Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Wilted Spinach Casserole

Until this year, Thanksgiving and Christmas were the only occasions sweet potatoes made it into my life. I would dutifully try the orange dishes year after year, not wanting to seem ungrateful or immature. But if I’m honest, I didn’t particularly enjoy eating them. Somehow the way they straddled that line between sweet and savory made my palate cringe. I couldn’t wrap my head around eating anything covered with marshmallows alongside green beans and meat. It just felt so wrong.

It wasn’t until I had the pleasure of trying deliciously crisp, salty sweet potato fries that I realized I might need to reassess this whole aversion thing. At first, I was solely fixated on them in fry form. And why not, they are just sooo freaking amazzing. Sweet potatoes became my saving grace while I did my 40 days of no processed sugar and carbs. But I also couldn’t help thinking… there has got to be more I can do with them. So, slowly but surely they are finding new ways into my diet. This recipe happens to be one of them. I made a vegetarian version, but you can easily throw in some chicken for more protein. I would just bump up the eggs to 4 and add a bit more milk and cheese to coat everything.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Wilted Spinach Casserole 

Serves 4-5.

Ingredients:

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½ T. olive oil

Salt and pepper (to taste)
½ lb. fusilli pasta (approx. 2½ cups)
2/3 cup sausage of choice, roughly chopped
1 onion, diced

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (1-inch pieces)
200 grams frozen spinach, defrosted, chopped and excess liquid drained off OR 1 bag fresh spinach
120 - 180 grams reduced-fat feta (9%)
3 large eggs
¼ parmesan
½ cup milk
2 T. mustard
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
2/3 cup cheese of choice (cheddar, gouda, etc)
Fresh basil, garnish

Directions:

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1.  Preheat oven to 400F (200C). 


2.  Toss diced sweet potatoes in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a large casserole dish and bake until soft for around 15 mins., stirring every 5 minutes. 

3.  While potatoes are baking cook pasta. In a large nonstick pan on medium heat, cook sausage until begins to brown. Add in diced onion and cook in the fat rendered by the sausage. When the onions become transparent add in either fresh spinach and wilt it OR the frozen, drained spinach. Turn heat off and crumble in the feta. Add the cooked pasta and spinach mixture into the casserole dish and toss ingredients together. 

4.  In a medium bowl, whisk egg, parmesan, milk, mustard and spices together. Pour liquid over casserole and toss to coat ingredients. Cover casserole with cheese. Season with salt and pepper and bake  for around 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown. Serve with freshly chopped basil