Sweet Potato Casserole

Ok, so I know that Sweet Potato Casserole is traditionally a Thanksgiving dish, and it’s May. But I had some leftover sweet potatoes sitting in my pantry the other night, and so I decided why not bring a little bit of fall flavor back to our table this Spring?

This could actually even be considered mashed sweet potatoes, which you can enjoy at pretty much any time of the year.

The best part is, this dish is totally lightened up from the traditional recipe! At just 100 calories, 2.5g fat, and only 7.2g sugar (most of it naturally occurring) per serving, you can feel great about eating this side dish. Sweet potatoes are actually super nutritious: they’re high in antioxidants, they’re a great source of vitamins and minerals such as manganese, folate, copper, iron, vitamins A, C, B2, B6 and Biotin, and they’re a fantastic source of dietary fiber.

At Thanksgiving, this nutritious veggie is doused with tons of butter, sugar, and then topped with marshmallows – but you don’t need all of that for it to taste amazing.

I like serving it up as a side dish during dinner, as a healthy dessert, or as part of my breakfast too — it’s the perfect complement to some scrambled eggs in the morning!

So what makes this dish better for you than the original?

• There’s no butter! I used spices to add flavor without fat, and I used cooking spray to coat the casserole dish.
• The topping is full of nutty, cinnnamon-y goodness: You won’t miss the marshmallows, trust me.
• There’s way less sugar than normal: Since sweet potatoes are already really sweet, all you need is a tiny bit of honey or brown sugar and vanilla to amp up the natural sweetness.

The Ingredients

• 3.5 lbs sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (divided)
• 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

The Directions

Step 1: Chop potatoes into cubes, cover potatoes with water, and boil in a large pot until soft when pierced with a fork. Drain, and return to the pot.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Mash the sweet potatoes, then add the honey, raisins, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Whip with an electric mixer or an immersion blender until smooth (if you don’t have one, you can do this step by hand—it’ll just take a little muscle!).

Step 3: Mix the brown sugar, pecans, and remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a bowl.

Step 4: Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle pecan mixture over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, about 15-20 minutes.

When it’s done it will look like this:

How good does that look? This recipe makes 12 HUGE portions, which you can feel really great about eating! The creaminess of the sweet potatoes tastes great against the sweet crunchy texture of the pecan topping. The husband absolutely loved this dish (even though he was skeptical at first), as did a bunch of our guests (and little kids) at dinner. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!