Every year during the holiday season I go to one dinner after another where some variation of sweet potato casserole is served. And every year I give it a try hoping that maybe this will be the year I’ll actually like it. I never do. The thing is, I think they’re too sweet.
Don’t get me wrong, I love sweets. My mom will be happy to tell you in detail about my sweet tooth and how it started at an early age. It’s just that I like my sweets to be…dessert. Do you know what I mean? I don’t want pie with my dinner. I either want it after dinner, or preferably before and skip dinner altogether.
I kid! I kid! I don’t eat dinner first and then skip dinner. Not usually.
Every recipe I found for Sweet Potato Casserole called for cups of sugar. I thought that the word “sweet” in sweet potato would suffice, so I decided to live on the wild side and try my hand at making my own version sweet potato casserole. What I came up with was basically a garlic infused mashed sweet potatoes topped with sweet praline pecans.
Hey, I don’t have to forgo all sugar! This recipe is simply divine and I can’t wait to take it to my next holiday dinner.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
- 4-5 medium Sweet potatoes, Rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup soymilk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons dairy free margarine
- ¾ cup pecans, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add chopped sweet potatoes. We like our sweet potatoes fully clothed, but you’re welcome to skin yours if you’d like. Boil until potato chunks are very tender, about 15 minutes. Pour potatoes into a colander to drain liquids. Place chopped garlic on top of the steaming potatoes to allow the garlic a chance to soften.
Pour potatoes/garlic into a large bowl and mash by hand (using a mashing utensil) or use a hand held mixer. Add the olive oil and soy milk until you get a consistency that works for you. We prefer a chunky variety of mashed potatoes so we mash them by hand and don’t spend a lot of time in this step. Add the pepper and salt. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a 1.5 quart baking dish and set aside.
Next prepare the pecan topping. Add the margarine, cinnamon, sea salt, pecans and brown sugar to a skillet. Stir for a minute or a two on medium-low heat to toast the pecans. Add the maple syrup, increase heat to medium-high and stir until bubbling and sticky. Remove from heat and spread the praline onto a greased baking sheet to cool. Break the praline into pieces for garnishing the top of the Sweet Potato Casserole.
I love the flavours in this. Looks really delicious!
December 14, 2010
5:29 pm
Wholly Yum! Perfect for the season!
December 14, 2010
8:47 pm
Marly I think I will bring this to my sister’s for Christmas day dinner. Her family goes crazy for sweet potatoes. In fact, she was the one who turned my kids onto sweet potatoes. This casserole will surely become a favourite. Thanks for sharing!
Guess what, Our city is hut down again, hopefully not for 4 days this time, I am so behind in my Xmas shopping.
December 15, 2010
6:19 am
Ah, thank you! I think sweet potatoes are plenty sweet all on their own. I love eating them plain. My brother-in-law always makes sweet potato casserole for holidays and he puts pancake syrup in it…I never eat it. Maybe if he used real maple syrup it would be better!
I like the sound of this one though.
December 15, 2010
1:21 pm
Oh Marly! I’m so excited to try this. I find myself in a similar situation each Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to like those potato casseroles, but they are far too sweet for me. I will save my sugar for dessert, please! Not only does this recipe cut way back on sugar, but it is vegan too. Just wonderful! I hope you have a wonderful end to your week. Thank you for brightening my day!
December 16, 2010
12:21 am
I agree with you on the overly sweet casseroles, looking forward to trying your recipe. My fav is simply layering slices of cooked sweet potatoes and slices of Granny Smith apples with light sprinkling of margarine and maple syrup, then bake.
December 16, 2010
1:43 am
I wouldn’t want my main course to be sweet either, it makes the dessert less appetizing!! Looks scrumptious.
December 16, 2010
2:39 pm
I’m in this boat as well – no casseroles topped with marshmallows and brown sugar for me. I always found this gross, but just ate around the issue. This sounds like a casserole to get behind though, and I may just whip one up next time there’s an occasion.
December 16, 2010
7:00 pm
I like the amount of sugar you’ve called for in the recipe, sounds about right to me. I also like the olive oil with the sweet potatoes. This is a wonderful recipe for one of my favorites that I would make any night of the week;)
December 17, 2010
12:26 am
You’re right – olive oil and sweet potatoes goes so well together!
December 20, 2010
11:49 am
I love sweet n’ salty, and sweet potatoes are one of the best vegetables for it. What a tasty casserole.
December 18, 2010
8:45 pm
[...] 10. Sweet Potato Casserole [...]
December 31, 2010
11:46 am