This sweet potato pasta ticks all the boxes to become a family favorite: it's quick to make using only a handful of ingredients, is packed with fresh vegetables, and is a rich and hearty one-pot meal for a busy weekday.
This Sweet Potato and Tomato Pasta recipe has been in our family for more than 10 years. We actually started cooking this pasta dish way before we had kids, and when they joined the family, we realized how great of a sauce this was for picky eaters to include more veggies into their weekly menu.
The sauce for this pasta dish is made with grated sweet potato and tomato sauce. You can make your own tomato sauce or use store-bought sauce to speed up the cooking process. Either way, this is a recipe we wished we had shared way earlier! Just like this one pot pasta curry, it's a delicious one-pot meal that comes together extra quickly for a busy weekday.
After sharing some of our pasta sauces made with vegetables, like spinach pasta sauce or broccoli sauce, many of you told us how great these recipes have been for your family. They helped you include more vegetables that you weren't using before, so we're just adding one more recipe to this list!
If you like our tofu bolognese or rich tomato sauces, this recipe will definitely be a winner on your menu. This pasta sauce has a bolognese texture, as we don't blend it before serving. The grated sweet potato adds texture and sweetness to the rich sauce, making it a great flavored-balance sauce.
Ingredients
Onion and garlic. We add finely chopped white or yellow onion and minced garlic to start the base of the sauce.
Tomato sauce. Homemade or store-bought. We usually use this easy marinara sauce recipe for our tomato sauce.
Sweet potato. For this sauce, you don't need to precook your sweet potato; you'll need fresh sweet potato.
Oregano. Fresh or dried. Basil and thyme are great options for this sauce.
Pasta. We've enjoyed this sauce with every pasta shape you can imagine, so choose the pasta that works better for you.
Cooking Method
Heat some vegetable oil using a large pot and add finely chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, and pour the tomato sauce.
While the tomato sauce starts to simmer, grate the sweet potato. You can use a hand grater or a food processor. Choose the size you want to grate the sweet potato; we normally grate it quite thin so it cooks faster.
Add the grated sweet potato to the pot where the tomato sauce is simmering.
Simmer for about half an hour or until the sweet potato has softened and the tomato sauce is rich in color and taste. At this point, add dried oregano and serve with your favorite pasta.
Garnish with fresh basil, and serve with some Kalamata olives and crusty bread. We can't recommend enough trying our vegan garlic bread recipe.
Sweet Potato and Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20 oz tomato sauce
- 10 oz sweet potato about 1 medium size sweet potato
- 14 oz pasta
- salt
- 2 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Heat some vegetable oil using a large pot and add finely chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, and pour the tomato sauce.½ onion, 2 garlic cloves, 20 oz tomato sauce
- While the tomato sauce starts to simmer, thinly grate the sweet potato. You can use a hand grater or a food processor.10 oz sweet potato
- Add the grated sweet potato to the pot where the tomato sauce is simmering.
- Simmer for about half an hour or until the sweet potato has softened and the tomato sauce is rich in color and taste.
- Cook the pasta following the package instructions.14 oz pasta
- Add dried or fresh oregano and combine with the pasta. Salt to taste.2 teaspoon oregano, salt
- Garnish with fresh basil, and serve with some Kalamata olives and crusty bread.
Newsletter
Nutrition
FAQ
Of course, you can make your own tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes. We recommend you blend the tomatoes for this recipe, as the sweet potato already adds texture to the sauce.
We always use Beauregard sweet potato for this recipe, which is the most commonly found in supermarkets and vegetable markets. We haven't tried making this sauce with another type; let us know if you do!
Yes, we've done it multiple times, as some days, I just prefer to cut the sweet potato in larger chunks and then blend the sauce. The consistency is just perfect to serve with your favorite pasta.
Serving Suggestions
Our Sweet Potato and Tomato Pasta is a hearty and filling main dish. We like serving it with a fresh salad, some crusty bread, and my favorite addition, Kalamata olives.
You can enjoy this pasta dish during warm summer days or cool winter evenings; we find it a fantastic meal to prepare all year round.
Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator using an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Janna says
This is honestly one of the best recipes I have ever made! As a grad student I like having quick meals that give leftovers, and this makes a lot of food in a short amount of time. Even reheated it’s delicious, can’t wait to make it again!
Laura Arteaga says
So glad to hear this! Thank you Janna 🙂
Mia says
Oh this was so delicious! I never thought about using sweet potatoes for a pasta recipe, but this was so amazing!
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Mia!
Levi says
Quick and easy, perfect for those busy work from home days. I reheated it and still tasted good. I love the sauce!
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Levi!
Lauren says
This was so simple to make but packed full of flavour. I love how even my fussy daughter ate it and we had the leftovers for lunch the following day and it was even tasty when cool and fresh from the fridge.
Tina says
Bookmarked this recipe days ago, was searching for healthy recipes for my toddler who now suddenly becomes a picky eater. Cooked this today and I LOVE IT so much! My toddler loves it too! She finished her plate. I think I will be making this every week coz I'm too lazy to make new recipes everyday #toddlermamastruggles