Name: Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 250 grams sweet potatoes; 150 grams penne or other short pasta; 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter; 1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose or plain flour; 250 ml whole milk; 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder; 1/8 teaspoon paprika plus extra for dusting; 40 grams feta cheese; 70 grams shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping; 1/4 teaspoon dried sage; salt and pepper to taste

Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

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Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese is a great way to amp up your favorite gooey, carby dinner. Sweet Potatoes not only add vitamins but also amazing depth of flavor. You'll be so excited to dig in.

Author: Renee Rendall
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Baked
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

250 grams sweet potatoes
150 grams penne or other short pasta
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose or plain flour
250 ml whole milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika plus extra for dusting
40 grams feta cheese
70 grams shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200C (400F) and put a large pot of water on to boil.
Peel your sweet potatoes and chop them into roughly 1-inch chunks. We're going to match them later, so they don't need to be pretty. When the water is boiling, add a fat pinch of salt, then drop in your chopped sweet potatoes. Cook them for about 10 minutes or until soft.
Remove sweet potatoes with a slotted spoon to a large mixing bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or a fork until relatively smooth. We're not looking for baby food.
Once your water is boiling again, you can drop in your pasta. Cook it a minute shy of what it says on the package so it doesn't come out of the oven mushy. Drain your pasta.
While all that is cooking, you can also make your cream sauce. Add the butter to a sauce pan and melt over medium low heat. Then add the flour and whisk to form a paste. Let this cook for about a minute until it starts to smell nutty. Add your milk about a quarter to a half cup at a time. Whisk the mixture after each addition to make sure it's smooth before ading more milk. Cook and stir until it starts to bubble and thicken. Stir in the mustard powder, paprika, and some salt and pepper. We will be adding cheese later, so don't oversalt at this point.
Now we can start bring everything together. Fold your cooked pasta into your mashed sweet potatoes. Then crumble in your feta cheese and stir that through the mixture as well. Next, stir in the cream sauce, followed by the shredded cheddar. Give it a taste to check for seasoning. I felt like I needed another pinch of salt at this point.
Transfer your macaroni mixture to either two individual dishes or one larger casserole dish. Sprinkle a little extra cheddar and the dried sage over each dish, then pop them in the oven. I like to put the individual dishes onto a baking sheet to catch any drips and make it easier to get things in and out of the oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Let them cool just long enough for the cheese to stop being molten, about five minutes. Dig in and enjoy.