Sweet Potato Pasta
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You’re going to love this simple sweet potato pasta! It’s a cozy, comforting dish perfect for fall—creamy, satisfying, and easy to make all in one pot.
The best family meal, ready in less than 30 minutes.
I wonder why I don’t have many sweet potato recipes on the blog, as we love them. Now that we’re in sweet potato season, transforming this budget-friendly root vegetable into a delicious pasta recipe is a no-brainer!
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It’s a sweet potato pasta that is satisfying, filling, comforting, and can be served for almost anything!
The recipe is easy to follow; it requires only a handful of ingredients and just ONE POT, which I absolutely love!
Everything begins with onions, garlic, and smoked paprika, sautéed in olive oil. This step is essential for building the flavor. Next, you add pasta, diced sweet potatoes, water, thyme, and seasoning. Cook until the pasta is al dente.
And you don’t need to use a food processor or blender, as the sweet potatoes will break down nicely during cooking.
Finally, stir in some cream cheese and savory Parmesan, and toss until well combined. The amount of cheese is just right—it enhances the flavor and the texture of the pasta and sweet potatoes without making the dish too heavy.
And BOOM: dinner is ready, and it tastes delicious.
Serve with more grated Parmesan on top, some delicious crusty panini bread, and protein of your choice on the side.
This sweet potato pasta is one of those family meals perfect for busy weeknights, and sure to please everybody, kids included. What’s not to love?
List of the ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Pasta
- Garlic + onion
- Smoked paprika
- Thyme
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Seasoning
How to make sweet potato pasta
(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- You need 1 lb (450 g) of diced sweet potatoes.
- Sauté the onion until soft, then stir in paprika and garlic. This is the base flavor for the sweet potato pasta sauce.
- Add pasta, water, seasoning, and thyme.
- Bring to a simmer, and cook until the pasta is al dente.
- Finish the dish with grated Parmesan and cream cheese. Stir until well combined, and season the sweet potato sauce to taste if needed.
- Drizzle with extra-virgin oil and serve with more Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Tips for one-pot pasta recipe
1. Use premium-quality pasta that is more resilient and doesn’t get mushy.
2. Use a good-quality pot with a heavy bottom.
2. Cook pasta in a small amount of liquid so that by the time the pasta is done, there is only a small amount of liquid left.
3. Stir frequently, keep the pot partially covered, and make sure the broth simmers the entire time.
Recipe notes
ngredients & substitutions
Flavor base: The recipe starts by sautéing onion, 1 or 2 garlic cloves, and smoked paprika (the key ingredient!) in olive oil until fragrant and flavorful.
Pasta: The quality of pasta is essential for the best results. Premium-quality pasta, such as rigatoni, ziti, penne, and shells, is excellent. Make sure the cooking time is at least 10 minutes (to cook the potatoes until soft and let the flavors mingle).
Sweet potatoes: Peeled and diced into a maximum of 1 inch (2.54cm) cubes. You can also use butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes as they are very similar in terms of texture and sweetness.
Liquid: Either water or low-sodium vegetable broth works fine, but I don’t recommend using chicken broth here.
Thyme: Thyme complements the flavor beautifully, but a pinch of sage or rosemary would work instead of thyme. If using dried thyme, use no more than 1/2 tsp.
Cheese: If you’ve been following me for a while now, you’ll know that convenient and versatile cream cheese is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with (here are my favorite cream cheese recipes). The combination of this creamy cheese with salty and nutty Parmesan is a winner.
Seasoning: Taste and season to your liking before serving. I recommend serving this sweet potato pasta with a pinch of red chilli flakes or cayenne pepper.
Fancy more veggies?
This simple sweet potato pasta pairs well with vegetables such as spinach, kale, mushrooms, or peas. You can saute the other veggies separately, then stir them into the pasta along with the cheese.
Storage tips
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, but they tend to stick together. Reheat the sweet potato pasta on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or milk to restore the creamy texture. You can’t store it in your freezer, as it’s not suitable for freezing.
One-pot pasta recipes
First things first, I’ve shared a fantastic collection of one-pot pasta recipes. Below are some of the most popular. If you would like to have a quick look!
Lastly, I hope you’ll love this sweet potato pasta recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions, please let me know. Leave a comment, send me a message, or rate it. I would love to hear from you!
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Sweet Potato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 lb (450 grams) Sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (weight after peeling)
- ½ lb (8oz/220 grams) good-quality pasta (such as rigatoni, penne, or fusilli)
- approx 3 or 4 cup Water, depending on pasta shapes
- 1 teaspoon salt, or season to taste
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- freshly ground black pepper, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute gently for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Next, stir in the garlic and paprika and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Please check the post above for more tips and instructions.
- Add the diced potatoes and pasta, stir to combine, and add the water to the pot. Note: I recommend adding the pasta first, then adding water to barely cover it (depending on the pasta shape). Finally, add the salt and the thyme.
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until al dente (it might take a bit longer than the package directions suggest). Add water only as needed, stir frequently, and keep the pot partially covered with a lid.
- By the time the pasta is done, you should have just a small amount of liquid left at the bottom of the pot. If it's still too brothy, scoop up some pasta water using a ladle. Next, stir in the parmesan and the cream cheese, toss to combine, and taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve hot with more grated Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes, if desired.
looking forward to making this, thanks for recipe
You’re welcome! x