Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows
It’s December, it’s December! Hip, hip, hooray it’s December!
The holidays are my MOST favorite time of the year. But more specifically, the food items that come with the holidays! I had this Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows recipe ready to roll for Thanksgiving, but the photos were looking a bit Christmasy so I decided to wait to post it in December. This casserole is a yearly tradition in my family and one that I look forward to each and every year.
Go ahead and file it in your recipe box under favorites and add it to your holiday menu!
Fresh sweet potatoes? Check.
A whole stick of butter in there? Check.
Pecan praline streusel topping? Check.
Lightly toasted marshmallow topping? Check Check.
- 4-5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup water
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
- ½ cup milk or heavy cream
- Pecan Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 3-4 cups mini marshmallows
- Boil the sweet potatoes in enough water to cover in a saucepan until tender; drain. Beat the sweet potatoes with an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until smooth.
- Add eggs, vanilla, butter, brown sugar, salt, and cream; mix until smooth. (I like my potatoes to have a bit of texture so I don’t whip them for too long).
- Spread potato mixture in the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Topping: Combine brown sugar, four, butter and pecans in a bowl; mix well. Sprinkle mixture over potatoes. Bake in a 375 degree oven, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until pecans are caramelized.
- Spread marshmallows evenly over pecan mixture. Return to oven for another 5 minutes or until marshmallows are puffy and lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Now, back in the day my mom would make a version of sweet potato casserole in halved baked sweet potatoes- similar to twice baked potatoes. We called them “sweet potato boats” because well, that’s what they looked like. Each person got their own boat and I looked forward to those darn things more than anything else on the menu. You can find them here: Sweet Potato Boats.
The difference in the two, outside of the fact that ones in the sweet potato skin, and one is in a casserole dish is the addition of whipping cream in this version as well whipping the sweet potatoes similar to a soufflé. I like to refer to this recipe anytime someone mentions they don’t like sweet potatoes. The topping of the casserole is super sweet and darn near impossible not to enjoy.
I like to use fresh sweet potatoes. You could certainly save a step by using canned, just make sure you’re looking for sweet potatoes and not yams. You’ll need about 3-4 cups of chopped and peeled sweet potatoes. I love the way the sweet potato aroma fills my house as they bake and reminds me that a homemade recipe is worth all the extra effort!
I’m certain this isn’t your first (and won’t be the last) Sweet Potato Casserole recipe you’ve seen, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share my recipe as well.
Happy December! You got that tree put up, yet??
