Creamy Vegan Sweet Potato Rigatoni Pasta
Whip up a batch of the most indulgent Vegan Sweet Potato Pasta Skillet tonight! This delightful dish combines rigatoni with a velvety sweet potato-coconut cream sauce, infused with the aromatic goodness of herbs, garlic, and a touch of spice. The perfect meatless weeknight dinner option for a creamy, dairy-free delight. Gluten-free option.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time35 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Keyword: classic, creamy, dairy-free, dinner, easy, fall recipe, food, gluten-free, healthy, homemade, indulge, pasta, southern, sweet potatoes, vegan, weeknight meals
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 278kcal
PASTA:
- 1 (16 oz.) PACKAGE Organic rigatoni pasta (You can use your fave pasta shape/type; See Notes for GF option.)
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
SWEET POTATO PUREE:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (About 1lb. each)
- 1-2 Tbsps Extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
SWEET POTATO SAUCE:
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 Tbsps nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup organic all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt + black pepper
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon white cooking wine
- 1 (13 oz.) can full-fat coconut cream or milk
- 1 cup organic vegetable stock
- 1-2 Tbsps white cooking wine
- 1-2 Tbsps cajun seasoning
- 2 cups chopped kale, de-stemmed
ROAST THE SWEET POTATO:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Rinse sweet potatoes and pat dry. Lightly coat potato with olive oil, arranging them side by side unto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until tender and juices begin to bubble outside of skin. Remove from oven, let cool for 10-15 minutes and slice in half. Remove sweet potato 'flesh' (insides) and place in a bowl.
TO MAKE THE SWEET POTATO PUREE:
In a high-powered blender, add the cooked/cooled sweet potato flesh along with the olive oil and veggie stock. Blend on high-speed until fully smooth. If needed, add additional veggie stock (1 tablespoon at a time) until desired consistency is met.
BOIL THE PASTA:
To begin, cook pasta according to packaging. NOTE: rigatoni pasta doesn’t take a long time to cook, usually 8-10 minutes (however, you should cook at 6-8 minutes or so—‘al dente’).
TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
In a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and minced garlic, sautéing until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and cajun seasoning, stirring everything together. Whisk in the flour, veggie stock, coconut cream/milk, until everything thickens and becomes smooth with no lumps visible. Add the blended sweet potato puree followed by the white cooking wine and chopped kale, stirring everything together until combined. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 3-4 minutes until it thickens more and the kale has wilted and cooked.
Add in the cooked pasta and stir until everything is well coated.
Remove from heat and serve immediately with your favorite side or on it's own with a bit of vegan parmesan cheese, if desired.
Bon Appetit!
- STORAGE: Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
- SPICES/HERBS: If desired, you can reduce the amounts slightly. Please know that this recipe is bold in flavor, so feel free to adjust based on your tastebuds.
- GLUTEN-FREE: To make this dish GF, simply use Gluten-Free pasta and ensure that coconut cream/milk is GF-friendly.
- PASTA: You can use Jumbo shells or long pastas like Pappardelle, Fettuccine, etc. if desired, however, I would recommend tossing with tongs to ensure that pasta is fully manageable and fully coated. Otherwise, the traditional penne or rigatoni pasta works perfectly too!
- GREENS: To add a bit more flavor to this dish, you can always feel free to add in your favorite greens such as kale, spinach, broccolini, collards, or asparagus.
Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 957mg | Potassium: 712mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 20397IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 3mg