I imagine many of those who know me would accuse me of having a “science-y” mind, but I think that that lends itself well to cooking; the kitchen truly is part lab, part studio. I love the experimental nature of cooking – some of my proudest cooking moments have come prior to moves, where I need to clean out the fridge and freezer and make do with what I have. Jam and brie cheese pizza is one highlight, apple pie eggrolls are another. It’s great when the product of one of these trials tastes good, but there’s a secondary sense of contentment that comes with diverting or preventing what would otherwise become waste.

After returning from holiday travel I needed to come up with something for dinner, but, in holding to making an effort to shop more at the farmers market, held off on visiting the grocery store. Somehow, inspired by a few teeny-tiny-beginning-to-shrivel sage leaves my roommate left on the top of our counter compost container, I ended up with the surprisingly tasty pasta using things I already had. I’ve adjusted the recipe a little to add a bit more flavor (more sage would have been better, so the recipe reflects that). It’s pretty simple, but thought I’d share.

Sweet Potato Sage Pasta
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 medium to large sweet potato
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1-2 tbs olive oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• 1 12 oz. box of tricolor rotini (or pasta of choice)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Yellow squash, optional
• 4-6 fresh sage leaves
• 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 1/2″ cubes. Finely chop the rosemary.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potato with oil, salt, pepper and rosemary, mixing until the potatoes are evenly coated.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes – until the potatoes are fork-tender
4. Cook the pasta according to the directions. As the pasta cooks, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
5. When the pasta is finished, strain and set the pasta aside. It may be helpful to reserve a cup or two of the pasta water to use to keep the pasta from sticking to itself as it sits.
6. Return the pasta pot to the stove and sauté the onion and garlic 3-5 minutes – until fragrant and the onions begin to get translucent. (If you choose, you can also sauté the yellow squash if you’re looking to add more veggies).
7.  At this point, the sweet potatoes should be finishing up. Add the pasta back to the pasta pot along with the potatoes. Finely chop the sage leaves and combine. Add the feta just before serving. Add in some more salt, pepper and/or oil to taste.

If you give it a shot, or have other ideas & potential improvements, I’m always open to your thoughts and feedback.