Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole
This Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish made with sweet, creamy sweet potatoes and topped with toasted pecans and mini marshmallows.
Happy November! Welcome to Thanksgiving month here on Sprinkles and Sea Salt! Over the next 3 weeks I will be exclusively sharing Thanksgiving recipes, a new one each weekday!
Each week has a theme. This week I’m sharing Thanksgiving Side Dishes, next week Thanksgiving Desserts and the week after that ideas for your Thanksgiving Leftovers. Whether you are the host or a contributing guest to Thanksgiving this year I hope you will find lots of delicious inspiration here!
Kicking off this week of Thanksgiving Side Dishes is this Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole! A classic favorite on many Thanksgiving tables, it’s made with sweet potatoes puréed with milk, cream, butter, brown sugar and spices and topped off with toasted pecan halves and mini marshmallows. On a Thanksgiving plate it helps to balance the many rich, savory flavors with a welcomed kick of sweetness.
Tips for Making Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole
- Bake your sweet potatoes so they are soft all the way though, but not burnt. If you do end up with any burnt sections cut them off.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the sweet potatoes with the milk, cream, brown sugar and spices. The immersion blender makes it easy to get the sweet potatoes to a really smooth, creamy texture quickly. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can also purée them in a full sized blender or food processor. I don’t recommend trying to mash them by hand, it will be very difficult to get them creamy enough.
- Take care in topping the casserole. Part of the appeal is in the visual presentation of this side dish. The pecan halves and the golden toasted mini-marshmallows are eye-catching. I decided to alternate them in rows on a diagonal, but there are many ways you could use your creativity to decorate the casserole.
Planning Tips
Though it may look like dessert, this Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole is meant to be served with the main meal. You can prep the sweet potato purée up to a few days in advance, but you should not bake it with the pecans and mini marshmallows until right before serving or they will get soggy. If you do prep the sweet potato in advance you will need to warm the casserole through before adding the toppings and baking it again to toast the pecans and mini marshmallows.
It will take about 20 minutes covered at 400°F to warm the casserole through from room temperature. To brown the toppings and finish heating to serving temperature will take 10 more minutes uncovered. The casserole is meant to be served hot so the marshmallows are melty and inside is warm.
Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole
Description
This Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish made with sweet, creamy sweet potatoes and topped with toasted pecans and mini marshmallows.
Ingredients
3 pounds sweet potato
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
dash of nutmeg
dash of cloves
1 1/2 cup pecan halves
2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400°F
Wash sweet potatoes, use a fork to poke some holes in the skin
Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet
Bake for about an hour* until a knife pierces easily through the sweet potato
Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool
Once you are able to handle the sweet potatoes, peel off the skin and discard, add the flesh of the sweet potatoes to a large bowl
Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until they are smashed, but still chunky
Add the butter, whole milk, heavy cream and brown sugar, use an immersion blender** to purée the mixture until the potatoes are smooth and creamy
Add the cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, mix
Grease a 9X13″ or 8X11″ baking pan
Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the pan, spread it evenly and smooth out the top
Top the sweet potato with pecan halves and mini marshmallows, alternating by row on a diagonal
Bake the casserole for 10 minutes*** at 400°F
Serve warm
Notes
*bake time will vary depending on the size of your sweet potatoes
**you can do this step a food processor if you don’t have an immersion blender
***you can prep the sweet potato ahead of time, if you do, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F to heat the sweet potato, then remove the foil, top the casserole, and bake for 10 minutes uncovered
Keywords: #sweetpotatocasserole, #sweetpotato, #thanksgivingrecipes
pin it for later:
If you make this Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole let me know how you like it! Leave a comment here and/or give it a star rating! If you snap a photo I’d love to see it – share it over on Instagram and tag me @sprinklesandseasalt
LOOKING FOR MORE THANKSGIVING SIDES? CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES!
Brown Butter Honey Glazed Carrots