All you’ll need is a single pan to make this Creamy Sweet Potato, Kale, and Leek Pasta!
Show me someone who loves doing dishes and I’ll show you someone who enjoys making lasagna on a weeknight. I mean, honestly, everyone loves lasagna, but the dishes can be a little time consuming. There’s a pot for boiling noodles, a pan for browning meat, far too many measuring cups, a cutting board, maybe a cheese grater, and then the casserole dish itself, which is inevitably coated in a stubborn layer of crusty sauce and cheese. I enjoy lasagna as much as the next guy, but I have to save that nonsense for the weekends. On busy weeknights when I’m craving creamy, saucy pasta, I turn to something much simpler. Something I can make in a single pan in less than 30 minutes. Something just like this Creamy One Pan Sweet Potato, Kale, and Leek Pasta.
This easy pasta dish is the lazy cook’s (or busy mom’s) dream. It’s made with Barilla’s Pronto Penne pasta which is designed specifically for one pan cooking–no boiling or draining required. That’s right. Veggies, sauce, and pasta all made in a single pan. It’s the perfect solution to your weeknight pasta dilemma, and makes it easy to get a great meal on the table for your family, even on the busiest nights.
For this dish, I wanted to take advantage of some of fall’s produce so I started with mellow leeks, sweet potatoes, and hearty kale. Everything cooks together in one pan until the pasta is perfectly “al dente” and vegetables are fork tender. Then, I simply stirred in a little half and half, Parmesan cheese, and goat cheese for a rich, creamy, tangy pasta that hits the spot on a cool fall night.
I love the play of flavors in this dish. The leeks and sweet potatoes provide a subtle sweetness that compliments the bitterness of the kale, but I think it’s the goat cheese that really sends this pasta over the top. It adds just the right amount of tang…that little something that makes you want to go back for bite after bite.
I know some of you probably aren’t fans of goat cheese. My husband is one of those people. I think you all are crazy, but I do have an option for you. If you just can’t take the tang, simply omit the goat cheese and substitute with an equal amount of Parmesan cheese. You’ll end up with a more classic Alfredo-y type sauce that will still be absolutely lovely with the autumn vegetables.
Reclaim your weeknights from the dish monster and spend some quality time with your family instead. Pick up Barilla’s Pronto Pasta and see what kinds of magic you can create in a single pan. For more great recipe ideas visit www.barilla.com/pronto, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
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Creamy One Pan Sweet Potato Leek Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box Barilla Pronto Penne Pasta
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 leek (cleaned and sliced into thin strips)
- 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes (chopped)
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- 1/2 cup goat cheese
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot or pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leek and saute for one minute. Add the sweet potato and saute an additional three minutes or until potatoes are just starting to soften.
- Stir in the chopped kale, chicken broth, water, salt, and pasta, making sure the pasta is submerged in the liquid. Increase heat to high, and set the timer for 10 minutes. Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in 1/2 cup half and half, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup goat cheese. Stir until melted then remove from heat and serve with fresh ground black pepper and additional parmesan.
Notes
- Use any short cut of pasta that will hold onto sauce well.
Nutrition
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Barilla. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep NeighborFood up and running!
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