Spicy Sweet Potato Spaghetti with Spinach and Prosciutto


Spicy Sweet Potato Spaghetti with Spinach and Prosciutto



List of Ingredients


v  1 tsp olive oil
v  1/2 large onion, chopped
v  2 cloves garlic
v  1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
v  1/4 cup sherry or white wine
v  1 tbsp tomato paste
v  1.5 cups cooked sweet potato, cubed (you could just nuke some sweet potatoes; I used leftover honeyed sweet potatoes from my Middle Eastern feast.  Roasted would be delish too)
v  2 cups baby spinach
v  3/4 cup skim milk (I know this isn’t in the picture…oops)
v  2 tbsp Light Boursin cheese (cream cheese or goat cheese would work too)
v  1/2 cup grated parmesan (plus 2tbsp for sprinkling)
v  1 box spaghetti or other pasta
v  3 pieces’ prosciutto

Instructions

Sauté prosciutto over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until it has deepened in color and become crisp (there should be enough oil in the meat that you don’t need to add any to the pan).  Drain on paper towels.  When prosciutto has cooled, crumble and set aside.

For sauce, heat olive oil in the same sauté pan.  Add onion, garlic and cayenne, and cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, or until onion is soft.  Add sherry (or white wine) and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  When liquid has evaporated, return heat to medium-low and add tomato paste.  



Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add squash cubes.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to combine.  Remove from heat.  Add mixture to the bowl of a food processor, along with milk and Boursin cheese, then puree until smooth.  The mixture should be smooth and sauce-like but not runny (add extra milk to reach desired consistency).  

Return purée to pan and keep warm over low heat.  Add baby spinach and stir until wilted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (I found this sauce needed quite a bit of seasoning — for some reason potatoes always seem to suck up salt like nobody’s business).   

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, saving one cup of the starchy pasta-cooking water.  Add pasta to the pan containing the sauce and stir well to combine, adding pasta-cooking water by the 1/4 cupful as necessary to moisten things up.  Adjust seasoning again before serving.

To serve, place 1 cup of cooked pasta in each bowl.  Top each serving with 1/4 of the prosciutto crumbles and 1 tbsp grated parmesan. 

The Skinny: 365 calories per serving; 10g fat; 70g carbohydrates; 6g fibre; 18g protein.  
The point of this meal wasn’t to highlight the sweet potato (which I might have done using flavors like nutmeg, sage, etc.), but rather to use it to trick myself into thinking the meal was cheesier and creamier than it really was.  

It totally worked!  While the texture was a little starchier than your average cream sauce, it tasted really rich and satisfying.  Next time I think I’d probably use a heavier pasta shape to handle the weight of the sauce (although Tim thought it was good with spaghetti).
Happy weekend to everyone!  Looks like I might actually get to have one this time…


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