This creamy sweet potato sauce is something else! Sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, and a big pile of aromatics are roasted, puréed, and then combined with a spicy tomato base and topped off with a bit of cream that perfectly coats pappardelle pasta.
What you need
- Pappardelle: I love how the sweet potato sauce coats this broad pasta shape! You can use fettuccine or tagliatelle or a tubular pasta like rigatoni or calamarata. I use plenty of pasta cooking water to purée with the vegetables to make them smooth and creamy before adding them to the tomato base.
- Vegetables and aromatics: Sweet potatoes roast with red bell pepper, a red Fresno chili pepper, shallots, and peeled garlic.
- Tomato base: I use a can of crushed tomatoes that simmer with dried parsley, onion powder, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. I add heavy cream to make it just the right amount of decadent.
- For serving: Finish the pasta with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for extra richness.
How to make it
Step 1: Roast the vegetables.
Arrange the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast until fork-tender.
Step 2: Cook the pasta.
Boil the pappardelle in generously salted water and scoop out 2 cups of the water before draining.
Step 3: Purée the vegetables.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor with 1 cup pasta water and pulse until smooth.
Step 4: Make the tomato base.
Simmer crushed tomatoes with spices before adding the puréed vegetables and more of the pasta water until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Add heavy cream and season with salt and pepper.
Step 5: Coat the pasta.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until well-coated with the sauce.
Step 6: Serve it up.
Transfer the cooked pasta between bowls and finish with basil, cheese, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Creamy Sweet Potato Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pappardelle
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sweet potatoes (about ¾ pound; peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 red bell pepper (trimmed, deseeded, and roughly chopped)
- 1 red Fresno chili pepper (trimmed and roughly chopped; or omit and replace with crushed red pepper to taste)
- 2 shallots (peeled and halved lengthwise)
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 pinch sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
For serving:
Instructions
Roast the vegetables:
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Place the sweet potatoes, bell pepper, red Fresno chili pepper, shallots, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Transfer the vegetables to a baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Transfer to the oven for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through roasting, until fork-tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pappardelle according to the package instructions. Reserve 2 cups pasta cooking water.
Pureé the vegetables:
- Transfer the roasted vegetables and 1 cup pasta cooking water to a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. See Note 1. Set aside.
Start the tomato base:
- In a wide pot, combine the crushed tomatoes with the 1 teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper, a pinch of sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Pour the vegetable purée into the sauce along with enough of the remaining pasta cooking water to reach your desired consistency. Stir in the heavy cream and season the sauce to your preference.
- Simmer for 5 minutes before adding the pasta to the pot. Toss the pasta in the sauce until well-coated. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
- Divide the pasta between bowls and drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top. Sprinkle with the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and arrange a few basil leaves on each bowl. Enjoy!
