sweet potato Archives - Proud Italian Cook

This is a savory version of a napoleon, layers and layers of your favorite vegetables all perched on top of a sturdy portobello base. These pretty bundles are the perfect side dish to any protein you make or a straight up main course served together with a salad.

This dish was inspired by something my sister in law ordered while on vacation, her portobello was filled with Yukon gold potatoes, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and parmesan cheese.

I wanted to incorporate some autumn vegetables on mine so I added sliced sweet potatoes, kale and some nice fresh green beans I found.
Everything is precooked before you layer, I steamed the green beans and sauteed the kale but roasted everything else you see here, the eggplant, red and yellow peppers, the sweet potatoes and the onion slices all tossed with a little olive oil and placed in a 400 degree oven until golden and tender.

The portobellos, (I bought large ones) were scraped of their gills ( to give you lots of room for layering) and roasted for only 10 minutes along with everything else just to get them a little tender.

Then just start layering! In between the layers you want add some grated cheese that melts good like fontina or mozzarella, it sort of “glues” the veggies together so that when you cut into bundle, ( with a serrated knife please) they won’t fall apart.
Place them back in the oven for a couple of minutes just to let the cheese melt in between.
I think I was getting a little over zealous here stacking them too high with too many layers in the beginning, I tend to over due it, just ask my kids!

So I ended up making mine a little more compact with not quite as many layers as above but always ending with the sweet potato slices on top.
Place your finished veggie napoleon in a nice big puddle of marinara and sprinkle with more cheese, delish!
Get creative here, the various veggie combinations are endless!!

Winter Vegetable Torte

I love my spring form pans I use them for so many things, I think I have every size they make. They’re great for layering vegetables that are “glued together” with various cheese, as in this torte.
This recipe was born from small containers of roasted vegetables I had tucked away in my fridge, and one large sweet potato, and I must say it turned out mighty good, a different variation than my zucchini, eggplant version.

You can’t get a better side dish because everything is all contained in one flavorful wedge!

I started with very thinly sliced sweet potato, it makes a nice sturdy base to start off with. Then each layer a different vegetable which in the end it will make it look pretty when cut into a wedge. In between each layer sprinkle grated cheese and shredded cheese like mozzarella or asiago for the “glue” to hold the layers nicely together. End with another sturdy vegetable like sweet potato or even sliced butternut squash, top with a sprinkling of more cheese.
I used a 6 inch spring form pan that was deep and allowed me to have many layers, just remember to press down in between, place the pan on a baking sheet so you won’t have drips in your oven when cooking and cover the top with foil. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes, then take the foil off and roast another 15 minutes or until the top is golden. Let it rest for 30 minutes or even longer before you slice it into wedges.

Use your imagination and the vegetables of your choice, here’s a list of what I used for my winter vegetable torte.
No doubt I will be making this again!
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