Topped with Marshmallows

It seems that there are two types of people when it comes to a Sweet Potato Casserole: Those who cover theirs with toasty melty marshmallows, and those who don’t.  Do you think I am biased?

You already know I love to sneak dessert-like side dishes onto my table.  Why wouldn’t I top my Sweet Potato Casserole with candy? To be honest, this is the way I grew up eating sweet potatoes.  Each time I see a recipe for a casserole topped with something delicious like a pecan streusel or turned savory I’m tempted to try it, but why mess with something that is just right?

This recipe is actually a lot healthier than you might think.  It is filled with nutrient-dense sweet potatoes, canned pumpkin (yes, pumpkin!), spices and and a secret ingredient:

I got the idea of using pumpkin butter in a Food and Wine recipe a couple of years ago.  I haven’t turned back since.

The other secret to this recipe is the roasted sweet potatoes.  Yes, you can microwave them to cut down on time, but roasting them adds so much flavor.

To begin, line a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with foil and non-stick spray.  Top with your sweet potatoes and poke holes in them to prevent any oven explosions

Roast them for an hour or so, or until they are nice and tender to the touch

The softer they are, the easier they will be to peel.  I usually roast the sweet potatoes the night before so that I can peel them easily when they are cool, no burnt fingers required

Place them in a mixer with a can of pumpkin and combine until most of the mixture is pureed but some chunks still exist (you can also mash by hand if you don’t have a mixer)

Add in your pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin butter, a dash of salt and a bit of vanilla

Once well-combined, place in a large greased baking dish

Cover with foil and bake until hot

Remove the baking dish from the oven and top with marshmallows

Broil for a minute or two, until your marshmallows are lightly browned.  I recommend putting foil or a sheet pan below the baking dish in case you have any drippings

Sweet Potato Casserole

Serves 12

Ingredients:

8-10 medium sweet potatoes, about 5 pounds

1 15-ounce can of pumpkin, (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup pumpkin butter

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1-lb bag of mini marshmallows

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Line jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil and non-stick cooking spray

Poke sweet potatoes with a fork and spread out on baking sheet; roast in oven for about an hour or until they are tender

Once sweet potatoes are cool, peel them; cut a slit in the skin of each sweet potato and then peel with fingers

Place them in a mixer with pumpkin and combine until most of the mixture is pureed but some chunks still exist (you can also mash by hand if you don’t have a mixer)

Add pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin butter, salt and vanilla

Once well-combined, place in a large baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray

Cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes or until hot

Remove the baking dish from the oven and top with marshmallows

Put oven on broil and bake casserole for 1-2 minutes, or until marshmallows are lightly browned

Which camp are you in? With marshmallows or without?

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My Favorite Pumpkin Bread

In case you haven’t noticed, I have a sweet tooth:-) I always have room for dessert, but if you can make a side dish that tastes like a dessert, isn’t that even better?  Combining that with the fact that pumpkin is one of my all time favorite dessert flavors, you can understand why I’d be a fan of pumpkin bread.

I’ve had lots of pumpkin muffins and breads, some are dry, some are too dense, and some just lack a true pumpkin flavor.  This recipe, however, produces a light, moist and flavorful bread that also works for muffins.

This recipe is super easy.  It is the one my mom has been making for years and she had gotten it from a friend of hers originally.  You can do all of the stirring by hand so no mixer necessary.

First, take your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt) and whisk them in a large bowl

Set that aside and combine your wet ingredients, pumpkin, oil, water and eggs

Add your wet to dry

Stir until well combined

The recipe is set to make 3 pumpkin bread loaves, however I wanted a little bit of variety

An ice cream scoop makes the perfect transfer to muffin tins

A few pumpkin seeds for crunch

 

 

 

 

1 loaf for good measure

Bake until bread and muffin tops are rounded and a knife comes out clean

 

 

Cool everything on wire racks

Eat it as a side dish

 

 

Or for breakfast

My Favorite Pumpkin Bread

Makes 3 regular-sized loaves OR 1 loaf, 1 dozen regular sized muffins and 2 dozen mini muffins

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 small 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)  – about 1 3/4 cup

1 cup canola oil

2/3 cup water

4 large eggs

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Grease pans with non-stick cooking spray and/or line muffin tins with cup holders

Whisk together dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl and set aside

Combine wet ingredients (pumpkin through eggs)

Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and mix well until combined

Pour batter into baking pans

Baking times for different forms:

Loaves: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Regular muffins: 18 to 25 minutes

Mini muffins: 16 to 20 minutes

Bake until bread and muffin tops are rounded and a knife comes out clean

 

 

Cool pumpkin bread out of baking pans on wire rack

 

What is your favorite dessert-like side dish?

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