Simple Sweet Potato Casserole with a Crunchy Pecan Crumble
Vanilla buttery sweet potato mash underneath a crunchy, cinnamon, and brown sugar pecan crumble. This side dish is full of flavor and texture, while coming together quick and seamlessly!
Greetings from St. Louis! A new week and new city on this crazy amazing once-in-a-lifetime book tour adventure. I actually visit St. Louis quite a bit because my sister and brother-in-law live here. Not sure if you remember their wedding earlier this year? I love visiting because life isn’t as fast paced as the east coast. Coming here always reminds me to sloooooow the heck down.
So yesterday was my first St. Louis book signing. About 65 readers came to see me and, judging by the amount of samples quickly snatched up, I can easily say St. Louis has a major candy addiction too. Meeting so many of you makes all this chaotic travel worth it, so thank you to everyone who has come out to meet me so far. Speaking of… I have another signing in St. Louis tonight at Left Bank Books from 7-9pm. Would love to meet more of you!
As promised, I have a couple Thanksgiving side dish recipes for you this week. Because we all know that side dishes steal the show on the Thanksgiving table every year. No offense, turkey, I could easily do without you if my plate is piled high with sweet potato casserole, from-scratch green bean casserole, and stuffing (coming soon!). Besides. We already have dessert covered: three apple pies, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie*. So, side dishes it is!
*Please tell me you’re making one of those pies?!
Sweet potato casserole is my pride and joy. It’s a dish I bring to the table each year and I’m sorry, there are no marshmallows here. Is anyone else anti-marshmallow in the sweet potato casserole scene? I don’t like them in my sweet potato casserole business. I much prefer a crunchy, toasty, praline-esque pecan topping. A little texture on top of that creamy dreamy brown-sugared vanilla sweet potato mash.
So how to make it? Oh my gosh, this is the easiest Thanksgiving side dish and that’s why I’m sharing it today. It has so much flavor, too. It’s a simple mash of boiled sweet potatoes, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, cream, vanilla, and salt. All of the ingredients in the mash serve a unique purpose. Melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla for flavor. Eggs and cream for rich creaminess, salt to bring out all the flavors. Want the richest tasting sweet potato mash? Use heavy cream. It’s a dish you might make only once or twice per year, so why not make it the BEST it can possibly be? That’s my thinking anyway.
I like to leave a few chunks in the mashed sweet potatoes for a little texture. You can mash ’em completely smooth if that’s your preference though.
Once the sweet potato mash is prepared, smooth it into an oven safe dish or skillet. The topping takes about 5 seconds to make and uses some of the same ingredients as the sweet potato mash. It’s a streusel-type topping made from butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon (of course!!), and Diamond of California pecans.
Crunchy sweet pecan crumble > marshmallows.
Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potato mash, like so:
Then, bake. That’s all! The best part? You can prep this Thanksgiving side dish ahead of time, which we all know is a total lifesaver leading up to Thanksgiving dinner. Make sure you read my make ahead instructions in the recipe.
The sweet potatoes are buttery, creamy, brown-sugared, vanilla scented, and completely luscious. The pecan topping is all sorts of cinnamon-y, toasty, crunchy, and fabulous. Because it’s a little sweet, I like to serve the sweet potato casserole with a sprinkle of sea salt and some savory fresh thyme or rosemary. What a perfect balance of texture and flavor!
Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. See you tonight, St. Louis! ♥
Simple Sweet Potato Casserole with a Crunchy Pecan Crumble
Prep Time: 40 minutes- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield: serves 8
Category: Side Dish
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
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PinDescription
Creamy, comforting, and simple sweet potato casserole with a crunchy pecan crumble on top. Texture and flavors are spot on!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled (about 3 large)
- 1/3 cup (72g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer dark)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1/3 cup (42g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer dark)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup (72g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups (250g) shelled pecans
- optional: fresh rosemary or thyme, and sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot or dutch oven and cover them completely with water. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the water and allow the sweet potatoes to cool for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×13 baking pan (or a similar size casserole dish, or a 12-inch deep oven-safe skillet). Set aside.
- Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the potatoes until relatively smooth– I like to leave some chunks for texture. For your reference, you will have about 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. Add the butter, brown sugar, beaten, eggs, cream, vanilla, and salt. Spoon/pour the mixture into prepared pan.
- For the topping: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted butter and pecans until the mixture is totally combined. Spoon evenly over potatoes.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then top with a little fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This is a great make ahead recipe! Here’s how to get started 1-2 days before– prepare potatoes through step 3, then prepare the topping. Cover each separately and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Then, assemble and bake. Assembled, unbaked casserole can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and continue with step 5. Baked casserole can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and bake at 350°F (177°C) until warmed through.
Keywords: sweet potato casserole,
More Thanksgiving inspiration:
I’ve been getting rave reviews about my creamy butternut squash mac & cheese recently. I love it too; just made it last week again.
My very favorite cornbread recipe!
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