Sweet potato and pimento cheese pasta bake

Original Blog Post: http://greedygirlcooks.blogspot.com/2016/06/sweet-potato-and-pimento-cheese-pasta.html

Ingredients

Pimento cheese

2 roasted red peppers

8 oz Pepper jack cheese

8 oz Cream cheese

8 oz Sharp white cheddar

4 oz parmesan cheese

Between ¼ and ½ cup milk

1 teaspoon Smoked paprika

¼ cup Onion

1 stalk Scallion

4 cloves Garlic

½ teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Onion powder

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon Black pepper

Additional

1-2 boiled Japanese sweet potatoes

1 box cooked penne pasta

1 cup pepper jack cheese to top

Garnish with scallions or fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

For the roasted red pepper

• Place pepper on an open flame, one pepper per burner
• Char on all sides until the peppers are completely black
• Place in a sealed container and allow it to steam for 8 to 10 minutes
• For easy peeling I run my peppers under the faucet and remove the charred skin
• Slice the peppers and remove the seeds and use as needed.

For the pimento cheese dip

• Combine all the ingredients for pimento cheese in a food processor or blender and blend until it makes a smooth slightly chunky mixture. The milk is an approximation you may need more or less depending on how chunky or runny you like your dips. So add a little at a time in between blending until you get the consistency.
• Set aside in the refrigerator over night

For the pasta

• Next day place oven to preheat to 475 degrees
• Boil pasta
• Peel and boil sweet potatoes, once cooked slice into bite sized cubes
• Boil pasta to al dente strain and keep hot
• In a bowl stir together the hot pasta, sweet potatoes and pimento cheese dip
• Place in a baking dish and spread with pepper jack cheese on top.
• Bake until golden brown
• Allow to slightly cool then serve garnish with scallions and or fresh chopped parsley