Since reading Sweet Potato Power, I’ve been using sweet potatoes much more creatively. We’ve always eaten a lot of them, but she had a great recipe for Sweet Potato Pasta, and I’ve used the basic concept in several dishes since then.
This is my favorite so far because it combines sweet potatoes, shrimp, and bacon… yum.
Even if you aren’t completely grain free, using sweet potato strings in place of pasta is an easy way to add some extra nutrition and fun color to a meal!
Shrimp Carbonara Sweet Potato "Pasta"
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 -6
An easy pasta on a sweet potato noodle base.
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 pound wild-caught shrimp
- 4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
- 6 slices of bacon
- 1 cup of peas or chopped asparagus spears
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
- 1 onion
- Spices to taste: I used 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes and using a peeler or food processor that can julienne (if you have one) thinly slice it into thin, noodle-like strips. This will take a while with a peeler, but is a good job for an older child to help with. Once all the sweet potatoes are peeled, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter or coconut oil in a large skillet and add the sweet potato "noodles." Sprinkle lightly with sea salt or Himalayan Salt.
- Cook for about 7-8 minutes, stirring constantly, until noodles are starting to get tender but are not mushy yet. Remove from pan. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove from pan and add onion, peas/asparagus and the remaining tablespoon of butter or oil if needed. Cook 3-4 minutes or until onions are translucent and peas are bright green and tender. Add the shrimp (tails and skins removed) and saute another 5-6 minutes until shrimp is cooked (less time if shrimp is pre-cooked). Add the parmesan and cream/coconut milk and desired spices to taste. Stir 1-2 minutes to thicken. (can completely omit the parmesan and cream/coconut milk if you don't want a creamy pasta and prefer a stir-fry type taste)
Courses Main
Cuisine Italian
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Serve by topping the sweet potato noodles with the shrimp sauce and crumbled bacon. Enjoy!
Ever made “pasta” this way? How did it turn out? Share below!
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