Home Baked Sweet Potato Casserole
Well another year is almost gone and my a favorite holiday is almost here. I love when family comes over and we spend a few hours together. When we lived at the farm we had a huge gathering of family and friends. We always made some kind of Thanksgiving craft, wrote down what we are grateful for and played games. Of course we ate so much we needed a nap and then went back and ate some more.
People do not always serve turkey for Thanksgiving but our family does. I have had Turkey since I was a little girl. I love the stuffing best. I have added that recipe so you can try it too. It is so delicious, my mouth waters just thinking about it.
There are so many side dishes to make for Thanksgiving. But one recipe you need to make is Home Baked Sweet Potato Casserole.
Americans love adding marshmallows to sweet potato casserole, and the story behind it is interesting. Sweet potatoes have been popular in America since Colonial times, brought over from Central and South America.
In the Southern climes of the U.S., these crops were very successful. In the 1800s, they increasingly started becoming associated with holiday meals.
According to Saveur magazine, in 1917, a marshmallow company called Angelus Marshmallows published a recipe for sweet potatoes with marshmallows in a recipe booklet. Marshmallows were now commercially available and affordable, so they were an exciting novelty sweet. And that is how it got started.
What You’ll Need to Make This
- Sweet Potatoes
- Brown Sugar
- Salted Butter
- Egg
- Milk
- Salt
- Spices…cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
- Vanilla
- Marshmallows
This recipe is so easy, simple, and filling. Just whip together the ingredients for this Sweet Potato Casserole filling, top it with some marshmallows and let it bake.
There are many ways to cook sweet potatoes. You can….
- Bake them…..Place potatoes on a baking sheet and pierce the sweet potatoes 3-4 times with a fork. Then just bake at 400ºF for about 45-65 minutes.
- Boil…..Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Place in a large pot and add water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, uncovered about 15 minutes.
- Microwave….Place potatoes in a microwave-safe dish. Pierce the sweet potatoes 3-4 times with a fork. and microwave on high for five minutes. If your potatoes are not quite done continue cooking for for 30 second increments until softened.
- Instant Pot...add one cup of water on the bottom. Place the trivet on the top and put the sweet potatoes on top and cook for 18 minutes on high pressure. Let the steam naturally release for 10 minutes.
Sweet Potato Casserole is an easy make-ahead dish that should never be missing from your holiday table!
Grab your apron and ingredients and scroll below for the recipe….
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 large), peeled and cubed
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 6 tbsp softened butter
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 18 large marshmallows
Instructions
- Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes; drain.
- Transfer to a large bowl and mash. Add the milk, brown sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, salt and nutmeg; beat until smooth.
- Transfer to a greased shallow 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° until heated through, 40-45 minutes. Top with marshmallows. Bake just until marshmallows begin to puff and brown, 5-10 minutes longer.
- Adapted from Taste Of Home Test Kitchen.