Description
This Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic holiday side dish featuring creamy mashed sweet potatoes topped with a crunchy pecan streusel and optional toasted mini marshmallows. It blends warm spices, buttery richness, and a sweet, nutty topping to perfectly complement any festive meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet Potato Mixture
- 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- Pinch of salt
Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish to prepare for baking the casserole.
- Cook Sweet Potatoes: Place the peeled and cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 15-20 minutes until they are fork-tender. Drain well and allow to cool slightly.
- Mash and Mix: In a large bowl, mash the cooked sweet potatoes until smooth. Stir in the melted butter, milk, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg (if using), and a pinch of salt until the mixture is well combined and smooth.
- Assemble Sweet Potato Layer: Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly into the prepared greased baking dish, smoothing the surface with a spatula.
- Prepare Topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and melted butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Stir in the chopped pecans to create the streusel topping.
- Add Topping: Sprinkle the pecan streusel evenly over the sweet potato layer in the baking dish. If desired, add a sprinkle of mini marshmallows on top of the streusel for extra sweetness and texture.
- Bake: Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the marshmallows are toasted and lightly browned.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before serving to let the layers set.
Notes
- You can omit the mini marshmallows for a less sweet topping or to keep it more traditional.
- Use pecan halves or chopped walnuts as alternatives for the topping nuts.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute the butter and milk with plant-based alternatives.
- Make sure to cook the sweet potatoes until very tender for smooth mashing and the best texture.
- This casserole can be prepared a day ahead; assemble it and refrigerate, then bake before serving.
