During the winter months, we eat a lot more pasta. It's not always the healthiest but I love finding ways to add more vegetables to each dish without overloading. This sweet potato mac and cheese was one of my first experiments that has been made for years. The sweet potato helps to create a beautiful, golden sauce and pairs perfectly with the spinach. More recently, this is one of my favorite freezer-meals to make for families with babies!
The real base for this sweet potato mac is the sauce. It taste rich without being overly heavy thanks to the sweet potatoes. Beyond the swaps below, you can easily add more vegetables to this sweet potato mac and cheese. I'll occasionally up the amount of greens, add roasted broccoli/cauliflower, or add cubes of sweet potato along with the puree.
Pumpkin: Instead of sweet potato, you could use pureed pumpkin.
Gluten free: Swap the pasta for you favorite gluten free pasta and a gluten free all purpose flour.
Greens: Try this recipe with shredded kale or swiss chard instead of spinach.
A filling and hearty mac and cheese that balances salty cheese with healthy sweet potatoes- creating an extra bright and delicious meal!
Tips & Tricks: Sweet potatoes yield 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato. If you want to avoid clumps of sweet potato, you can puree in a blender or food processor.
To conserve time (and water), cook the pasta first and reserve the water to cook the sweet potatoes.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: pasta, butter, sweet potatoes
Nutrition: See the information.
There's no denying I am a pasta lover. However, for years I avoided eating a lot of pasta because when I was first vegetarian, it was a big part of my diet. I've now found balance and it's something I make once a week. I also love making my own pasta (it's a lot easier than one might think!)
Brussels Sprout Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
Roasted Beet Pasta
Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta
This recipe was originally published on November 12, 2012 and last updated on December 1st, 2016. The recipe varies slightly so if you're looking for the original recipe, you can find it here.
Looks amazingly yummy! Think it would work to use unsweetened original almond milk?
This mac and cheese looks simply decadent! I'm in love.
Stunning! I am dying to try this - what an awesome twist on traditional mac and cheese 🙂
Oh yum! With veggies in it, it balances out the cheese, right?!
jees that looks like heaven! Great blog!
I just got back from a run in the frigid fall weather outside and this recipe is hitting all the buttons in my craving control center. Yummy!!!
This really does look so delicious and comforting - I'd love a bowl of this right now.
This looks amazing! I've been seeing so many pumpkin and butternut squash pasta recipes, but this is a great alternative to a fall pasta dish! Will definitely try soon.
Yum, Erin. This might have to go on our meal plan this week. And yes, staying under the covers an extra few minutes is so nice! Too bad my kids don't agree, ha.
Ooo, this looks delish! Great idea to add sweet potato (a little easier than butternut squash to work with sometimes) 🙂 Miss you!! XO
Oh goodness, I want to dive into a bowl of this. Looks amazing.
Mac and cheese is one of my all time favorite comfort foods. The addition of sweet potatoes is perfect! Can't wait to try this recipe.
[...] SWEET POTATO AND SPINACH MAC & CHEESE [...]
was perfect for this snowy canadian evening. my daughter even liked the spinach.
This looks AWESOME! I love your photography, and everything on your site looks so good.
I just made this and it was so good! Used different cheeses since I didn't want to go to the grocery store, and I sauteed diced onions in the pan before making the roux since I had one to use. Im trying to restrain myself from having seconds!
This meal is divine.. i can't stop refilling my bowl. Thank you! Big fan.
[...] Sweet Potato and Spinach Mac ‘n Cheese Naturally Ella [...]
I bought sweet potato not knowing what i'd do with it. Now I know!!! Can't wait to cook this.
K xx
I made this for thanksgiving and it was a huge success! Thanks!
I'm looking forward to making this
Sweet Potato and Spinach Mac and Cheese
... it sounds delicious
Awesome! I can't believe you were able to combine three of my favorite foods. I can't wait to try it. And just in time for me needing some food ideas too
[...] Sweet Potato and Spinach Mac and Cheese [...]
Can't wait to try it ! Love,Love sweet potatoes
Thank for you a great recipe! I made it for dinner and blogged about it here: http://livingforthenextmeal.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/sweet-potato-and-spinach-mac-and-cheese/
Beautiful web site you have here!
I was going to use pumpkin instead of sweet potato. I was thinking about 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree would be about equal to one sweet potato. What do you think?
I might boost it up to 3/4 cup!
Thanks! I'm gonna try it out tomorrow.
By the way.....a year later....it was great! I'm making it for my work Christmas party in a few days. Using the pumpkin just let me be a bit lazy 😉
Yum. I will share this with some people who will appreciate a lighter mac and cheese.
[...] Hi all, I know it’s been a long time since I posted on here! I’ve had lots of ideas about what to put up but very little motivation to do so… I thought to ease myself back into blogging I would put up a recipe that I’m loving at the moment. Mac and cheese is one of my favourite comfort foods and sweet potatoes one of my favourite vegetables! So what a combination that isn’t too unhealthy! The recipe is a combination of these two recipes from Macaroni and Cheesecake and Naturally Ella. [...]
[...] Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese from Naturally Ella – I really liked this! Daniel wasn’t a fan, but he hasn’t ever liked any baked mac & cheese (weirdo), so that wasn’t a huge shock. [...]
Thanks! We love your recipes. My husband devoured the mac and cheese with sweet potatoe what a good combination. We are looking forward to more recipes.
[...] adapted this original recipe from Naturally Ella as a way to make a somewhat quick, somewhat indulgent, yet somewhat good-for-you meal on a weekday. [...]
Oh wow. This was absolutely amazing. I made a few substitutions - I left in the 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, but I replaced the other 1 1/2 cups of cheese with a mixture of low fat cheeses (cottage cheese, ricotta, 5% sirene and just like 1-2 tbsp of 15% cream). I also added a hint of nutmeg, cloves and allspice (because I add them to nearly everything) and some salt. Instead of dividing the cheese mixture, I mixed everything together and sprinkled a bit of bread crumbs on top. It turned out sooo good, I can tell I'm going to be making this again soon! It's so creamy and even better than the macaroni and cheese you get in restaurants and such.
So in case anyone reading this wants to try it out but is scared of the high fat content in the cheese - it still turns out great with low-fat cheese.Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Love this recipe and make it all the time! I tend to use cheddar just because that's my go to for mac and cheese but the sweet potato addition makes this sauce good enough to drink. Thanks!
[…] this particular case; sweet potato and spinach mac and cheese. Whew, quite a mouthful ~ figuratively and literally. This recipe is compliments of naturally […]
What kind of milk do you use? Is 1% okay?
I usually use 2% but I think 1% would work just fine!
Ummm, your taste in music is amazing 🙂 Also, sweet potato mac and cheeze is crazy good, though I do make my version vegan 😉
I tried this recipe out and it turn out so well! It's so deliciously good and decadent. But i did substitute the milk with unsweetened almond milk and it works perfectly! The almond milk doesn't over power the dish. Overall I love this recipe so much!
I shared this recipe with someone and she was wondering about the calorie content, carbs etc. Do you have that?
Sorry, I don't!
I'm glad I tried this recipe because I was really curious about it. However, following the ingredients alone, it seemed very under seasoned. I feel like I had to add a lot of salt to bring out the flavors of the dish. Before baking, I really loved the sauce. After baking, the sauce turned really think and clumpy...not really what I think of with mac and cheese. Just my thoughts since I like to read through comments before trying a recipe. Thanks for sharing! Your photography is beautiful.
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Hi Rachel- Thanks for the feedback! I'm notorious for under-salting things, so good to know (and also about the sauce- maybe a little extra milk in the sauce. I'm more of a thick and cheesy mac/cheese person!)
I agree about this seeming a bit under-seasoned. I liked this but felt like it definitely needed a little something extra. Perhaps just a bit more salt, or if I make it again I may try sauteing an onion like Kristyn Wurst suggested or adding some nutmeg / allspice like Lena suggested.
I actually just tested this again and realized the salt is WAY under where it should be (especially if the pasta water isn't salted heavily. I amped up the salt to 1 teaspoon but I think adding onion/garlic could be a good way to go as well.
I have made this recipe like 50 times. Seriously. I make a small change, I use just a mixed bag of shredded cheese (sometimes mexican blend, sometimes 3 cheese blend.) It just makes my life easier. Otherwise, it's awesome. I have made it 4 times in the last month for new moms to help out in the early days of having a newborn. One mom said she called it her "Midnight Mac" as she would snack on it during 2am feedings.
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Hi Tracy- THANK YOU so much for your comment. As a new mother myself, I'm so glad to hear that this recipe has become a staple for new moms.
can't wait to try on thanksgiving!
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I have made this a few times now and it has become a friend favorite. Thanks for the recipe!
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This look absolutely delicious! As a vegetarian I'm constantly finding it so hard to find something easy and new to make that I haven't seen on BBC food about a billion times! Great recipe! x
Georgia Megan
This sounds delicious I cant wait to try it. Mac n cheese is defiantly one of my favorites!
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On milk alternatives: I used 2 cups cashew milk and 1/2 cup coconut milk for a nicely creamy alternative.
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This is far more elegant than the mac & cheese I make in the microwave (which is delicious). I think this would make a very nice dinner, especially using kale in place of the spinach.
I do a lot of cooking at night after my daughter goes to bed so that it can be heated up easily the next day, or I freeze stuff so I can cook it later. This sounds like a great contender but would you freeze/refrigerate before or after you bake?
Yes! I would make it up until the point where you would pop it in the oven. If you decide to freeze it, the cook time would just be a bit longer.
It was just wonderful! My husband and I enjoyed the flavor of this meal a lot (both warm and cold). I was a bit reluctant in the combination of sweet potato and pasta, but it proved excellent. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I am continuously on the look of vegetarian recipes that are both filling and nutritious, as a change for meat-meals, and I very much enjoy your website for the variety and the neat organisation of recipes.
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It's been over 3.5 years since my original comment and this is still my favorite recipe ever! I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say I've made it over 100 times so far. It's still amazing (even with substitutions for low-fat cheese which I still do every time) and everyone who eats it loves it.
Generally I remember the recipe by heart so I don't have to open this page every time, but I happened to open it while making it today and noticed the change in amounts (increased milk and sweet potato). I tried it out and have to admit that the sweet potato taste was a bit more prominent for me this time (as opposed to the usual, where it all really tastes just like cheese!). But that may have to do with the fact I used a hand blender to blend the sweet potato in the roux, instead of blending it in a food processor and then adding it to the roux. Maybe some small chunks remained. 🙂 Nonetheless I think next time I'll use a sweet potato smaller than 1lb.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for countless delicious dinners over the past 3.5 years!
I've made this a couple of times now and I plan to make it again this weekend, it's still really cheesey and delicious but feels so much more healthier than regular mac n cheese!
Would shredded zucchini work as a substitution for spinach? My son would not eat anything green. Thinking to peel and shred zucchini and hide it in mac and cheese. Would it taste neutral enough that he would not notice?
I think it would- you might want to squeeze out some of the liquid of the shredded zucchini before hand (my only thought!)