I don’t know what to call this dinner. But it did what needed to be done. A baked sweet potato turned pasta sauce was not on my fall bingo card, but it happened, and I am here to share it. Now, when James Hemings, chef to President Thomas Jefferson perfected macaroni and cheese for the delight of the new America, he had no intentions of the recipe being unrecognizable in a girl kitchen in 2024. I did what needed to be done ok, and it worked for a weeknight meal with the use of “thing already in the fridge”. To quote, “In this economy” yes, in this economy, I am using what I got to get what I want which was the closest way I could get to a form of macaroni and cheese. So since I was out of dairy milk and only had a little bit of cheese, I could not craft the ever so loved baked macaroni and cheese recipe, and made this piecemeal version.
After already using a half-eaten baked sweet potato, I used the other half for my cream base. Added 2 cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon of paprika, salt, and pepper to taste to my half sweet potato in my magic bullet blender, added ¼ cup of oat milk, and blend. Once it was a creamy consistency, I added it to a hot pan with melted butter in it. I allow it to cook the flavors through on slow heat. I didn’t add it, but here would be a great time to add any additional pan-cooked veggies like onions. Once the sauce simmers, add it melty cheese of your choice, I like Asiago, and allow it to melt through. If your sauce it too thick, thin it out with a little bit of lukewarm water. Then, I add in one cup of cooked macaroni and stir until the noodles are fully covered. This is also a great place to add any cooked protein like shrimp, mushrooms, chicken, or tofu. Allow it to cook through for another 3 minutes, and serve with sides like salad, roasted veggies, or pickled veggies like beets.
So, I guess the lesson with this hodgepodge I call Thursday night dinner is, don’t judge a recipe by its ingredients because you never know, it may be a lil decent.
Ingredients
Butter
Sweet potato
Garlic
Paprika
Caribbean Rhythms Mild Curry Powder
Oat milk
Asiago cheese
macaroni
Water