Grandma T’s Sweet Potato Casserole

How I got the recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole

I wish you could have known my husband’s grandmother, otherwise known as “Grandma T.” Even though I didn’t meet her until I was 20, Grandma T became to me as close as if she were my own grandmother. She was soft-spoken and warm, welcoming all into her home with a smile and a plate full of good, simple, Southern food.

When I married my husband, I gained access to all of Grandma’s recipes, and this is one of my favorites. Rather then the usual marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole I grew up with, this recipe combines the sweetness of brown sugar with the slight bitterness of walnuts. It checks all the boxes of flavor, color, and texture that you want and expect during the holidays.

How to serve Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole pairs well with a good ham, but can also be served alongside a roast turkey or even roast beef! Everyone will love you for making it, and will request the recipe over and over again (which is why you can just copy and paste this link right now).

How to make Sweet Potato Casserole

Start, of course, with sweet potatoes. Technically, you CAN just open a can of yams, dump out the juice, and measure away. I may have done that a couple of times… But I recommend cooking fresh sweet potatoes from scratch. If you do this earlier in the day, or even the day before, it’s pretty simple and straightforward. You need about 3-4 medium sweet potatoes to make 3 cups. The sizes are all over the place, so I always make a little more than I need. You can always save the leftovers for sweet potato biscuits!

Put your unpeeled sweet potatoes into a pot filled with water. The water should come to about a half inch above the sweet potatoes. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce heat so the water is still bubbling, but not so intensely. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender. I test them by poking them with a fork. I never time this, I just go about other tasks in the kitchen, but it takes probably about 20-30 minutes. Cool, and peel the skin off (it will come off easily).

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using beaters or a food processor, whip those sweet potatoes into creamy goodness. Add the rest of the ingredients except the topping ingredients. Pour into a 13 x 9 casserole dish that you have greased with butter. You could spray the dish with cooking spray, but to me, that alters the flavor of my dish and not in a good way!

Combine all the ingredients for the topping, and crumble this over the sweet potato mixture. Now you are ready to bake the sweet potato casserole!

Put the pan into your 350° oven and set the timer for 30 min. You may need slightly more or less time, depending on your oven. When the casserole looks done, let it cool slightly before eating. It should be eaten warm but not hot.

Enjoy this as a side dish or even a dessert for your next holiday (or any day!) gathering. Speaking of desserts… here’s another super easy one if you desire chocolate with your holiday meal. Just in case. 😉

My Favorite Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe by Kim AshbaughCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

12

servings

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked sweet potatoes

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 t salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 stick melted butter

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 t vanilla extract

• Topping:

• 1/3 stick softened butter

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped walnuts– depending on preference

• 1/3 cup flour (all-purpose or gluten-free)

Directions

• Cream together sweet potatoes, sugar, and salt until combined.
• Beat in eggs.
• Carefully stir in melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract.
• Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan using softened butter.
• Pour sweet potato mixture into pan.
• Combine topping ingredients.
• With clean hands, crumble topping ingredients onto sweet potato mixture.
• Bake at 350° for appoximately 30 min. Cool to warm before serving.

Notes

• Cook 3 or more sweet potatoes the day before the make this recipe go faster the day of. You do not need to peel the sweet potatoes before cooking. You can also use canned yams, but freshly -cooked sweet potatoes taste so much better!
• I use whole milk in all my baking recipes. You need that fat content. Low-fat or skim milk will not produce the same results.
• Use dark brown sugar in the topping for a more molass-y taste; use light brown for subtlty of flavor. I prefer dark.
• Using the maximum amount of walnuts will balance out the sweetness of this recipe. You can substitute pecans if you like! I think Grandma’s recipe actually called for pecans, but I changed it based on my preference. Pecans would produce a slightly sweeter result. You can leave the nuts completely off if needed. In that case, I’d cut the sugar by 1/4.
• I substitute with gluten-free flour with no problem.