Habanero Sweet Potato Pasta
This Caribbean pepper is famous for being the hottest chile pepper in the world. They come in a variety of shapes and colors (yellow, orange, green, red, chocolate). Not only are they extremely hot, but they also have a unique, distinctively fruity flavor. It is the key ingredient in the popular Jamaican Jerk sauce. The habanero is also widely used in many different types of hot sauces. The popularity of this chile pepper continues to grow and is becoming easier to find on the grocery shelf.
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients for boiling:
2 cups rotini (corkscrew) pasta
1 medium-sized sweet potato, chopped into half-inch cubes (about 1.5 cups)
Ingredients for pan-searing:
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, including the liquid
1 cup corn
10 basil leaves, chopped
5 garilc cloves, minced
1 habanero, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Boiling: Add rotini pasta and sweet potato chunks to a large pot of boiling water. Cook the pasta according to package instructions (about 8 minutes) and cook the sweet potato until soft, stirring occasionally. The sweet potato chunks should be soft and cooked by the time the pasta has finished cooking. Drain and set aside.
Pan-searing: Heat olive oil in a large high-sided pan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, and habanero. Cook and stir until garlic browns, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn, diced tomatoes (including the liquid), and salt. Let simmer until half of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off.
Mix everything together: Add the drained rotini and sweet potato chunks to the pan with the tomato sauce. Mix everything well. Serve immediately.
From savorytooth.com