Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce is a humble comfort food ready in under 40 minutes. It is incredibly delicious and made with roasted sweet potato, red bell pepper, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and spiced with crushed red pepper.
After my pasta recipes, such as coconut milk pasta sauce became massive hits on my blog, I thought of sharing my other tested and tried dairy-free recipes like this sweet potato pasta sauce.
Combining sweet potato, bell pepper, and nutritional yeast creates a naturally creamy base. The crushed red pepper gives a mild heat, making this sauce rich and flavorful.
Once the veggies are roasted and blended with almond milk and vegetable broth, they transform into a smooth, velvety sauce that coats the pasta beautifully for a delicious dinner.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
⭐️It's a tasty pasta sauce for a weeknight dinner.
⭐️Customizable and adoptable recipe.
⭐️A vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free.
Ingredients
- Pasta: Choose a pasta shape that holds the sauce well, such as penne, rigatoni, or macaroni.
- Sweet potato: Choose a medium-sized sweet potato, weighing around 6 ounces.
- Red bell peppers: Their bright red color and fruity flavor beautifully complement the sweet potato pasta sauce.
- Onion: I have used red onion, but any other onion would work perfectly.
- Garlic: You can roast it with the skin-on(you can peel later) to help mellow its flavor.
- Almond milk: Adds a creamy, nutty flavor. You can swap it with any plant-based milk or regular whole milk.
- Vegetable broth: I used low-sodium vegetable broth. Adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly if you're using regular broth.
- Nutritional yeast: This adds a cheesy flavor to the sauce. Optional ingredient.
- Crushed red pepper: Adds a subtle kick that complements the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Feel free to adjust the amount according to your spice preference.
- Nutmeg: For a flavor enhancer. If nutmeg isn’t your preference, you can substitute it with cinnamon or skip it altogether.
How To Make Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss the peeled sweet potato cubes, red bell pepper, onion, and skin-on garlic cloves with olive oil, then spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through. Let cool slightly, then peel the garlic cloves and the red bell pepper.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender and add almond milk. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Place a pan over medium heat and add the vegetable broth, blended mixture, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, crushed red pepper, and salt. Stir and cook for 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Add the cooked pasta and toss well. Sprinkle crushed red peppers and serve warm.
♨️How To Adjust The Heat Level
This sweet potato pasta sauce has a mild heat.
Crushed red pepper is the only ingredient added to the spice and heat in this recipe.
You can adjust the amount of crushed red peppers to make this sauce taste mild or moderately spicy, depending on your preference.
The Leftovers
- You can repurpose the leftover sweet potato pasta sauce as the soup, chili, or dip.
- Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for about five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
- Place the frozen pasta sauce in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
- To reheat, warm it quickly in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a splash of milk or water to loosen the texture, then heat and stir it again to bring back its creamy consistency.
FAQ
I can understand. Crushed red pepper provides a gentle heat, and adding it is all about personal choice. You can adjust the amount or skip using them.
To make it a hearty meal, add chicken or chickpeas for protein. I've tried adding sun-dried tomatoes(and loved that version, too). You can also sauté peppers, mushrooms, fresh basil, or spinach—these ingredients complement the sauce beautifully.
Absolutely! You can prepare it at least two days before and store it in the refrigerator. When ready to enjoy it, reheat it on the stove or microwave. Add some water or milk to make the sauce smooth and luscious.
More Pasta Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments section below the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta /spaghetti, rigatoni, macaroni
- 1 sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 red bell pepper cut into large chunks
- ½ onion peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic skin-on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup almond milk /unsweetened/other plant-based milk
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional, for heat
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- While the vegetables roast, cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Toss sweet potato, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic cloves with olive oil.
- Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until cooked through, flipping halfway.
- Let cool slightly, then peel the garlic. And set aside.
- Transfer roasted vegetables to a blender, add almond milk, and blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a pan over medium heat, add vegetable broth, blended mixture, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, crushed red pepper, and salt. Stir and cook for 3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the cooked pasta and toss until it is evenly coated. And serve warm.
- Once the veggies are roasted and blended with almond milk and vegetable broth, they transform into a smooth, velvety sauce that coats the pasta beautifully for a delicious dinner.
Notes
- Substitutions: Swap almond milk with any plant-based milk or regular whole milk. Nutritional yeast can be replaced with Parmesan cheese or omitted. Use any onion variety and adjust vegetable broth salt levels using regular broth.
- Adjusting the Heat: Crushed red pepper is the only source of spice in this recipe. Adjust the quantity for a mild or moderately spicy sauce, or skip it entirely for a heat-free version.
- Storage: Leftover sauce stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for three months. Thaw frozen sauce overnight in the fridge before use.
- Reheating: Warm on the stovetop or microwave with a splash of milk or water to restore creaminess. Stir well before serving.
- Variations: Add protein like chicken or chickpeas. Try sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, fresh basil, or spinach for extra flavor.
Janie | Naughty Kitchen says
I'm always looking for healthier pasta sauces and this sweet potato pasta sauce was the perfect! I made it for my lunch to bring to work and it was tasty and delicious. Kept me full throughout the day!
Sharon P says
Looks like I found a recipe I would enjoy! Wondering if could be made in microwave? Cook top went out waiting for new to be dropped in. Been wanting pasta have all ingredients for this.
Sujatha Muralidhar says
Absolutely Sharon, this recipe should work fine in the microwave. But I haven't tried make this in the microwave, let's know how its turned out.