Sweet Potato Casserole

Our 4 year old just took the time to call Cade, with my supervision of course to tell him that SHE just made the best dinner ever. It’s definitely not “dinner” as we are having more than just sweet potato casserole for dinner, and she most certainly did not make it all by herself but the girl did quite a bit! And she loved it! Can all of us Moms have a moment of silence for a toddler who loved something that would become dinner? Not just ate it, but loved it!

Alright, that could have something to do with the amount of sugar and marshmallows in this dish, but I wont tell if you wont. I used to hate “yams” at Thanksgiving.

A. They were an awful orange

B. They were dripping with some weird syrup, gag

C. They tasted like grossness with burned, flat, hard marshmallows on top.

Now I know better. Now I know that it was the person bringing them that was the problem (bless their hearts. That’s what you say to make a mean thing sound better). Sweet potatoes are awesome, they just need to be cooked correctly and if you must do the marshmallow thang, well let’s just do it my way at least. Make the sweet taters into a souffle (easy peasy, so don’t get nervous on me) and then use both marshmallows and a bomb diggity brown sugar streusel on top. Trust me, your guests will be BEGGING for the recipe. Even our 4 year old agrees.

Are Sweet Potatoes and Yams the Same?

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes.

They can be yellow, orange, white or purple.

Yes, all so-called “yams” are in fact sweet potatoes.

Are Sweet Potatoes a Vegetable?

Yes, sweet potatoes are part of the root vegetable family.

Other root vegetables include carrots, beets, turnips, and potatoes.

Are Sweet Potatoes Good For You?

Sweet potatoes are a rich source of fiber as well as containing a good variety of vitamins and minerals including iron, and calcium.

Sweet potatoes are a good source of most of our B vitamins and vitamin C.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Yield: 4-6 servings

Sweet Potato Casserole

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins

Prep Time: 60 mins

Cook Time: 50 mins

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (any milk will do)

Topping

• 2 cups mini Marshmallows
• 1/4 cup butter, cold and cut in cubes
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place a piece of tin foil on the oven rack.
3. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake for 45-60 minutes or until tender.
4. Carefully peel the potatoes and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
5. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and smash them until smooth.
6. Add the egg, butter, cinnamon, salt, sugars, vanilla and milk.
7. Using a handheld or standing mixer, beat everything together until smooth.
8. Pour the mixture into an 8×9″ baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and top with the marshmallows, then the crumb topping, making sure to cover the marshmallows as much as possible, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
10. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Topping

1. In a medium sized bowl, add the cold butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon.
2. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut into the mixture until the butter is well incorporated.
3. I like to use my hands at the end.
4. Stir in the panko and set aside until you’re ready to top the casserole.

Want to make this ahead? You can bake the potatoes and mash them days ahead and store in the fridge as well as the crumb topping in a ziploc bag or even a month ahead and store in the freezer. The day before you can make the souffle and store in the fridge. Bake the day of in order to avoid yucky marshmallows

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4-6 servings, Serving Size: 1

• Amount Per Serving:
• Calories: 439 Calories
• Total Fat: 18.3g
• Cholesterol: 78.5mg
• Carbohydrates: 66.8g
• Fiber: 2.6g
• Sugar: 40.6g
• Protein: 4.2g

All images and text ©Carrian Cheney for Oh Sweet Basil.

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