Three Sweet Alternatives to Sweet Potato Casserole
Thanksgiving is around the corner and for the past few years I have been promoted from “just bring rolls from the store” to “you can bring a dessert” to “now a side dish at the main table”. This year, I have the job of bringing the almighty Sweet Potato to Thanksgiving.
Now I’m all about some Sweet Potato Casserole, but there are times when you want to switch it up. I decided to try a few different options to see if any of them could take the place of the OG casserole.
To the Rocket City Mom Test Kitchen!
Recipe 1. Hasselback Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes
These looked amazing online. I saw these beautiful potatoes that were sliced and covered in maple pecan goodness.
The Process: First off, I’m going to confess my knife skills are not near chef or even sous chef level. The recipe suggested using chopsticks to keep the peeled potatoes stable and from cutting all the way through. That didn’t work for me. Maybe it was the knife, but I bet Wolfgang Puck would disagree. After doing the cutting, the rest of the recipe was simple. It took a little longer to get the potato tender, but that could be from my uneven slices.
The Taste: If you like the way sweet potatoes taste au natural, this would be the recipe for you. They weren’t overly sweet, but had a nice crunch to go with the tender potatoes. I think I would swap out brown sugar for the maple syrup in the future for my family.
Recipe 2. Sweet Potato Casserole Bites
What’s better than piling sweet potato casserole on your plate? Having it as an appetizer or in a cute bite sized round of yum. Click here for Recipe
The Process: This was much easier for me since the potatoes had to be sliced all the way through. What was a little difficult was trying to get the thickness to the same size so they would cook evenly. It was peeled then sliced up and in the pan in only 10 minutes. Whipping up the topping was a breeze and I added more butter than the recipe called for because I am a fan of the good stuff. Once the sweet potatoes have been cooked to fork tenderness, you can add on the toppings (including marshmallows if you that’s your thing) and stick it back in the oven to melt.
The Taste: These were really good. They were sweet and just the right size. You can eat about two and then you’ll feel like you’ve had your own mini casserole in your mouth. If you don’t like the ratio, you can always cut back on the topping. This would be perfect if you have pickers at your Thanksgiving table. My husband is a picker. He picks up rolls, sausage balls, anything that is snackable and sneakable!
Recipe 3. Brown Sugar Bacon Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Dude. You had me at Brown Sugar Bacon. I saw this recipe and just had to try it. Thank you Pintrest gods for looking out for me!
The Process: This was really easy as well. You dice up the sweet potatoes into one inch cubes. You can tell by the pictures I was EXTREMELY accurate. While you will get a better cook on evenly diced sweet potatoes, mine turned out just fine. You coat them in olive oil. So far it’s a pretty healthy dish – well here’s where the sinful amazingness comes in. Take 5 strips of bacon and chop those puppies up. Mix the sweet potatoes, bacon, and brown sugar up in the bowl. The recipe suggest using parchment paper and clean up was a breeze. Cause things are about to get sticky in the best way possible.
The Taste: These were the best tasting out of all the recipes to my family. The bacon almost was candied from being roasted with brown sugar and the sweet potatoes were tender. It reheats really well too for those leftover people like me! Honestly, this could almost be a breakfast dish. Fry up an egg or some pancakes and this sweet potato dish will be a hit. While the sweet potatoes are on sale you should probably grab some extras and make this dish. Just sayin.
Happy Cooking!
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