Sweet potato “noodles” are slicked with a hearty green pesto made from kale.
I found myself with an inordinate amount of kale last week. A two for one sale may have had a little something to do with it, but regardless my fridge was overflowing with bunches of the dark leafy greens waiting to be put to good use.
The first couple bunches went into smoothies and the rest made their way onto these sweet potato noodles.
Here’s the idea, you take a couple of sweet potatoes and make yourself a pile of noodles. The sweet potatoes’ delicate flesh is easily transformed into slender ribbons with the help of a vegetable peeler or spiralizer.
Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil and blanch some greens. After a quick bath in some salted boiling water to take the edge off the hearty winter greens, they hit the food processor, with some lightly toasted nuts, a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of parsley for brightness and a good pinch of red pepper flakes too.
Whirred to a paste in the food processor with a glug of extra virgin olive oil, the ensuing pesto is lovely in its own right but even better against the then quickly blanched sweet potato noodles.
Tiny flecks of green coat each strand with lively, clean grassy flavors that pop, while the nuts add a subtle richness and nuttiness. Grate some Pecorino over the whole thing if you’d like or top it with some extra toasted nuts.
Substantial without being heavy this is the kind of dish to turn to if a case of the winter blahs has you craving the slippery comfort of a plate of noodles.
Sweet Potato Noodles with Kale Pesto
Sweet potato “noodles” are slicked with a hearty green pesto made from winter greens like kale or chard.
Ingredients
- 2 large, long sweet potatoes
- 1 bunch kale, ribs and stems removed
- A small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
- 3 Tablespoons/ 22g pine nuts or blanched almonds, lightly toasted
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml of lemon juice
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea or Himalayan salt
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons reserved cooking water to thin as necessary
- ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Using a spiralizer , mandolin or vegetable peeler , create long strips of sweet potato “noodles”. Set aside.
- Wash and coarsely chop the greens, setting aside a handful.
- Quickly blanch the greens in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes.
- Add the fresh parsley, nuts, garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Remove the blanched greens using a strainer from the boiling water, pressing to remove excess water and transfer to the food processor bowl. With the motor running, add olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth adding in a Tablespoonful of the cooking water as needed to achieve a smooth sauce.
- Bring the water back to a boil and blanch the sweet potato noodles until tender but still holding their shape, about 1 to 2 minutes depending on the thickness of your noodles.
- Toss the cooked sweet potato and greens with the pesto and top with grated Pecorino Romano if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Paleo, Vegan (omit Pecorino for Paleo and Vegan)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 518mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Janet Fazio says
Excited to try this recipe! I've been eating zucchini noodles (with scallops) all summer. Now that the nights are cooler, I'm yearning for some comfort foot. This looks like a winner!
Vicky says
This sounds absolutely incredible! A must try!!!! I only have a vegetable peeled to work with so hope that's good enough !
Sylvie says
Yes absolutely!
Simi says
this is an amazing recipe and i just love the images…your style is effortless…
Nutmeg Nanny says
Oh wow! I love this idea, this dish looks seriously scrumptious 🙂
Trish says
This is genius! So trying this soon.
Trish
Kitchen Belleicious says
homemade noodles=awesome! Homemade sweet potato noodles=AMAZING!
Joyti says
I fell in love with kale pesto this winter, but sweet potato noodles are new to me. Gorgeous! The dish sounds really delicious.
And your photographs are stunning, as always.
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
Really great idea. I love sweet potatoes and have to give this a try. I've got a shelf full of frozen pesto in the freezer and I'm adding sweet potatoes to the grocery list. Thanks for sharing.
Gintare @Gourmantine says
Wonderful idea making noodles out of sweet potatoes, looks gorgeous!