Creamy sweet potatoes are delicious, but for Thanksgiving, you need a topping for total decadence! Why pick just one? Sweet Potato Casserole 3 Ways has two different crumble topping and traditional marshmallows as toppings. Make it as a three or pick just one to try.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 hourshours
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 3 hourshours
Servings 12
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Filling
10medium sweet potatoes or about 10lbs
½Cbutterroom temperature
½Cmaple syrup
¼Cheavy cream
2eggs
1tspsalt
½tsppepper
⅛tspcayenne pepperoptional
Topping (3 choices)
1) Mini Marshmallows
2) Sweet Pecan Crumble
½Cbutterroom temperature
1Cchopped pecans
2Cbrown sugar
2Cflour
1tspsalt
2tsppumpkin pie spice
3) Chipotle Pepita Crunch
½Cbutterroom temperature
2tspchipotle chili powder*
1Cbrown sugar
2Cflour
1Croasted and salted pepitas
1tspsalt
Instructions
To make sweet potato filling
I like to roast my sweet potatoes for this casserole to bring out the caramel notes in the sweet potatoes. If you're running tight on time you can microwave as well. To roast, place on a sheet pan and roast in a 400-degree oven for an hour to an hour and a half or until potatoes are very soft.
If you prefer to microwave, prick the potatoes with a fork on all sides and place on a plate. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stop and flip the potatoes over and microwave for another 5-7 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft.
Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and mash using a potato masher until smooth. Crack the 2 eggs into a small bowl and beat slightly. Add the eggs and the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. I like to use my stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the eggs. This ensures the eggs get well mixed. I also like to remove the fibers that get caught on the paddle attachment during mixing. It smooths out the texture of the sweet potatoes.
Pour the sweet potato filling into a 9" x 13" pan and spread out evenly.
To make your topping of choice
The marshmallow topping doesn't require any prep so you can proceed to the next step if that's your choice.
For the Pecan Crumble or Pepita Crunch, mix the butter, flour, sugar, salt, and seasoning (pumpkin pie spice or chipotle chili powder) until well combined. Add the pecans or pepitas and mix until combined.
To make sweet potato casserole
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
For the Sweet Pecan Crumble or Chipotle Pepita Crunch, you can pour the topping over the sweet potatoes and spread out evenly. If you're choosing marshmallows, don’t add them now. Just bake the sweet potato mix alone.
Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 minutes then turn the oven up to 425 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
If you're topping with marshmallows, after 45 minutes, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and switch to broil. Top the sweet potatoes liberally with mini marshmallows. Once the broiler is heated to high, put the sweet potatoes back into the oven until the marshmallows are dark brown. Watch VERY closely as this happens fast. You may also need to move the pan around in the oven occasionally to get an evenly browned top.
Once cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
*Regular chili powder is a totally fine substitute if you can't find chipotle powder.The recipes for the crumb toppings are to cover the top of an entire 9" x 13" pan. If you want to make the casserole three ways as I did, you will only need a third of the recipe. You can make the whole recipe and freeze what you don't use or adjust accordingly. Bake the sweet potatoes with crumb toppings as instructed leaving a middle third empty for the marshmallows. Once the crumb toppings are golden brown, remove from the oven and switch to broil. Cover the two crumb toppings with foil leaving the middle open. Cover with mini marshmallows and put under the broiler or until just browned.