Sweet Potato Noodles

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 04/29/21
sweet potato noodles

The Spruce/Leah Maroney

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Soaking: 60 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 saucepan
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
449 Calories
26g Fat
43g Carbs
16g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 449
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 16mg 5%
Sodium 1150mg 50%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 8g 28%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 16g
Vitamin C 27mg 134%
Calcium 198mg 15%
Iron 5mg 26%
Potassium 1088mg 23%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Creamy, spiraled sweet potato noodles are so good, you won’t even notice that they're vegetables. While other vegetable "noodles" can become soggy and don't hold up well to a thick, rich sauce, sweet potato noodles have an excellent texture that allows them to keep their shape. They also lend a subtle sweet flavor to a savory sauce, like this rich, velvety cashew cream sauce. This recipe is topped with crispy bacon, but you can easily omit it to make the dish completely vegetarian.

The creamy sauce and hearty noodles are an excellent base for a variety of mix-ins and toppings. Add more herbs like chopped basil or parsley or change up the vegetables to include sautéed kale. Try adding mushrooms with the onions for even more texture and flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cashews

  • 3/4 cup water, plus more for soaking cashews

  • 4 medium sweet potatoes

  • 5 slices bacon, diced

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, sliced

  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Sweet potato noodle ingredients

    The Spruce

  2. Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

    Cashews soaking in water

    The Spruce

  3. Wash, scrub, and peel the sweet potatoes.

    Peeled sweet potato

    The Spruce

  4. Cut the ends off both sides of each sweet potato and discard. Place a potato onto the spikes of the spiral vegetable slicer.

    Sweet potato on a spiral vegetable slicer

    The Spruce

  5. Rotate the spiral vegetable slicer using even pressure to form long noodles. Set the noodles aside.

    Sweet potato noodles in a spiral vegetable slicer

    The Spruce

  6. Heat a large, shallow saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crisped. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon, leaving the drippings behind. Reserve the crisped bacon for serving.

    Bacon crisping in a pan

    The Spruce

  7. Add the olive oil and onion to the pan. Sprinkle with about half of the salt and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.

    Caramelized onions

    The Spruce

  8. Meanwhile, prepare the cashew sauce. Drain the cashews and rinse. Add to a blender along with the 3/4 cup water, vegetable bouillon, garlic, and the remaining salt and pepper. Blend on high speed until completely smooth.

    Cashew cream sauce

    The Spruce

  9. Add the spinach to the pan with the caramelized onion, stirring, until the spinach is heated through.

    Spinach and onion in a pan

    The Spruce

  10. Add the sweet potato noodles and cook, tossing and stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are softened. 

    Cooked sweet potato noodles

    The Spruce

  11. Add the cashew cream and toss until the noodles are coated. Top with the crispy bacon and chopped parsley.

    Sweet potato noodles with cashew cream

    The Spruce

  12. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

    Tips

    Get a jump on dinner by making the noodles ahead of time in bulk. They freeze well and can easily be tossed into a dish, no thawing required.


    If you don't have a tool to spiralize the potatoes, many supermarkets carry spiralized vegetables, including sweet potatoes, in the produce section.