I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to the wonderful meals planned for this week! My favorite holiday side dish is sweet potato casserole. Now, let's be honest. This side dish is much more like a dessert than a healthy vegetable dish. If I eat a few more green beans, it will be okay, right?

My Mom has made this side dish for as long as I can remember. It's the best! I have a little secret, though. Now that I have inherited the recipe and make the sweet potato casserole myself, I double the topping. (And this recipe is written with the topping already DOUBLED!) This is a crowd-pleaser, so don’t plan on too many leftovers!

 

 

This is one of the easiest dishes to make! What intimidates people the most, I think, is cooking the sweet potatoes. Should they boil them? Bake them? Microwave them? I've seen all kinds of recommendations. Until this past year, I would typically peel the potatoes, cube them, boil them on the stove until they were super tender, and then mash them. It's a tried and true method. Here's a good article on how to follow this method.

My new trick, though, is cooking the sweet potatoes in my latest favorite kitchen gadget, my Instant Pot. Oh, how I love it and use it often. The Instant Pot is a modern (and safe) pressure cooker and makes this process so much easier. Now, I just wash my potatoes, prick the potatoes with a fork about 10-12 times, place the potatoes in the Instant Pot, pour some water in the machine, and walk away! When the potatoes are done, they are so tender, and the skins peel away perfectly. I then throw the skinned sweet potatoes into my KitchenAid mixer and turn it on for 15-30 seconds to "mash" the potatoes. So easy! Here's a link to a detailed set of instructions for cooking your sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot.

This recipe calls for 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. I have found that 3 cups equals about 6 medium-sized sweet potatoes. That's my general rule of thumb. Oh, and if you're cooking for a smaller crowd, this recipe is so easy to cut in half. I do it all of the time! :-)

 

 

Tutorial

Step 1: Gather all of the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350° F.

 

You'll need:

  • 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of melted butter

  • 1 cup of sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 tsp of salt

  • 1/2 cup of milk

  • 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

  • 2 cups of light brown sugar (for topping)

  • 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour (for topping)

  • 5 tablespoons of melted butter (for topping)

  • 2 cups of chopped pecans (for topping)

 

 

Step 2: Mix the casserole together.

 

  • In case you missed it in step 1, preheat the oven to 350° F.

  • Place 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of melted butter, 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 cup of milk, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl.

  • Mix ingredients until well combined.

  • Pour the sweet potato mixture into a large casserole dish.

 

 

Step 3: Create the casserole topping.


  • In a separate bowl, add 2 cups of light brown sugar, 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour, 5 tablespoons of melted butter, and 2 cups of chopped pecans.

  • Stir together until crumbly.

  • Spread topping evenly over the sweet potato casserole.

 

 

Step 4: Bake casserole.

 

  • Place sweet potato casserole dish into a preheated 350° F oven.

  • Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is browned.

 

star