If you’re looking for an easier, more exciting way to eat veggies, our favorite answer is to turn them into a noodle. This recipe for sweet potato noodles brings the perfect balance of the hearty, starchy sweet potato goodness and the delicate flavor of fresh basil.
Sweet potato is a great fall flavor, so this is a perfect recipe to have on hand when you host Thanksgiving dinner.
Why You'll Love These Sweet Potato Noodles
Sweet potatoes pair so well with almost any main course meat. We love them with salmon, chicken, and mild white fishes like halibut especially. With how versatile they are, these sweet potato noodles can be a side to any quick weeknight meal.
This recipe is light but filling, vegan by default, and highly customizable. We like to add some freshly-grated cheese at the end, but you can leave that out to keep the recipe vegan and dairy-free. If you don’t have sweet potatoes on hand, there are a number of alternatives to try.
What Do I Need To Make Sweet Potato Noodles?
In order to cut the potatoes into noodles, you will need a Julienne peeler or spiralizer (we like our Kitchenaid spiralizer attachment for this recipe too). You’ll also need a prep knife, vegetable peeler, and cutting board, standard measuring utensils, and a large sauté pan or skillet.
You’ll need one sweet potato per person — potatoes on the smaller side would be plenty. For aromatics, we use one white onion, three cloves of garlic, and three garlic scallions, but if you can’t find garlic scallions right now, onion scallions would be okay, or you could omit them and go for an extra small clove of garlic instead.
We also add one carrot for some added sustenance and flavor, plus a bunch of fresh basil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and chili flakes for flavor. The amount of seasoning you need will vary based on how many potatoes you’re cooking, but about a half-teaspoon of salt, a few cracks of freshly-ground pepper, and chili flakes to your preferred spice level per potato is a good baseline.
How To Make Sweet Potato Noodles
Peel and rinse the sweet potatoes, then cut them into noodles with your Julienne peeler or spiralizer. Set the noodles aside. It may be easier to combine the noodles with the salt, pepper, and chili flakes outside of the pan if you are working with a lot of noodles.
Prepare the other vegetables:
- Peel the onion and slice into thin petals.
- Peel and rinse the carrot, cut longways, and then slice thinly.
- Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- Remove the outer layers of the scallions, then chop finely.
- Remove any wilted leaves and stems from the basil, then chop very finely — almost to a paste.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, sauteing until fragrant and golden.
Add the carrot and continue cooking until the onion starts to brown and the carrot starts to soften — about two minutes.
Dump in the noodles and seasonings and mix until thoroughly combined with the carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are slightly softened but still a bit crunchy. You may need to reduce the heat to medium-low if you find that the noodles and veggies are scorching or burning.
Stir in the scallions and basil. Cook for one more minute — the basil should wilt.
Remove from heat and top with freshly-grated parmesan or asiago cheese if desired. Serve hot.
What To Serve With This Recipe
- Easy Pan Seared Halibut
- Easy Quinoa Salmon Burgers
- Healthy Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce
- Lemon Asparagus Fish En Papillote
Sweet Potato Noodles FAQs
A spiralizer, Kitchen aid attachment, or julienne peeler are what you need to make veggie noodles. Handheld julienne peelers look sort of like potato peelers, but with teeth that shave the veggie into long, thin strips – like noodles. These handheld peelers are easy to use, even easier to store, and their results are almost identical to actual spiralizers.
Oregano is our preferred substitute for someone who doesn’t like the taste of basil. Mint leaves will add an unexpectedly delightful flavor to the dish, but you may want to start with less and gradually add more until the taste is satisfactory. If you’d prefer to skip the herbs and opt for a milder flavor overall, try kale or spinach instead.
The potatoes should still hold their shape. You don’t want them to be entirely soft and mushy like a baked sweet potato. If you test a noodle and it’s still crunchy but tender and easy to bite through, then the noodles are done.
Notes And Bottom Line
This recipe is a healthy and delicious alternative to regular pasta. The noodles can be cut in advance and stored raw and refrigerated until you are ready to use them. If you don’t have or don’t like sweet potatoes, try carrots, zucchini, or squash.
Store leftovers sealed in the refrigerator for three to five days. The noodles can be reheated on the stove or microwave, or even enjoyed cold.
Sweet potato noodles with chili and fresh basil
A low-hassle and scrumptious veggie recipe that you’ll be reaching for again and again. You can easily adapt this to whatever herbs and vegetables you have on hand.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Main meals
- Cuisine: Healthy /vegetarian
Ingredients
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- 1 Small sweet potato per person /1 big one for two
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- 1 white onion
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- 3 garlic cloves
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- 1 carrot
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- 3 garlic scallions
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- A bunch of fresh basil
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- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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- Approx. 1 teaspoon salt per two potatoes (or to taste)
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- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste)
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- ½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
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- Peel and rinse the sweet potatoes, then cut them into noodles with your Julienne peeler or spiralizer. Set the noodles aside. It may be easier to combine the noodles with the salt, pepper, and chili flakes outside of the pan if you are working with a lot of noodles.
- Peel the onion and slice into thin petals.
- Peel and rinse the carrot, cut longways, and then slice thinly.
- Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- Remove the outer layers of the scallions, then chop finely.
- Remove any wilted leaves and stems from the basil, then chop very finely — almost to a paste.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, sauteing until fragrant and golden.
- Add the carrot and continue cooking until the onion starts to brown and the carrot starts to soften — about two minutes.
- Dump in the noodles and seasonings and mix until thoroughly combined with the carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are slightly softened but still a bit crunchy. You may need to reduce the heat to medium-low if you find that the noodles and veggies are scorching or burning.
- Stir in the scallions and basil. Cook for one more minute — the basil should wilt.
- Remove from heat and top with freshly-grated parmesan or asiago cheese if desired. Serve hot.
Notes
This recipe is a healthy and delicious alternative to regular pasta. The noodles can be cut in advance and stored raw and refrigerated until you are ready to use them. If you don’t have or don’t like sweet potatoes, try carrots, zucchini, or squash.
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