Move Over Turkey, This is The Real King of Thanksgiving
Move over turkey and dressing, because I’ve got a Sweet Potato Casserole recipe that’s ready to steal the show at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner! If you’ve been looking for a delicious side dish that’s a universal crowd pleaser (where the serving bowl is scraped clean with no leftovers in sight!), this is just the recipe for you. While a quick Google search will pull up thousands of Sweet Potato Casserole recipes (some good, some not!), this is my all-time favorite because it’s super simple to make, the perfect combination of savory and sweet, and, a more “grown-up” version of all those Sweet Potato Casseroles we grew up eating as kids (and trust me, this crunchy Pecan Streusel topping is SO AMAZING, no one’ll bother asking what happened to the marshmallows!).
Now, in addition to being just downright delicious, I love to make this Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving because I can easily multi-task and roast the sweet potatoes while all of our other Thanksgiving favorites are cooking. Because sweet potatoes are very forgiving and can be baked at temperatures a little lower or higher than the recommended 350 degrees F called for in this recipe, I just throw the sweet potatoes in the oven alongside the cornbread for the dressing or the turkey that needs to roast for a few hours. It is important to buy sweet potatoes that are similar in size (so they all finish cooking at the same time) and you’ll know that they’re done when you can easily insert a sharp knife or fork into the center of the potato. After that, simply assemble the remaining ingredients and throw the casserole into the oven for 30 minutes – seriously, that’s all there is to it!
So, if you’re looking for a show stopping side dish to serve this Thanksgiving, look no further – whether you’re cooking for four or a crowd of forty-four, this Sweet Potato Casserole is sure to be a huge hit amongst all of those at your dinner table! Enjoy!
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Makes 12 Servings
4 cups roasted sweet potatoes (directions below) – about 3 large sweet potatoes or 5 medium sized sweet potatoes
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup evaporated milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 F. Scrub the sweet potatoes well and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a knife and roast for 1 ½ hours or until tender. Remove the skin from each sweet potato and set the potatoes aside.
In a large bowl, add the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour with a fork. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Stir in the pecans and sprinkle the brown sugar/flour mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.
Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com
