Thursday, February 7, 2008

Last Minute from the Last Page

Flying home today from Tennessee I had a lot on my mind. Should I sleep now or read? And do I feel like cooking a pasta tonight for Presto Pasta Night or eating a quick, easy and delicious Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burger? Ok, so, maybe not too much...but important topics nonetheless. Turns out I did feel like sleeping and I made no progress on dinner plans. However, driving home from the airport I remembered that I had to buy cat food and if I was going to the store I might as well pick up a few more ingredients. Veggie burger be damned!

This past weekend when I was at my boyfriend's house, I was perusing a magazine that his mother gets, Real Simple, when I came across a recipe that looked quite simple (and tasty) indeed - Multigrain Pasta with Sweet Potatos and Leeks. It was hidden on the LAST page of the magazine. I thought it looked like just the thing for Presto Pasta Night. Although I forgot to make a copy, the recipe was luckily available online and my fabulous room mate found it and told me what ingredients we needed.

The recipe has a ton of fiber. Woohoo!!! It is generally quite healthy and features leeks as one of the main components. I has slightly hesitant about them (they look like giant scallions, and I am not a big scallion fan), but I do love Potato-Leek soup and onions...so figured it would be a-ok. Although I encountered a crawly bug while cleaning and the cat tried to eat the leftover leaves out of the garbage, the leeks presented no major problems (cut the leeks down the middle and thoroughly wash before use). Plus - this was very very good! The leeks and sweet potatos made for a great combination and you could really taste the pinch of nutmeg. Thanks Real Simple!

Multigrain Pasta with Sweet Potatos and Leeks
yields 4 servings

12
ounces multigrain penne
4 teaspoons olive oil
3 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into half-moons
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat while the pasta cooks. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sage and cook 2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring twice, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and the reserved cooking water and simmer, stirring, until the potatoes are fully tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and nutmeg and toss.

Nutriotion per Serving
CALORIES 541(22% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 0g); SUGAR 15g; PROTEIN 26g; CHOLESTEROL 13mg; SODIUM 465mg; FIBER 12g; CARBOHYDRATE 107g

8 comments:

Peter M said...

Georgia, you should try sweet potato Gnochi, best of both worlds!

Sage is a natural for sweet potatoes, nice, hearty bowl of pasta.

Randi said...

fabulous roommate, eh? you're not to bad yourself :) this was awesome. thanks for making me dinner, especially one with fiber and yumminess.

test it comm said...

Sweet potatoes and sage do go well together. The sweet potatoes with pasta sounds good. I agree with Peter, sweet potato gnocchi is the best! You should try adding some sweet potatoes to your black bean burritos.

Ruth Daniels said...

Great recipe and some great suggestions here in the comments. Thanks for sharing the dish with Presto Pasta Nights....perhaps we all should take a flight nap for inspiration ;-)

Heather said...

That looks so perfect - I love sweet potatoes with nutmeg and sage. Multigrain pasta has really come a long way int the texture department, don'tcha think?

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I am glad you decided to make pasta. Apart from it looking great, I was able to discover your blog, that has to be good! That white bug though, yuck! I will be using a magnifying glass on my leeks from now on!

Anonymous said...

Found your blog via Presto Pasta night--and boy this looks good! The combination of ingredients sounds wonderful and something I'd love to make. My sister loves Real Simple and reads it regularly--good to know that it offers such yummy recipes.

Anonymous said...

well, I'll have to try your sweet potato and leek combo. It sounds interesting. You have become such an adventurous cook! Who would have thought that couch potato you were as a kid would turn into someone so clever at using potatoes! I love you! Sounds great, mom

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