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    Home » MAKE IT EASY » 30 Minutes or Less

    Spiralized Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Dates

    Modified: Feb 4, 2025 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

    Spiralized sweet potatoes and apples sautéed in browned butter with caramelized onions, and dates.

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    October 1 is World Vegetarian Day, which kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month. When it was created in 1977, vegetarianism was still a fringe thing. Today, 40 years later, vegetarian diets are mainstream. Most restaurants across the country offer vegetarian options on their menus, and grocery stores pack their shelves with packaged quinoa dinners, multiple brands of tofu, and other soy-based meat substitutes.

    In honor of Vegetarian Awareness Month, October is a great time to think about adding more vegetarian dishes to your rotation of meals. If you're not doing it already, try Meatless Mondays for the month of October.

    Are Meatless Mondays already a tradition at your house? Then add another day of the week this month -- say, Thursday -- and have 2 meatless dinners per week!

    Mostly or entirely vegetarian already? Commit to trying some new dishes. Explore a new vegetable or grain this coming month, and have some fun with it.

    Here's one of my new favorite vegetable side dishes, which can easily be made vegan. You'll need a spiralizer, a sharp knife, a large sauté pan and a juicer.

    Make it Vegan

    Substitute olive oil for all of the butter, and you've got a great vegan side dish that's packed with flavor.

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    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

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    5 from 3 votes

    Spiralized Sweet Potatoes and Apples with Dates

    Spiralized sweet potato noodles are sauteed with apples and caramelized onions for a quick and easy dinner, especially if you purchase sweet potatoes already spiralized. Dates finish the dish off with a perfect touch of natural sweetness.
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    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time32 minutes mins
    Total Time32 minutes mins
    Course: vegetarian main or side dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: sweet potato noodles
    Servings: 4 entree size servings
    Author: Susan Pridmore
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    Equipment

    • Spiralizer
    • Chef's knife
    • Scanpan Deep Sauté
    • tongs
    • Hand-Held Juicer

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 medium red onion
    • 3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled
    • 2 apples, Honey Crisp, Gala or Fuji work great
    • 1 large navel orange, juiced (about ½ cup)
    • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
    • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon ginger
    • ½ teaspoon dried sage leaves, not ground sage
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
    • 10 dates, pitted and quartered
    • ¼ cup parsley, coarsely chopped

    Instructions

    • Slice the red onion in half, and remove the outer skin. Trim the ends. Slice each onion half into ¼" wedges.
    • Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the oil and the onion wedges. Sauté until lightly caramelized, about 15 - 20 minutes.
    • Pro-Tip: For best caramelization results, do not be tempted to move the onions around a great deal while they cook. Move them around after 10 minutes, and then after 5. If they aren't yet caramelized, leave them in the pan without moving them for an additional 5 minutes.
    • Using a spiralizer, use the smallest blade for slender noodles. For thicker noodles, use the blade with larger holes. While the onion caramelizes, spiralize the sweet potatoes.
    • Pro-Tip: The easiest way I've found to spiralize sweet potatoes is 1) slice each potato in half, widthwise. 2) Place the small end of the sweet potato on the round metal core in the blade attachment, and 3) press the prongs into the other larger end. I place a bowl under the blade to catch the noodles. Turn the crank and you have instant amber noodles.
    • Heap the sweet potato noodles into the pan with the onions. Using tongs, turn them to coat with the butter/oil and caramelized onions. Don't worry if it seems like a LOT of noodles. As they cook, the pile will reduce in size.
    • Add the orange juice, toss and simmer for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
    • Slice the apple, unpeeled, into 12 wedges. (Be sure to remove the core and seeds.)
    • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, and all of the spices including the salt and pepper. Pour over the sweet potatoes, add the apples and hemp hearts, toss, and continue to cook until the sweet potato noodles are tender - (about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodles.)
    • Add the dates and toss. Cook for another 2 minutes.
    • Serve warm, garnished with a spray of parsley.
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    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cindy

      September 25, 2016 at 10:53 am

      I love sweets and apples together! Dates sound like a great addition!

      Reply
    2. Rita

      September 25, 2016 at 12:50 pm

      This would make a great Thanksgiving side dish.

      Reply
    3. The Ninja Baker

      September 25, 2016 at 2:45 pm

      Mmm your dish with Fuji apples (good choice!) and potatoes and all the other yummies sing goodness!

      You've inspired me to invest in a spiralizer =)

      P.s. I feel old! I remember those days in the 70s when being a vegetarian was unique =)

      Reply
    4. Liz

      September 25, 2016 at 3:03 pm

      What a beautiful, flavorful dish! Thanks for hosting this fun event this week, Susan!

      Reply
    5. Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba)

      September 25, 2016 at 3:13 pm

      Wow, what vibrant colours and flavours!

      Reply
    6. Caroline

      September 25, 2016 at 6:27 pm

      This dish looks and sounds delicious!

      Reply
    7. Nettie

      September 26, 2016 at 4:15 am

      5 stars
      really gorgeous color, I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes, nice with the apples! Nettie

      Reply
    8. Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm

      September 26, 2016 at 11:35 am

      YUM this almost sounds dessert like. What a great dish.

      Reply
    9. Eileen

      September 27, 2016 at 8:36 am

      This is the perfect fall side dish. I haven't used my spiralizer enough. I might have to break it out and make this for Thanksgiving!

      Reply
    10. mjskitchen

      September 27, 2016 at 8:22 pm

      The flavors in the dish are so unexpected - cinnamon and sage? And the dates - love it! Such a great recipe! O.K. so it much be time to buy a spiralizer.

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        September 27, 2016 at 8:29 pm

        Do it, MJ!! It's a really great little tool in the kitchen!

        Reply
    11. Denise Wright

      September 28, 2016 at 6:28 am

      I love the spices and flavors of this dish! I do a lot of spiralizing (not a word I know) but I've never tried it with sweet potatoes. Can't wait to give this a go!

      Reply
    12. Alma Beatrice

      September 29, 2016 at 6:39 am

      5 stars
      Very, very good! This was a huge hit with my family! I doubled the recipie, and just eyeballed the cinnamon and nutmeg.

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        September 29, 2016 at 7:55 am

        I"m so happy this worked out so well for you and your family!!!! Thanks so much for letting me know!

        Reply
    13. Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook

      October 02, 2016 at 8:52 pm

      Yes, yes, yes, I can't wait to break out the spiralizer and make this dish! Thank you for hosting an eye-opening Sunday Supper.

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Susan at The Wimpy Vegetarian

    about the author:

    Susan Pridmore

    Hi there! I'm an award-winning cookbook author, culinary school graduate, professional photographer and recipe developer. My cookbook Simply Vegetarian was named #1 best cookbook for new vegetarians, and I want to make it easier for you to cook fabulous vegetarian meals. Come join me in the kitchen!

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