Sweet Potato Lasagna: Comfort Food with a Twist

Take your traditional lasagna recipe to new heights with a nutritious and versatile vegetable: the sweet potato. This fiber-rich, tuberous veggie replaces traditional pasta in this classic comfort food, resulting in a hearty and satisfying dish full of fiber and a savory, slightly sweet flavor.

We've got a recipe to make this delicious dish your own.

What is sweet potato lasagna?

Sweet potato lasagna is a naturally lower-carb, nutrient-dense alternative to the classic comfort food that we know and love. Instead of regular pasta sheets, thinly sliced sweet potatoes are used as a substitute, making this recipe naturally gluten-free and more veggie-packed.

By replacing regular pasta with sweet potato slices, this recipe can be made lower in calories than traditional lasagna, and higher in key nutrients, such as fiber, beta-carotene antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and potassium.

Just like traditional lasagna, the layers remain the same—utilizing ingredients such as ricotta cheese, garlic cloves, tomatoes, and often a protein like ground turkey or beef. The dish is then baked until the sweet potatoes are tender and the flavors meld together. The result is a delicious alternative to classic lasagna.

Sweet potato lasagna recipe

If you are looking for a lightened-up comfort food with a nutritious twist, look no further than sweet potato lasagna! This simple recipe is made with just a handful of fresh and flavorful ingredients and can be customized to your specific dietary needs and preferences.

Tips for Success

Cutting the sweet potato

: A mandoline slicer will allow you to achieve consistent and uniform sweet potato slices. If you don't have a mandoline, you can simply use a sharp knife. Cutting your sweet potato uniformly will ensure even cooking.

Bump up the protein

: To boost the protein of this recipe, create a meat layer by cooking ground beef or turkey and heating through with the tomato sauce and your savory seasonings of choice. Use this as your sauce layer in the recipe.

Make it "meaty" with mushrooms

: Mushrooms are like sponges—they soak up the flavors of the ingredients they are cooked with, while adding a savory umami taste. This versatile veggie (botanically a fungi) is perfect for meat lovers looking to add more nutritional diversity to their lives. Replacing half your ground meat with minced mushrooms lowers the fat, cholesterol, calories and sodium while adding beneficial nutrients like potassium, B vitamins and even some vitamin D.

Make it vegan

: To make the recipe vegan, you can omit the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and make it with a "plant" ricotta made with plant-based ingredients, such as raw cashews, cauliflower, tofu, nutritional yeast and savory spices. Nutritional yeast can also replace the mozzarella cheese topping.

Make your own sauce

: While this recipe calls for store-bought sauce for time-saving convenience, you can opt to make your own from scratch. Simply simmer whole peeled tomatoes with fresh minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. These fruits are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium and lycopene antioxidants.

Are sweet potatoes good for you?

Sweet potatoes are a nutritious veggie to incorporate into your diet. While they are often recognized for their bright orange flesh, there are several varieties of sweet potatoes, including yellow and deep purple, that offer their own unique package of nutrients and antioxidants.

Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber. Compared with regular potatoes, sweet potatoes have a slightly lower glycemic index, which means they help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Additionally, they are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin B6 and potassium. Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are also rich in beta-carotene antioxidants, which your body converts to vitamin A, a nutrient important for eye and immune health.

Besides sweet potato lasagna, these nutritious tuberous vegetables can be enjoyed in many ways. For something warm and cozy, puree sweet potatoes into soup or enjoy in a chili. You can also incorporate mashed sweet potatoes into your pancakes or waffle batter. For a comforting snack, try oven-baked sweet potato fries cooked with olive oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon to help bring out their natural sweetness.

Are you getting enough fiber in your diet?

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can't break down for energy, so it passes through the body undigested. This quality makes fiber important for helping food move through the digestive system, and it helps promote regularity and digestive health. Fiber also helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels, which supports heart health.

If you're looking to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, fiber is a friend. It helps you feel fuller for longer. Additionally, one particular type of fiber, called prebiotics, selectively nourishes the good bacteria in your microbiome to support gut health.

Fiber is one of the most under-consumed nutrients in the United States. The recommended average daily intake for dietary fiber is 22 to 28 grams for adult women and 28 to 34 grams for adult men—but a shocking 97 percent of men and 90 percent of women do not meet those levels, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report.

Because fiber is synonymous with plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, this sweet potato lasagna can help you meet your daily target. A fiber supplement may also help you meet your health and wellness goals.

References

• Neela S, Fanta SW. "Review on nutritional composition of orange-fleshed sweet potato and its role in management of vitamin A deficiency." Food Sci Nutr. May 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6593376/
• Oloniyo RO, et al. "Biochemical and antioxidant properties of cream and orange-fleshed sweet potato." Heliyon. March 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33817383/
• "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025." https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf
• "Sweet Potatoes." Harvard School of Public Health. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/sweet-potatoes/