Sweet Potato & Elbow Pasta Skillet Recipe

If you're looking for a pasta dish with sweet heat and a little bit of crunch, this elbow macaroni recipe is for you.Elbow pasta mixed with sweet potatoes and topped with breadcrumbs, bacon and jalapeño peppers, then baked to perfection. For a dinner idea, you can't go wrong with this or any other spicy sweet fusion pasta recipe!

Sweet Potato Elbows

Ingredients 
1 box of elbow pasta  
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 cups boiled sweet potato, cut in cubes 
1 jalapeño, seedless and chopped 
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup crispy bacon, chopped  
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt to taste

Instructions 
1. Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt to taste. 
2. Add elbow pasta to boiling water – for an authentic “al dente” pasta boil for 11 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain well and set aside. 
3. Heat the butter in a skillet over low heat, add sweet potato and cook for 5 minutes. 
4. Add heavy cream, salt to taste and blend. 
5. Pour the potato puree and mix with elbows in a skillet. 
6. In a bowl mix breadcrumbs, crispy bacon, jalapeño and the fresh chopped cilantro.
7. Top the pasta elbows with the breadcrumb mix and cook in oven for 5 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy! 

Recipe and photo credit: Chef Santiago Gomez