Fresh Sweet Potato Casserole

Nothing goes better in sweet potato casserole than the flavors of butter and vanilla. Add a brown sugar nut topping, and this vegetable serves well alongside the main dish or as a dessert.  Traditionally, sweet potatoes are served at Thanksgiving, and in this casserole, they have found their way to our annual feasting table

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It was soon after I married her son and I was learning how to cook. Something I had to do in order for us to survive. My sister-in-law was shocked one day to see my hands with multiple cuts on them, and when she asked what happened, I said, “I’m learning how to cut up a chicken.” When questioning my Mama why she didn’t teach me how to cook, she said no one taught her how either. I guess we learned by the “sink or swim” method.

The Louisiana Sweet Potatoes

Every Christmas we get a box of Louisiana sweet potatoes from friends in South Louisiana. They call it their candy and they are right in  doing so. This year we got them a little early with instructions not to eat them until after the 17th day of November. Someone had calculated their peak of flavor to the day, just in time for Thanksgiving. 

Assembling The Casserole

The casserole is made with mashed sweet potatoes so you can either bake or boil them until they are cooked tender. 

The butter, sugar, and vanilla blend well with the sweet potatoes. That’s what makes them so irresistibly delicious. The eggs and milk help to bind and moisten the casserole dish.

The crunchy topping of brown sugar, butter, and pecans add texture and flavor that complete this masterpiece. This makes me hungry!

Fresh Sweet Potato Casserole

Serve this Sweet Potato Casserole with its brown sugar and nut topping as a side dish or dessert.

• Author: Louisiana Woman
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 10
• Category: side dish / sweets

Ingredients

3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

1/4 cup butter

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Nut Topping

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 cup pecans, chopped for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 x 13 x 2-inch casserole dish.

Mix together the potatoes, butter, eggs, sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl and pour into the prepared dish.

Nut Topping

Mix the nut topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of the potatoes. 

Garnish with the rest of the pecans.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve warm.

Notes

To cook the sweet potatoes peel, cube, and boil or bake them whole in the oven until fork-tender.

The hot potatoes with melt the butter when mixing ingredients together.

Keywords: sweet potato casserole

The tradition of sweet potatoes served at Thanksgiving has traveled a long way since the first feast with the new settlers and Native Americans. It was November 1621 to be exact. So while continuing this feasting with thankfulness, we don’t forget the sweet potato and all of its healthful benefits. It’s loaded with fiber, vitamins C, and beta-carotene. If you’re interested in learning more about the root vegetable, click here Sweet Potato Facts & Tips from the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. 

Uh, I know what you’re thinking, “This sweet potato casserole sure adds a lot of fluff camouflaging those healthy qualities.” But I say, “You can eat a plain sweet potato any day of the year, but an occasional festive indulgence doesn’t hurt.”

It’s so worth it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

“In happy moments, PRAISE GOD. In difficult moments, SEEK GOD. In quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. In painful moments, TRUST GOD. In every moment, THANK GOD. 

Rick Warren