Nothing goes better in sweet potato casserole than the flavors of butter and vanilla. And with a brown sugar nut topping, this vegetable serves well alongside the main dish or as a dessert.
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Traditionally, sweet potatoes are served at Thanksgiving and they are always welcome in this casserole at 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.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes
- 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
Peel and cube sweet potatoes to boil in water until they are tender, or bake them whole in the oven until fork-tender and scoop them out of the skins and into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
The hot potatoes with melt the butter when mixing ingredients together.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side dish / sweets
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
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
I am trying this tomorrow,Thanks
You are so welcome! Have a happy blessed Thanksgiving!