Kristy,
    You make me want a pasta maker. Real bad.

    • Kristy Gardner
      April 10, 2014 at 10:33 AM

      Man I’ve sucked at replying to comments! I apologize for the delay in replying my love …. PS. Totally get a pasta maker. Worth it.

  • Catherine
    April 1, 2014 at 12:41 PM

    Dear Kristy, My mom used to make her own pasta and spaghetti. I haven’t made my own in ages but you have inspired me to try. I have to find my pasta maker first! I like the sweet potato flavor, I bet it is very tasty. You have a wonderful site and I am happy to have found it. Blessings, Catherine

    • Kristy Gardner
      April 10, 2014 at 10:34 AM

      I’m so excited for you Catherine! Mine was really cheap – under a hundred bucks and it works beautifully. Let me know how it works out for you 🙂

  • Cakelaw
    April 1, 2014 at 6:54 PM

    This pasta sounds so good! I am a fan of sweet potatoes, so this is something I’d like to try.

    • Kristy Gardner
      April 10, 2014 at 10:35 AM

      Oooooh! I’m glad you like them Cakelaw! I’ve actually found a lot of people don’t love them – but put anything in pasta and it usually works out 😉

  • danielle
    April 9, 2014 at 10:59 AM

    This sounds seriously amazing!

    • Kristy Gardner
      April 10, 2014 at 10:35 AM

      Thank you Danielle! (it was 😉 )

  • Amy | Club Narwhal
    April 9, 2014 at 2:13 PM

    Kristy, this looks amazing! I have never even heard of sweet potato pasta and am so intrigued. It is such a lovely color!

    • Kristy Gardner
      April 10, 2014 at 10:36 AM

      I know right, Amy???! I couldn’t believe that no one seems to have done it before! It’s brilliant and so worth it. Thanks for stopping by! xo!

  • Sweet Potatoes - 10 Recipes - The Knickerbocker Glory
    November 19, 2014 at 1:43 PM

    […] Handmade Slow Roasted Sweet Potato Pasta from She Eats […]

  • lonnie
    February 16, 2016 at 10:22 AM

    Can I use oat flour? Can I use this recipe to make it into raviolis?

    • Kristy Gardner
      February 26, 2016 at 9:36 AM

      Hey Lonnie! You can certainly use it for raviolis. I don’t have experience with oat flour so I can’t say with certainty. I use regular wheat flour. But if there’s a starch agent that would help the seal in your ravioli, you should be able to. I’d google “Oat flour for ravioli” or “oat flour pasta” and see what you come up with 🙂
      Kristy Gardner recently published…Classic French Madeleines: Lemon Earl Grey + Vanilla Bean Dark ChocolateMy Profile

  • Kitchen Stuff
    March 23, 2016 at 7:54 AM

    This is quite interesting! This sweet potato with a twist is perfect for my carbo-loading every day. I must try the recipes in here! Thanks!

  • kitchen gadgets 2016
    June 29, 2016 at 12:15 PM

    This is simply the best! When I tried this recipe and had my parents try it, they so loved it! It’s healthy and it’s easy to make. Thanks again, for sharing!