Sweet Potato Noodles with Cauliflower and Spinach

I recently purchased a spiralizer. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s exactly what it sounds like; it makes spirals of things. And by spirals I mean long, spiraled strands. You can use it to make noodle-like strands of vegetables like zucchini, carrots, beets, rutabagas, and other harder vegetables. There are a few versions of it, and the one I got looks vaguely like a medieval torture device, but that’s totally beside the point. 

Unrelated, I was contacted by Tuttoroso asking if I was interested in helping them “Inspiralize the Spring” and promote the newly released Inspiralized Cookbook, by blogger Ali Maffucci. I can’t tell you how excited I was to 1) have an excuse to play with my spiralizer, 2) try to bring out my inner Ali (seriously, check out her site, everything looks AMAZING), and 3) help to “inspiralize” others!

Now, all of this happened right before Passover, so I knew that I wanted to create a spiralized recipe that not only helped me work through my pantry and freezer in preparation for the holiday, but also create a satisfying recipe that is totally Passover appropriate. So, I grabbed the sweet potato that I had bought the day before and went to work. I have to say, this recipe alone made my new spiralizer worth every single penny.

This dish starts with a variation of my absolute favorite tomato sauce. The sauce recipe already called for cinnamon, which makes it pair especially nicely with the sweet potatoes. Next came some (frozen) cauliflower florets, mostly because I already had them hanging around and thought they would work well in the dish. Then came the spiralized sweet potatoes, which I let cook up in the sauce where they got all coated in deliciousness. I then threw in some spinach for good measure, and later, when I reheated the leftovers, I added a handful of toasted walnuts for crunch.

What I love about this recipe is all the flavors. The sweet potato and the cinnamon-touched tomato sauce pair wonderfully together, while the spinach and cauliflower just add a little flavor to the background. The toasted walnuts that were added to my second edition are highly recommended.

Have I inspiralized your spring yet? Check out the Inspiralized blog for more vegetable noodle ideas, and enter the Inspiralize the Spring sweepstakes for your chance to win a free cookbook!

Sweet Potato Noodles with Cauliflower, Spinach, and Walnuts

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Splash of red wine (optional)
1.5 cup crushed tomatoes (I used crushed tomatoes with basil, but you don’t have to)
Dash of dried oregano
Dash of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 sweet potato, spiralized on the thinnest blade available
3 handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1) Heat a pan on medium heat, then add the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the shallots and garlic and saute for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the wine and allow to simmer for about a minute.

2) Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and cinnamon to the sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then add the salt and pepper to taste.

3) Add the cauliflower florets and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add the sweet potato noodles. Mix the noodles in, then cover the pan and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until cooked to your desired doneness.

4) Stir in the spinach and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted and remove from the stove. Divide onto two dishes and top each with half of the walnuts. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!