Grain-Free Sweet Potato ‘Pasta’ with Spicy Vodka Sauce
(All photos: Cynthia Groseclose)
Yoga star Kathryn Budig is known for her ability to make yoga accessible and playful through her teaching and writings, but her skills extend beyond the yoga mat — all the way to the kitchen. Below, she shares her recipe for sweet potato pasta.
Different Than the Real Thing, Baby!
… .and different is a good thing! I’ve gotta say, I’m in a pretty committed relationship with my spiralizer. Dr. Will Cole has me off grains for a while as we work on strengthening my digestion, so I’ve been replacing my deep affinity toward pasta with veggie noodles like zucchini and sweet potato. The passionate pasta lover in me blanches to say this, but it’s actually really, really delicious! The veggie noodles are keeping me creative, not to mention adding beautiful color and depth to my dishes. The sweet potato brings a gorgeous sweetness to today’s dish, accompanied with the acidity of the tomatoes and the bite of the red pepper flakes. The fresh basil adds a lovely perfume, topped off with a good kick of sea salt and creamy ghee. It may not be “the real thing,” but dang if it ain’t good!!
Note: You will need a spiralizer, which you can purchase off of Amazon or at Williams-Sonoma.
Sweet Potato ‘Pasta’ with Spicy Vodka Sauce
1 sweet potato, peeled and spiraled
2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, crushed (Lucini sells organic tomatoes in glass jars, which I prefer, here)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup vodka (I’m a big fan of Tito’s)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 sweet onion, diced
½ cup basil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon ghee (optional)
Directions:
Peel the sweet potato. Use the spiralizer at your desired width to make “noodles.” Make sure to trim so you’re not stuck with the world’s longest noodles. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch potato noodles for 30 seconds. Remove from the water, pat dry, and set aside.
Warm olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onion and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt for 5-7 minutes, or until they become translucent and slightly browned. Hit with your vodka and bump the heat for 1 minute, stirring often. Reduce back to medium heat and add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. If using ghee, stir in at the very end with a handful of basil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then ladle a generous dollop over your bowl of sweet potato pasta. Garnish with additional julienned basil.
Kathryn Budig is a yoga teacher, author, and the founder of AIM TRUE. Find more healthy recipes on her blog.
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