Okay, don’t judge me on this. I am not a fan of sweet potato casserole or souffle. I am a lover of just plain sweet potatoes with butter and salt. I just don’t like side dishes on the sweet side. Sweet to me belongs in the dessert category. You ask why did I make this sweet potato casserole? Well, when bringing a dish for a get together and you ask, “What can I bring?” Sweet Potato casserole was the answer. So I am making sweet potato casserole.
I was just lucky enough to have about ten sweet potatoes in my pantry from my CSA boxes this fall. Beautiful potatoes! So that was my start. I always bake sweet potatoes in a brown bag. This is much like cooking in parchment paper. If you have not tried this method you should try it. In this post you will find instructions for baking in a paper bag. The product is the most caramel coated sweet potatoes that you have ever had in your life. I bake them in a 400 degree oven for over an hour until they are soft. I cooked several different sizes of potatoes, so I took the smaller ones out and left the larger ones to cook until yummy! It’s really hard to resist eating them while removing the peeling. They are so good!
This is another fabulous recipe from Gracious Goodness a cookbook published by the Macon Junior League. I have yet to make anything from this cookbook that was not just absolutely delicious.
Mash three to four cooked sweet potatoes.
Add two beaten eggs.
Add 1/2 cup of milk. I added 1/2 cup of half and half!
The original recipe called for 1 cup of sugar. I reduced the amount to 1/2 cup of sugar.
Then add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Whip together.
Place the whipped potato mixture in a greased 1 quart casserole dish. Now put the topping together.
Melt 1/3 cup of butter.
Mix butter with 1 cup brown sugar.
Add 1 cup of chopped pecans and 1/3 cup flour and spoon on top of the whipped sweet potatoes.
Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Sweet Potato Casserole from Gracious Goodness 8 servings
- 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix hot potatoes together with the remaining ingredients. Place in a greased 1 quart casserole dish.
Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
To make topping, mix sugar and flour with butter, fold in nuts. Spread mixture on of potatoes. Place casserole in oven and bake for about 2o to 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
Happy cooking,
The Teacher Cooks
The Teacher Cooks 
I have to admit that I do not like sweet potato casserole BUT I am intrigued with your idea of cooking them in a bag. Did you peel them first?
So – how did it taste?
I am with you regarding they are perfect as they are. Maybe your hosts didn’t know that. The next time, take them in their perfectly simple form. I find (truly) that SO many are shocked when I say I have added nothing but s and p… NOTHING? Nothing. NO SUGAR? None. They just don’t believe it and there is so much rich food this time of year that I see this as the perfect reprieve. I asked how yours tasted, because I think it may have been like a crumble or a pudding… particularly if you added the full cup of sugar. Meow! That would definitely be dessert to me
🙂
Valerie
I’m not famous for many of the dishes I cook (you should have seen the chicken pie I made tonight :p )…but I am famous for my sweet potato casserole. I usually boil my sweet potatoes; it has never even occurred to me to bake them! Is there any reason I shouldn’t? It is terribly sweet but I love it!
so sorry you don’t like sweet potato casserole because this sounds FANTASTIC! I don’t know when I’ll have an excuse to make it, but hopefully it’ll be soon.
Tell me more about baking sweet potatoes in a bag. Do you actually put them in a regular brown paper bag and then put them in the oven? The bag doesn’t burn? Do you make holes in the bag? I also love plain baked sweet potatoes so when you said they carmelize I was sold.
Tammy – Don’t peel the potatoes.
Valerie – To me it is much like eating sweet potato pie without the crust. It is good, but for me it is dessert.
Gigi – Check out the post again. I posted a link to baking potatoes in a paper bag.
I love sweet potato casserole! Yum!
I also love just plain sweet potatoes baked just right with a little butter on them. Mmmmmm, Good! Taste even better with a little bit of cinnamon & sugar sprinkled on that melting butter. No salt for me, though.
I do love sweet potato casseroles. I think it’s a great side dish with Turkey & Dressing or Ham. (and to be honest…I can eat it as dessert, too. BTW…I even like it cold) I just love sweet potatoes any ole way!
My parents are driving up from South Padre TX and will be here on Wednesday. Mom said she is bringing a huge load of sweet potatoes because they were 14 cents a pound at the store! Looks like I’ve found one recipe to use some of them up on!
Delicious!
I really like sweet potatos! This looks like an easy recipe with simple ingredients!