This quick and easy Sweet Potato Alfredo is a tasty twist on a comfort food classic!
Let’s take everything we love about fettuccine alfredo and veggify it.
Yes, really. It’ll be fun!
Veggies are totally our thing over here, so grab that random sweet potato that you’ve been meaning to eat for over a week and meet me in the kitchen!
Three fun facts about this sweet potato alfredo:
1. The sauce is spoon-licking good! It’s fork-licking good too! Just don’t lick a knife, mmkay?
2. I’ve tested this recipe three times, each with a different type of milk/cream. The first sauce featured heavy cream and, though rich and delicious, it was too too thick. The second? Half and half made it little less thick, but still not quite perfect. The third, just using whole milk and the starchiness from the sweet potato to help thicken it, was juuuuust right! Nice and saucy!
Just call me Goldilocks and the three pastas. I wear my carbs with pride!
3. The sweet potato in this recipe totally classifies this carby bowl of goodness as a vegetable. It’s science; just go with it.
What’s also oh-so-amazing about this recipe is that it’s the perfect use for leftover mashed sweet potatoes! You could even squirrel away the whipped sweet potato part of leftover sweet potato casserole and use that as your SP puree as well! Since we’re making mashed SP for Thanksgiving this year I’m a tad bit excited about alfredo-izing the leftovers! Woot!
I could ramble on about how much I adore this saucy little recipe of mine but if you’re even half as hungry as I am looking at these photos, I should probably just jump right on into the recipe, eh? Let’s get cooking!
Sweet Potato Alfredo
Pasta for two with a tasty twist! We can’t get enough of this easy alfredo recipe!
Sweet Potato Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry fettuccine noodles
- 1 medium sweet potato approx. 1/2 cup pureed
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 clove garlic mashed and minced to 1/2 tsp
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp chopped parsley basil or spinach are great too!
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2-4 TBSP freshly grated Parmesan for topping
- salt and pepper to taste
EXTRAS:
- 1.5 tsp cajun seasoning blend or to taste (optional but delish!)
Instructions
- Cook pasta al-dente via package instructions.
- While the pasta boils, microwave your sweet potato for until fluffy and soft, approx. 7-8 minutes.
- For a super smooth sauce, break out your food processor or blender. Add your sweet potato along with 1/4 cup whole milk (from your 1 cup) until smooth.
- Heat butter and garlic in the microwave for 20 seconds to infuse the flavor, add to your puree and pulse.
- Drain pasta and return to pot, switching burner to medium heat.
- Immediately add the remaining 3/4 cup of milk along with salt and garlic powder to the pasta and stir constantly.
- Add sweet potato puree and parmesan cheese and continue stirring constantly until the sauce starts to thicken. This usually takes 5-10 minutes.
- The end result is a sauce that’s super thick, creamy, and full of flavor!
- Give it a taste, and season to taste as needed. Sometimes I add a little salt and pepper, other times more garlic, and occasionally a little extra butter when I’m feeling saucy!
- Lastly, add your lemon juice. I always save it for for the end. Some people skip the lemon juice because it changes the texture of the sauce a little bit but in my opinion the flavor more than makes up for the visual difference. Try it before adding the lemon and then add to taste if desired. 2 tsp was perfect for Paul and I and left a nice lemony note to the sauce.
- Serve immediately topped with a sprinkle of parsley and finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
so . . . how was it?!
Fantastic! I’m all for a big plate of Fall comfort food and the fact that it’s quick and easy to whip up? SOLD!
We’ve been making this dish for years and I always get a bit giddy when I come across a box of fettuccine noodles in the pantry.
Oh the pantry… Half the time I literally have no clue what’s in there! It’s like the closet to Narnia, so when the right pasta presents itself, it’s time to party!
Of course if you don’t have a sweet potato to bring to the party you can easily sub pumpkin or butternut squash. When it comes to veggies, the possibilities are endless! Or should I say pasta-bilities? I’ve tried the sauce with both veggies as a stand-in and have it on good authority that the results are nothing short of amazing.
Looking for a classic Alfredo sauce? grab the recipe here!
I’m curious about the 1 medium sweet potato equaling 1/2 cup of puree? Should I go with the cup measurement or the sweet potato? In my experience, medium sweet potatoes have about 1.5 cups of puree in them, but I don’t want to put everything else out of proportion if it should really be 1/2! Thanks!
Hi Jennifer! Sorry for the delay – I just got back in from break. After ages of buying sweet potatoes I’ve bought from farmer’s markets and grocery stores over the year I’m completely with you that they all vary in size and everyone’s definition of medium may be different as well. For sure go with the 1/2 cup measure for the sweet potatoes and use the rest of the spud to make some Baked Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas or a tasty cheesy black bean and sweet potato quesadilla.
I made it for dinner. Absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Made gilled salmon and a green salad to go with it.
Looks great! Making this evening. Going to give it a go with a different cheese (parmesan isn’t vegetarian) and hope for the best!
Hi Eleanor! You could transform it into a sweet potato Mac and Cheese using a blend of softer, melty cheeses. Maybe try my Confetti Mac and Cheese recipe but use pureed sweet potato for the veggies. Hope this helps! xo
Jenn, that looks so good! I have yet to try one of your recipes I don’t love!~ Thanks. I love pasta no matter how it’s made!!
Aww thank you Sue! For sure keep me posted if you get a chance to try it out! xoxo
HI there, Just wondering about portions. At the top you say ‘pasta for two’ but then above the ingredients it says 4 servings. Just wondering which figure to go with for my planning. Thanks.
Hi Ruth! I was trying keep within the typical guidelines that 2 oz of pasta yields a dietary serving (according to the box of pasta) but as a main course, 2 ounces will never quite cut it for a hungry adult! Because 2 oz is just plain tiny, the recipe is for 2 portions of 4 oz pasta per person, aka pasta for two. If it’s confusing I can for sure change the wording – I don’t wan’t to mix y’all up!
It was wonderful to taste my daughter really loved it thank u you
So glad y’all enjoyed it Ranjani, thank you!
Loved the sweet potato alfredo, I omitted the lemon juice but added some nutmeg, was yummy.
Ooh sounds delightful! Thanks Lorraine!
I added extra garlic and played around with a few dashes of whatever seasonings were in reach. I also added sundried tomatoes as a topping and that was the perfect touch for me! Will definitely be making again.
The sundried tomatoes sound magical on top, Ashley! Thank you!
Oh yum, can’t wait to try this with milk! I need more easy and quick recipes! 🙂
Hope you get a chance to try it Helene! Def one of my favorite twists on classic Alfredo!
My new favorite dish! This is one I will be making again and again!
Yay!!!! So happy to hear it Nellie, thank you!
I’ve only made pasta Alfredo the real, Italian way, with equal parts cream, butter, and Parmesan. But wow! I definitely need to make this! Thanks!
Are your recipes fat and carb conscious in most recipes?
Hi Elizabeth! This recipe is one of my more indulgent dishes, but I do try to keep at least half my recipes on the healthier side. You can find low-fat options here and low-carb options here.
I just tried this recipe….awesome. I am obsessed with Alfredo and my 20 month old loves pasta. I boiled and mash the potatoes , my measurements were not exact so I had to adjust heat….sauce thickened quickly. I did not have enough parm on hand, sub with some cream cheese. Seasoned to my taste….love garlic, extra butter…..DELISH. Cannot wait for baby to try.
If I don’t have a microwave, what’s the best way to get the sweet potato right?
Thanks!!
You can either bake the sweet potato at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour (after piercing potato with a fork a few times to vent), or you can cube and boil the peeled potato until fork tender (almost like making mashed potatoes!) or simply purchase sweet potato puree in a BPA-free can 🙂
Hi there! I was wondering if you could make this with soy or rice milk? Lactose intolerant and missing the creaminess 🙁
He Lydia! I’m SUPER lactose intolerant, I feel you! I’ll often use coconut milk [I love So Delicious brand] or almond milk [We use Blue Diamond] and it’s fantastic! I haven’t tried soy milk or rice milk ever but if you adore the taste of either I think they’re worth a try! The parm is lactose free so you should be fine in that department <3 Hope you get a chance to try it!
I made this with coconut milk and it was very good.
I must be the odd man here?
Do you cook the sweet potato before adding it to the milk?
Thank you!
This looks great
Ohmygosh did I not add that in the instructions?! EEEEEK! YES yes yes! Thanks for reaching out Christina – updating the post right away! <3
I can’t believe how creamy this pasta looks. So good! I definitely need to add this to my weeknight menu soon.
Thanks Ashley! <3
What do you think about using butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes? Too watery?
Hi Jen! Go for it! Use a little less dairy [or a thicker dairy like half and half] and then you can always add more as needed to get your perfect sauce thickness 🙂 I love it with butternut too! 🙂
Thank you!! I have some leftover pureed butternut from our youngest and need to use. This looks delicious!
It was meant to be! Yay! I also LOVE using leftover butternut puree in these muffins too: http://peasandcrayons.com/2014/11/carrot-butternut-whole-grain-muffins.html — my toddler is obsessed with them! <3 Hope you love it Jen!
Anyone know the nutrition on this?
Hey Jill! I haven’t calculated it but if you pop it into myfitnesspal.com it should give you a good idea of the nutrition facts. That’s usually a reader favorite as far as tracker tools goes 🙂
Shut up. Alfredo that counts AS A VEGETABLE? I’m in.
This looks so delicious and comforting. Wish we hadn’t already made this week’s meal plan, but there’s always next week!
Aw thanks Catherine! There’s totally room for it on next week’s meal plan! Mine and yours! <3 woot!