If you love holiday sweet potato recipes, try our pretty sweet potato casserole and our stuffed sweet potatoes with walnuts and pomegranate. This simple take on sweet potato casserole is lusciously creamy, perfectly crunchy, and some might say drool-worthy. With a generous amount of cream and butter, we can’t exactly call it healthy, but it only contains whole food ingredients and we skip the brown sugar and marshmallows. Instead of ultra-sweet marshmallows, we top this sweet potato casserole with crunchy candied pecans. They add the familiar sweetness to the dish, without being cloyingly sweet like marshmallows. But if skipping the marshmallows feels sacrilegious to you, go ahead and sprinkle some on top! To make it, all we do is boil the yams until they’re soft. Mash them with a fork along with the cream, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. When they’re cool, stir in the egg, transfer it to a baking dish, sprinkle with candied pecans, and bake it until bubbly. If you’re hosting dinner this year, save yourself some time by preparing it in advance. It’s one of those classic holiday side dishes that everyone enjoys and pairs perfectly with a festive feast! It’s also suitable for vegetarians and it’s completely gluten-free.
Sweet potatoes – sometimes also referred to as yams. Cream and butter – make this casserole extra rich and decadent. Maple syrup – only pure maple syrup will do here. Vanilla extract + salt – so much flavor! Egg – the egg acts like a binder to bring this casserole more structure. Candied pecans – use store-bought or scroll down for how to make easy maple candied pecans. If using store-bought, check to make sure they are gluten-free if necessary.
All you need is 2 cups of pecans, ½ cup of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt. Add all the ingredients to a pan and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the pecans to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them evenly into one layer. Allow them to cool completely, and they’re ready to use. For extra sweetness, we sometimes toss the hot pecans in a little brown sugar before spreading them out to cool. You will have ½ cup more candied pecans than you need for this recipe so save the extras for a salad or delicious snack! This easy sweet potato casserole is the quintessential Thanksgiving side dish and it pairs perfectly with all the familiar favorites like roasted turkey, brussels sprouts, and cranberry sauce. You certainly don’t need to wait for special occasions to make it though. It’s an easy side dish that can be enjoyed all winter long. Kids love it, too!
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