Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

A savory twist on the classic sweet potato casserole.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword best sweet potato casserole, savory sweet potato casserole, savory sweet potato recipes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 44

Total Time 2 9

Servings

Calories 508kcal

Author Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes
½ cup butter
¼ cup minced shallots
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg beaten
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups roughly chopped pecans
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon orange zest optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Wash the sweet potatoes and prick them a few times each with a fork. Wrap them individually in aluminum foil and place them on the prepared baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 60 minutes or until they are soft when squeezed. When they’re done remove them from the oven, reduce the oven temperature for 350ºF and open the aluminum foil around them to allow them to cool enough to handle.
While the sweet potatoes are cooling, brown ½ cup butter in a medium size pan over medium heat. The butter will sizzle and foam up, then quiet down and turn brown. You want a golden brown color, not black. Once the butter is browned, transfer 3 tablespoons to a medium bowl and set aside.
To the 5 tablespoons of butter left in the pan, add the shallot and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened but not crisp.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the sage and rosemary and remove from the heat.
Using a spoon, scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add the shallot mixture, heavy cream, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender to combine everything together. The mixture should be silky and have a whipped texture.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared 2 quart baking dish and smooth out the top.
In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown butter, pecans, and honey until the nuts are completely coated. Spread evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.
Bake the casserole at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with orange zest if desired.

Notes

Tips for customizing savory sweet potato casserole

Swap the heavy cream for full fat coconut milk, the butter for vegan butter (skip the browning), the honey for maple syrup, and omit the egg (or use a flax egg) to make this a vegan sweet potato casserole

Skip the nuts and honey and reduce the butter to 5 tablespoons to make this nut free

Use your favorite combination of herbs, such as a poultry seasoning blend

If you don’t have shallots you can use an equal amount of onion instead

Reduce the heavy cream to ½ cup to lighten up the fat and calories

Crumble feta cheese on top before baking to mimic the look of classic sweet potato casserole

Nutrition