Tomato Sauce Alternative
Beet Sweet Potato Sauce
Ever want an alternative to tomato sauce for your spaghetti? Here’s an easy recipe if like me you often have a leftover cooked beet and a leftover sweet potato or yam.
Ingredients:
- 1 cooked beet
- 1/2 cooked sweet potato or yam
Put the sweet potato or yam in a bowl with the beet. Mash with a fork. If you don’t mind cleaning your food processor and prefer a creamier sauce, throw both in the food processor.
Mash until you get a lovely orange and pink sauce.
Meanwhile, cook your noodles. I used Eden mugwort soba noodles, which are a lovely shade of green, nutritious and delicious. When ready, mix immediately with your beet and yam sauce so the sauce warms up.
I topped mine with grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley. Get creative. Basil would be a great topper, too. You could also mix in a few drips of cold-pressed olive oil or some organic butter.
Serves 1-2.
Inspiration: Klara has a beet – carrot – onion sauce that she used to make as a tomato sauce alternative. See her comment on this post for the recipe. Since I often have a leftover beet and some leftover sweet potato, this recipe was a natural for me.
Rivka with a capital A says
looks yummy, but I am wondering if I would like the taste....
Ilana-Davita says
You are creative. I really wonder what this tastes like.
I think I'd also add parmesan cheese and olive oil.
East Gwillimbury WOW! says
This sounds delicious. Perfect idea. (I'm a vegetarian.)
Dora says
mugwort noodles? Sounds interesting! My chef will love them.
leoraw says
If you just try the mugwort noodles and nothing else, you are in for a treat. Warning: they aren't cheap. But luckily my kids don't like them (my daughter will eat them if none of the plain white spaghetti is available), and my husband isn't big on noodles, so I get them all to myself.
Ellie says
Looks great only it is sweet - which is a no for my husband. I used to eat a lot of beets when I lived in Russia - they make wide variety of salads with it /some put it in borsch/ - the one I do is beets /not sweet/, onion, green peas, pickles /as not sweet as possible :)/, mayonnaise - a girl from Ukraine told me this one. I like the color of beets - if you eat a rainbow a day - got to have beets!
Rivka with a capital A says
My neighbor (also originally from Russia) makes this too. I think she also adds potatoes. I like it without the peas. I hate peas.
leoraw says
My mother used to (sometimes) make potato salad with a beet. She was born in Russia.
Ellie says
As a kid I didn't like them either - but those Russians make it work in their salads :)
Klara Le Vine says
Leora,
I'm so jealous you can get mugwort noodles. Btw, have you tried http://www.simply-natural.biz/Sakurai_Mugwort_Soba.php It might cost less buying from him. Because you're on the East side (of U.S) shipping isn't that much. But if you order over $300 (like I did last time I was in the States), NO shipping costs. But if you're going to splurge, have you tried the different mochi's? http://www.simply-natural.biz/Mugwort-Rice-Mochi.php (that's just one of several kinds). Super easy to cook, and it's heaven!!!! drop of soy sauce is all I put.
apologies if it's too much ads, I just love all that he offers.
leoraw says
One of these days I'll order from Gary. When I decide to get that perfect pickler.
I tried the pressed salad. It tasted like salad with some salt. OK, but maybe I'm doing something wrong? (you cut vegetables, salt them, cover with heavy object for an hour).
Klara Le Vine says
See, I wasn't crazy over pressed salad either. I think some liquid is supposed to come out - I know it does when I use cucumbers. Did you cut the veggies small? It's a good challenge for me. I'll get back to you with an answer.
Shame to wait for Gary - did you compare the prices? Also see what else he has to offer (besides pickle press). Wished I'd made some mochi for you - that is pure heaven - crisp on the outside, chewy inside (hmm, sounds like some ad for chocolate bars :>) ) but it's made from pounded sweet rice - which is lots of work to do by hand.
leoraw says
Price isn't much of an incentive for me. I like supporting my local health food store. They are very friendly, and the owner always asks about my father or better yet, tells me that my father was in the store and is doing well.
But if I need to go online to buy the Perfect Pickler anyway, I'll buy some noodles, too.
leoraw says
And on the pressed salad, it reminds me of the cole slaw my mother used to make. She would put in salt and leave in the refrigerator for a day. Yes, it would exude water after one day. But again, wasn't crazy enough about it to make it. I prefer the fresh tekka, where one cooks the cabbage a bit with ginger and onion.
Klara Le Vine says
interesting how all of it is on a scale - leave the cabbage with the salt for a long time and you get the old fashioned sauerkraut. My mom did it with very thinly sliced cucumbers, sat with salt for an hour, then she squeezed it out by hand (no pickle press for her) - did the same thing with a cabbage and noodle dish that she cooked. But alas the cucumber (with onions) had sugar and vinegar added to it. And the cabbage was cooked looooooooooooong time in plenty of oil. I do those dishes with a little adjustments. (btw, they're Hungarian dishes).
The idea in macrobiotics is to have variety and cook in different ways. I also prefer to cook my cabbage but the pressed salad awaits me as a challenge!!
Paz says
Delicious and nutritious! Yum!
Paz
Jew Wishes says
This sounds quite interesting. I like the idea of the beet and sweet potato blend.
Klara Le Vine says
You inspired me. I made dashi soup (are you familiar with that?) for Shabbos and yes, I had ordered some mugwort soba from Gary, so I used it. Funny, reminds me of when I was 12 and taught cooking and decided would be a good idea to put food coloring on the noodles. Definitely strange color. btw, ever thought of planting mugwort??
ramblingwoods says
That looks interesting and I had never though of using a beet in that way...
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