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Pasta w/ Sweet Potato, Spinach, Quinoa, & Fresh Mozzarella

Pasta w/ Sweet Potato, Spinach, Quinoa, & Fresh Mozzarella

This Sweet Potato Pasta consists of fresh mozzarella and a mix of spinach quinoa with garlic, tamari, rice vinegar, cumin, coriander, cloves, smoked paprika, ginger, salt & pepper.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian, Latin American
Servings 2 servings

Equipment

  • Large Pot
  • Large Saucepan
  • Stovetop

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lbs. pasta (I used rigatoni, although any pasta of choice will do)
  • 1 sweet potato diced
  • 3/4 c. spinach chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 c. white quinoa
  • 3 c. water
  • 1/4 c. tamari (or soy sauce of choice)
  • 1/4 c. rice vinegar
  • dash salt
  • dash pepper
  • dash cumin
  • dash coriander
  • dash cloves
  • dash smoked paprika
  • dash ginger
  • 4 oz. fresh mozzarella (optional, or parmesan)

Instructions
 

Cook Pasta

  • Add about 4 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. This typically entails boiling for about 8-12 minutes, or until barely al dente.
  • Remove the pasta from the water and set aside.
    DO NOT DRAIN. Keep the reserve pasta water. Just remove the pasta from the water, place in a large sauté pan, and make sure to stir it occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.

Cook Quinoa

  • Add all of the produce and spices to a rice cooker.
  • Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes.

Cook "Sauce"

  • When the quinoa is fully cooked, fluff with a wooden spoon and transfer to a large sauté pan with the pasta.
  • Bring to medium-low and begin to slowly stir in fresh mozzarella.
    You want to VERY SLOWLY stir in SMALL CHUNKS of mozzarella. It's not the kind of cheese that I would ordinarily use for pasta because it tends to cook into chunks rather than melting into a sauce. This makes it really good for things like pizza where you're just baking it on top. But not quite so ideal when you want the cheese to dissolve, rather than just melt! So, be very careful here or substitute something like parmesan or gruyère.
  • Add in splashes of pasta water as needed. I usually end up mixing in about 1/8-1/4 cup. You can also substitute white wine. The only goal here is to add in moisture and keep the mozzarella from mixing into a big clump of cheese.
    I'm calling this a "sauce," but it's really more of a vegetable medley mix of leftovers. Feel free to mix and match in your own favorite produce and cheese, or whatever you have on hand.
  • Serve immediately.

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