Easy Sweet Potato Casserole (small batch)

 

I am sharing a recipe with you today for a classic Thanksgiving dish, or holiday dish that goes very well with Roast Turkey.  This was something they always wanted me to make when I cooked for the American family at the Manor in the U.K.  And yes, they did like marshmallows on the top of theirs.

She (the Mrs.) called it Sweet Potato Souffle and the dish I made for them was a combination of a few different recipes that she liked. I never really tried it because I always thought that it would be too sweet.  Her version had a lot more sugar in it than this recipe I am sharing with you today.

This recipe is one that I found on a page called Crunchy Creamy Sweet.  It looked to not be quite as sweet as most of the recipes I found out there.  I did take the liberty of cutting the recipe in half to make a smaller batch, which is large enough to serve to three people.

One thing which I did differently however, was to roast my sweet potato, rather than boil it.  I thought it would give me a much drier product to mix in with the remaining ingredients. Roasting also helps to enhance the natural sweetness of the sweet potato so that you wouldn't really need to use much sugar to make the casserole.

I only put the marshmallows in the center of the dish so that anyone who was not fond of them, could enjoy a helping of the casserole from around the outer edges, but in truth the marshmallows pick off very easily.

I tried it both ways and I have to say I liked it both with and without the marshmallows.  It was quite simply delicious.

Sweet Potato Casserole, delicious or evil?  You decide.  As for me and my house, we have decided that it is delicious.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE (SMALL BATCH)

Just a few simple everyday ingredients. There is nothing out of the ordinary here.  Simple.

• 1 pound of sweet potatoes (454g)
• 1 large egg
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/4 cup (50g) packed soft light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the praline topping:

• 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (37.5g chopped pecans)
• a handful of miniature marshmallows (optional)

 

I used one very large, sweet potato which weighed a pound.  It was larger than my hand.  It worked beautifully.  I did roast it ahead of time, the day before, which made it go together extra quickly on the day.

If I was in the U.K. I would use light brown muscovado sugar. It's simply lovely, with a slight molasses flavor that would go beautifully with sweet potatoes.

There is no need to toast the pecans before using them as they will get nice and toasty in the oven as the casserole bakes.

I used salted butter for both the casserole base and the topping. 

 

HOW TO MAKE EASY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE (SMALL BATCH)

This is really quite easy. The original recipe boiled the sweet potatoes until tender, which you could certainly do, but I think roasting them really brings out their natural sweetness and enhances their flavor. 

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Wash your sweet potatoes, prick a fork. Place on a baking tray. Roast in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes until soft. Remove and turn the oven temperature down to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.

Butter a shallow 1 QT/1 Liter casserole dish. Set aside.

As soon as you can handle the sweet potatoes, peel and pop into a bowl. Mash with a fork. Whisk in the brown sugar, vanilla, butter, salt and egg. Spread into the prepared baking dish.

Mix together all of the ingredients for the Praline topping with the exception of the marshmallows. Sprinkle this topping evenly over top of the sweet potatoes.

Roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until set and golden brown.

If you are doing the marshmallow topping. Sprinkle the marshmallows over top and return to the oven and bake until the marshmallows are toasted.

 

Notes

You can roast and mash your sweet potatoes the day before, ready to mix the casserole together and proceed as per the recipe.

To reheat the sweet potato casserole, preheat the oven to 300*F/150*C, cover the dish (sans marshmallows) with some foil and bake for about 15 minutes until heated through.

I do believe as well that you could put together the whole casserole and keep it in the refrigerator overnight, baking it on the day while your turkey is resting.  Simply remove from the refrigerator about half an hour or so before you want to start baking it.

 

I was really surprised at just how delicious this actually was. It did not taste like a dessert at all.  I tried it both with and without the marshmallow topping and I liked it both ways.

I can see why it is so popular. I would definitely make this again! 

 

Here are a couple more smaller sized holiday sides to serve with your Holiday bird as well.  Both go down a real treat, I promise!

CHEESY SWEET CORN CASSEROLE - This is a quick and easy side dish. The sweet, custardy, and creamy corn casserole recipe is made with Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. Baked it in the oven or prepare it as a crockpot corn casserole. This recipe is a popular holiday classic that can be enjoyed year round!  Down-sized for the smaller family.

AIR FRYER ACORN SQUASH - On a holiday when oven space is at a premium it is nice to know that you can roast your squash in the air fryer. The flesh of the cut squash browned nicely on the outside but was soft and tender on the inside. The air fryer truly does all the work for this simple side dish. It is delicious and you can cook as much or as little squash as you are wanting to serve.

Yield: 3 Servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Easy Sweet Potato Casserole

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 1 H & 25 M

A delicious holiday side dish, downsized for the smaller family with a fabulous praline topping and option of adding marshmallows.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of sweet potatoes (454g)
• 1 large egg
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/4 cup (50g) packed soft light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the praline topping:

• 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (37.5g) chopped pecans
• a handful of miniature marshmallows (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Wash your sweet potatoes, prick a fork. Place on a baking tray. Roast in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes until soft. Remove and turn the oven temperature down to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
2. Butter a shallow 1 QT/1 Liter casserole dish. Set aside.
3. As soon as you can handle the sweet potatoes, peel and pop into a bowl. Mash with a fork. Whisk in the brown sugar, vanilla, butter, salt and egg. Spread into the prepared baking dish.
4. Mix together all of the ingredients for the Praline topping with the exception of the marshmallows. Sprinkle this topping evenly over top of the sweet potatoes.
5. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until set and golden brown.
6. If you are doing the marshmallow topping. Sprinkle the marshmallows over top and return to the oven and bake until the marshmallows are toasted.

Notes

You can roast and mash your sweet potatoes the day before, ready to mix the casserole together and proceed as per the recipe.

To reheat the sweet potato casserole, preheat the oven to 300*F/150*C, cover the dish (sans marshmallows) with some foil and bake for about 15 minutes until heated through.

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