Sweet Potato and Pepperoni Ragu over Orzo
More sweet potatoes! I’m getting a little tired of the “orange fries” my kids adore, so I’m trying to be a little more creative with this vibrant orange vegetable. I threw this pasta dish together out of bits and pieces of stuff from the fridge and it ended up being really good. . .
despite the expression on my daughter’s face. She did NOT like the fact that mom was taking a photo, but she did clean her bowl. Both girls did.
Because this is something that kids would probably like, I wanted a picture of her enthusiastically shoveling it into her little mouth.
Nope. Not today.
Sweet Potato and Pepperoni Ragu over Orzo
Yield: 4 adult servings or 6 kid servings
Ingredients:
1 T butter or oil
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, quartered (I used turkey)
1 green onion, sliced thinly
2 1/2-3 cups marinara sauce (20-24 ounces, whatever your jar happens to be)
2 cups uncooked whole wheat orzo or other small pasta such as elbow or small shells
freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheeseDirections:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potato and cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to soften. Add the bell pepper, pepperoni, and green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bell peppers is tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add marinara sauce and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the orzo according to package directions, cooking until "al dente".
Serve sauce over orzo and top with cheese.
from Perry's Plate
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Nick and/or Lauren — March 7, 2011 @ 2:08 pm
You come up with the most interesting ways to use sweet potatoes. I need to start adding them to dishes. Thank you for the awesome idea.
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Jolene - EverydayFoodie — March 7, 2011 @ 2:32 pm
Your daughter is gorgeous! I love the expression – looks like she has lots of personality :-)
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Lauren's Latest — March 7, 2011 @ 4:17 pm
I love throwing random ingredients together and it turning into a delicious dinner!
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Joanne — March 7, 2011 @ 6:42 pm
I haven't had pepperoni in far too long but this is a great way to healthify it! Plus I bet that sweet and spicy is just heavenly.
Your daughter is too cute!
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Natalie — March 7, 2011 @ 8:31 pm
Ha my husband would love it if we could find some new ways to eat sweet potatoes–this looks great!!
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Rebekah — March 24, 2011 @ 3:47 am
I just made this and it tastes great! Quick question though – I'm not used to cooking with Sweet Potatoes and the ones at our store were yellow instead of orange. There were some near these that were labeled as Yams and looked like the typical orange sweet potatoes that I am accustomed to (out of a can :) ) Anyway, do you use the orange variety or the yellow?
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Natalie @ Perrys' Plate — March 24, 2011 @ 4:15 am
Rebekah – The yellow ones and the orange ones are technically both sweet potatoes, despite how the stores label them. True yams, which grow in Asia and Africa and can get to about 100 lbs, are rarely found in North American supermarkets. I use the orange ones, but you could use either one. Glad you liked the recipe!
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Janssen — May 3, 2011 @ 3:04 am
I made this tonight and I was a little wary, but it was REALLY tasty. So different from other things I've made, but delicious.
Also, because I abhor cooked peppers, I swapped it out for some fresh spinach. Yum!
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