Sweet potato noodles!!! I mean, sweet potato noodle carbonara, how fun is that? Sweet potatoes cut into noodles + carbonara? I am SOO into it. I mean, I like my zucchini noodles, but let’s be completely honest, they can get a little boring if you have them too often. Plus, you all know that whenever I eat zucchini noodles, the other half of my bowl is totally real deal pasta. That’s just the way its gotta go. Like I NEED carbs. I just do. Enter sweet potato noodles! Granted, I still think of these as more of a side, or maybe a lighter meal, but they definitely feel a little heartier than zucchini, and I love, love, LOVE their pretty orange color. Yes, I’m maybe just a little too excited here, but I can’t help it! These noodles are GOOD. SIDE NOTE: I just want to throw this out there that if you do not have a spiralizer, don’t freak! You can still make this meal by either dicing up the sweet potato or slicing it into really thin skinny fries…aka matchsticks. I’d go the skinny fries route since they will best replicate the “noodle” feel. SIDE NOTE # 2: if you are vegetarian simply omit the bacon…no big deal at all! OH, and you could even add this coconut bacon, which I personally think might be better than real bacon anyway…don’t hate me bacon lovers…I just love coconut! 🙂
Please do not ask me why it took me so long to spiralize something other than zucchini, but I am super glad I branched out. I have seen sweet potato noodles around for what feels like forever, but well, I just really like REAL pasta, so I never had the urge to give them a try. Then last week I was brainstorming on some lighter recipes for the warmer weather, suddenly the sound of sweet potato noodles was really appealing. Plus, the thought of adding things like sweet corn, feta and basil got me really excited. When I finally thought of making them into a carbonara style noodle I was sold. What could not be good about anything carbonara?!? I made the recipe the next day, and well, now I am telling you guys all about them!
OK. So let’s break these noodles down piece by piece. They have a few different elements that I feel like I should explain. First things first, you need to cook your noodles in a skillet to soften them. Here’s the thing though, you have to be careful not to over cook the noodles. If you cook them too long they will just get all mushy and could possibly turn into mashed sweet potatoes, which you definitely do not want. So please don’t cook the noodles longer than ten to twelve minutes, then you’ll be good to go! You want the noodles to be soft, but still have the slightest bit of bite left in them so they have texture and hold their shape. That’s the only tricky thing about this recipe, the rest is easy, and actually quite similar to a classic carbonara…or well to a point. I don’t think Italians would ever make carbonara with a sweet potato…oops. The heat from the noodles will cook the eggs and create a super creamy and yummy sauce. I added white miso paste for an extra boost of flavor and a huge handful of fresh basil. I LOVE this combo of salty miso, to savory basil, to sweet corn, to sweet potatoes. It’s the perfect balance of savory and sweet flavors and the perfect way to ease into lighter, summery feeling meals. Oh, and you can’t forget about the feta. Yum and YUM. Never enough feta, right? Bonus?!? The quick cooking time and minimal amount of dishes…yes, please!
Ready? Set? Twirl, twirl! 🙂
