Italian Sweet Potato Noodles

Whip up this Italian Sweet Potato Noodles recipe in just 40 minutes for a quick yet wholesome meatless weeknight dinner. An easy, one-pot sweet potato spaghetti recipe that uses only clean eating approved ingredients! Vegan & Paleo options included.

Any sweet potato lovers here? Italian food lovers too? Ok, we should sit down and talk because I have got something for you guys!

These Italian Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls are the perfect meatless weeknight dinner!

Veggie noodle bowls are just about my favorite thing ever! Nothing beats a comforting bowl loaded with all that veggie goodness, different textures, colors, and bang-on flavors. You can "noodle" zucchini, carrots, and squash and there are already some pretty dang good zucchini noodle recipes on the blog. But today we are making sweet potato pasta, which is my new foodie crush.

Sweet Potato Noodles - where to start if there is so much to say about them! They’re packed with fiber, beta-carotene, and micronutrients. They’re pretty low on the glycemic index, making them a superb paleo-friendly pasta alternative.

They also boast so much flavor with that addictive earthy taste and natural sweetness. So yeah, they’re actually already pretty great on their own. You could totally top them with a dab of butter and call it dinner.

But they’re just so versatile and make for such a wonderful vehicle for pasta sauce, that that it would be a shame not to let them be the best version of themselves. So let's take them to the next level of DELISH with a homemade Italian tomato sauce.

These tender sweet potato noodles are coated with a rich and fruity Italian tomato sauce. Completely made from scratch - that goes without saying. The sweet potato pasta provides the perfect amount of sweetness to offset the tang and acidity of the tomato sauce.

These Italian Sweet Potato Pasta Bowls would make the perfect easy meatless weeknight meal when you’re craving something healthy but satisfying. Hello, weeknight dinner hero!

How to make Sweet Potato Noodles with a spiralizer? 

First off, I recommend you choose thinner sweet potatoes. Something the same thickness as a zucchini. Using thinner taters will make the spiralizing process much much easier as they fit into the spiralizer without cutting them in half lengthwise.

Once you’ve chosen your perfect sweet potatoes, peel them, wash off any dirt and dry them.

Pick up your spiralizer. I  use this model by Inspiralized which allows me to choose my desired noodle shape (there are FOUR shapes - ribbon, fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti. I picked spaghetti).

Can I make sweet potato noodles without a spiralizer?

If you don’t own a spiralizer, you may use a julienne peeler to make sweet potato noodles, but warning-  it's a bit tedious. Hold the potato in one hand and slowly and carefully pull the julienne peeler down the potato. Repeat until the entire sweet potato is “peeled”.

How to store sweet potato noodles?

If you're a meal prepper who likes to make things in advance, I've got good news for you. Once you spiralize the sweet potato into pasta, you can put the leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3-5 days. WIN!

Can Sweet Potato Noodles be frozen? 

I am not a super fan of freezing veggie noodles as they are very prone to breaking and I find that some of that sweet, earthy noodle flavor is lost. If you still want to try this, make sure to thaw the noodles completely before cooking them. Once thawed, use a paper towel to squeeze out the excess moisture. From there, your sweet potato noodles should taste pretty good.

How to make Italian Sweet Potato Noodles:

Step 1 & 2 - Prepare all your ingredients and make the sweet potato noodles (see detailed instructions and tips above).

Step 3 -  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste, stir to combine with garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds or so, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato sauce, vegetable stock, oregano, salt, and (coconut) sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces a bit.

Step 4 -  Add sweet potato noodles on top of the sauce. Cover and let them cook for about 3-4 minutes without stirring them into the sauce first.

Step 5 -  When they start to shrink a bit and soften, stir to coat them with sauce (I recommend using tongs). Cover and continue cooking until they are soft but still al dente (about 10 minutes more or less).

Step 6 - Turn off the heat. Stir in parmesan and basil. Divide among four bowls, top with more parmesan and a few basil leaves, and serve.

Tips for making this Sweet Potato Noodles recipe:

• You can also roast sweet potato noodles in the oven rather than cooking them with the sauce on the stovetop. Just stir them in when your sauce is cooked and DONE.
• I found one large sweet potato is usually enough for two servings, so you can double, triple or quadruple the amounts easily.  Just make sure to adapt the amount of sauce accordingly.
• The leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
• For vegan and/or paleo sweet potato noodle bowls, leave out the parmesan and sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese.

5 from 4 votes

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Italian Sweet Potato Noodles

Whip up this Italian Sweet Potato Noodles recipe in just 40 minutes for a quick yet wholesome meatless weeknight dinner. An easy, one-pot sweet potato spaghetti recipe that uses only clean eating approved ingredients! Vegan & Paleo options included.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword recipe for noodle bowl, sweet potato noodles recipe, veggie noodle bowl

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 322 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes peeled
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion chopped finely
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cups passata tomato sauce
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar - optional
• ½ cup grated parmesan + more for serving
• 1 cup fresh basil chopped (about 1 bunch)

Instructions

1. Prep your ingredients and spiralize the sweet potatoes into noodles (this is the spiralizer I use now)

   See the post for more details about spiralizing a sweet potato if needed.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. 

   Add onion and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. 

   Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

   Add tomato paste, stir to combine with garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds or so, stirring.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, vegetable stock, oregano, salt and sugar.

4. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces a bit.

5. Add sweet potato noodles on top of the sauce. Cover and let them cook for about 3-4 minutes without stirring them into the sauce first. 

   When they start to shrink a bit and soften, stir to coat them with sauce (I recommend using tongs). 

   Cover and continue cooking until they are soft but still al dente (about 10 minutes more or less)

6. Turn off the heat. Stir in parmesan and basil.
7. Divide among four bowls, top with more parmesan and a few basil leaves, and serve.

Recipe Notes

• You can also roast sweet potato noodles in the oven rather than cooking them on the stovetop. Just stir them in when your sauce is cooked and DONE.
• I found one large sweet potato is usually enough for two servings, so you can double, triple or quadruple the amounts easily.  Just make sure to adapt the amount of sauce accordingly.
• The leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
• For vegan and/or paleo sweet potato noodle bowls, leave out the parmesan and sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese. 

Nutrition Facts

Italian Sweet Potato Noodles

Amount Per Serving (1 /4th)

Calories 322 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 11mg4%

Sodium 924mg40%

Potassium 1717mg49%

Carbohydrates 56g19%

Fiber 10g42%

Sugar 20g22%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 20410IU408%

Vitamin C 35.4mg43%

Calcium 268mg27%

Iron 6.4mg36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Sweet Potato Noodles recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More recipes with healthy vegetable noodles / spiralized veggie noodles:

• Zoodles with Turkey Bolognese Sauce
• Zucchini Pasta Puttanesca
• Italian Sausage Pasta
• Spiralized Zucchini Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese & Sun-dried Tomatoes