This sweet potatoes casserole recipe starts with creamy sweet potatoes puree and some simple ingredients like eggs, milk, butter, and nuts. The filling is sweetened with brown sugar, then covered with crunchy nuts and featured by soft marshmallows.
This classic and addictive combination makes the dish one the best Thanksgiving treat!
Are Sweet Potatoes Healthy?
Sweet potatoes are a moist, starchy, sweet root vegetable. They have brown skin and depending on the variety, the flesh can vary from orange, purple, or yellow.
They are named “potatoes”, but sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family while white potatoes are in the nightshade family. Sweet potatoes are lower in calories than most spud types whereas higher in beta-carotene — an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A when consumed.
This veggie is also a good source of fiber, one medium sweet potato can provide about 3 grams of fiber. Consuming more fiber in the daily diet can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The bottom line is these colorful potatoes packed with vitamins, niacin, caroteniods, potassium, and offer some impressive health benefits. Easy to prepare and so tasty, you can combine them in everyday dishes from salad, soup, to dessert.
Sweet Potatoes Nutrition
1. Carbs
A small raw sweet potato has about 22 grams of carbohydrates, which accounts for 7 percent daily carbs for an adult.
2. Calories
Speaking of calories, there are approximately 110 calories in a whole sweet potato (130 grams). For a larger one, you can get about 150 calories.
If you want to have something sweet but still worried about calories, sweet potatoes can play a role in your plate.
3. Potassium
Sweet potatoes are a great source of potassium. One sweet potato contains 439 mg or 13 percent of the daily intake recommended.
4. Vitamins
Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins, especially vitamin A. According to USDA, a petite one has more than 100 percent of the daily recommended intake. Besides, they are also rich in vitamin B5, B6, and C.
Yams vs Sweet Potatoes
Yes, they are different! My friends got their minds blown away when I told them that yams weren’t sweet potatoes. This is also why I told you not to trust vendors, as they might mistakenly give you the wrong product.
The term “Yam”, or “nyami” in African, refers to a type of root that is native to Africa or Asia. Their outer skin is dark, bark-like, whilst their flesh is either white or purple in color.
People sometimes mistake yams and dry-fleshed sweet potatoes. It might be because of their similarity in flesh color, and dry texture after being cooked.
However, yams are dryer and not sweet at all. Being healthy and all, they are certainly not suitable for our sweet treat!
Kinds of Sweet Potatoes to make great Casseroles
Just like many other plants, sweet potatoes have several varieties. While they are not that different from each other, you still might want to know them so you can get your dessert at the perfect consistency.
Sweet potatoes generally come in 2 types: dry-fleshed and moist-fleshed.
The dry-fleshed kind has a lighter tan skin than moist-fleshed sweet potatoes and has a distinct white color on the inside. The name suggests that they are high in starch content, which also means their texture will remain firm and may not be very suitable to make our creamy, fluffy, sweet casserole.
Moist-fleshed sweet potatoes can be instantly recognized by their redder outer skin than the dry-fleshed, or rather more distinctively, their orange interior. They are moist, sweet and a dessert in a shell waiting to be baked and devoured as-is.
Canned Sweet Potatoes
Since we don’t eat it raw, I suppose canned goods will do just fine. However, do choose canned moist-fleshed sweet potatoes (those with orange flesh) and stay away from those submerged in sugar syrup. They are already sweet on their own, and we don’t want any artificial sweeteners to make our dessert too sweet.
How to Make Sweet Potatoes Casserole
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Make the filling
In a large bowl, add in sweet potato puree, milk, softened butter, cinnamon, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and season with salt.
Step 3: Pour the filling into the baking dish
Pour in a casserole dish and spread into an even layer.
Step 4: Make the topping
To make the topping, place flour, cold butter, the remaining brown sugar, and pecans into a bowl. Use a fork to stir ingredients together.
Step 5: Top the casserole
Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture in the baking dish.
Step 6: Bake
Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is golden.
Step 7: Layer with marshmallows
Scatter mini marshmallows in a single layer, put back in the oven for about 5 minutes.
Step 8: Serve
Serve immediately.
White Sugar vs Brown Sugar
Don’t get me wrong on saying we don’t need sugar in this sweet potatoes casserole recipe. We don’t need it to further sweeten our sweet potatoes recipe, but rather for a legitimate reason.
This sweet potatoes recipe originally calls for brown sugar. I believe it’s no surprise for bakers to acknowledge the difference in texture between white and brown sugar. Baked goods with brown sugar inside gives a more interesting texture.
Measuring white sugar takes just 2 steps: scoop it with a cup and lever. In the case of measuring brown sugar, since it is not fine like white sugar but “sticky” instead, it takes an extra step: pack, to make sure the sugar mixture is compact and contains no air bubbles.
It is this “sticky” property caused by molasses in brown sugar that makes biscuits, brownies, cookies, etc. of any kind sweetened with brown sugar to have a chewier, softer texture.
So, if you want your dessert to be more of a gift from heaven, do use brown sugar not only as a sweetening agent but also as a catalyst to make it chewier.
What Goes with Sweet Potatoes
1. Marshmallows
Marshmallows genuinely don’t behave any differently than being springy when touched and chewy, and sweet when eaten. Be sure to look at the sugar content and choose those with the least if you’re like me and look at sweet desserts with a different eye.
2. Pecans
While it says pecans in this sweet potatoes casserole recipe, you can make a little twist and buy walnuts instead. It’s not that different in flavor and tasted crunchy and nutty, which is exactly what we want.
3. Brown Sugar and Butter
Crunchy brown sugar topping over creamy sweet potatoes filling makes this dessert a classic holiday dish. It’s sweet, comforting, and full of flavor.
4. Honey and Cinnamon
Cinnamon can transform your baking dish into a wonderful and aromatic masterpiece, and this spice does a great job in this sweet potatoes casserole recipe.
You can also glaze honey on top of your casserole to feature the creamy and hearty filling.
5. Apples
If you are trying to make this sweet potatoes recipe a little healthier, add in apples. Apples are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and full of dietary fiber.
Apples — in any type, sweet or sour — make an interesting addition to the classic sweet potatoes casserole recipe.
How Long Do Cooked Sweet Potatoes Last?
Once cooked, sweet potatoes can last for a few hours at room temperature. If you keep them in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator, they can keep for 3-5 days.
Can You Freeze Cooked Sweet Potatoes?
Yes, you can. Freezing sweet potatoes is not tricky but it requires more care.
The first thing to know is that don’t freeze them right after baking, you need to wait until they cool off naturally at room temperature. Then put them in plastic wrap or a freezer bag. Your cooked sweet potatoes now can stay frozen for up to 6 months. If you’re looking for healthy recipes from sweet potatoes, our sweet potatoes gnocchi is a great option.
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb sweet potato puree
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter soften at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter cubes cold
- 1/2 cup pecan chopped
- 2 cup mini marshmallows
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, add in sweet potato puree, milk, softened butter, cinnamon, eggs, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and season with salt.
- Pour in a casserole dish and spread into an even layer.
- To make the topping, place flour, cold butter, the remaining brown sugar, and pecans into a bowl. Use a fork to stir ingredients together.
- Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture in the baking dish.
- Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is golden.
- Scatter mini marshmallows in a single layer, put back in the oven for about 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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