Southern Sweet Potato Casserole

In a land far, far away in East Texas, there was a little Southern Princess who did not like sweet potato casserole. Every year when Thanksgiving and Christmas would come around she would just skip right past that side in the royal buffet line. Until one day, a magical fairy sprinkled marshmallows and pecans over this the holiday side and her mind was changed forever.

Sorry, I just watched Disenchanted and may have gotten a little carried away, but you get the idea. 😉

This traditional dish has been in my family for a long time and we not only serve it at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it also makes special appearances at Easter and family dinners too. Some might even call this southern-style dish a dessert because of its sweetness. That's exactly how I like it!

At the last Thanksgiving gathering there were three sweet potato casserole sides and mine was the only one to completely go, that is how confident I am that your family and friends will love it too. Am I being too self-assured? Naahh...

Here we go!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Yields: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 lbs)

• 4 tbsps unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 4 tbsps brown sugar

• 3 cups marshmallows

• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Begin by preheating the oven to 350F and get your 3-4 qt casserole dish ready. This is the one that I use.

Peel and cube the sweet potatoes, then put them in a large pot and cover them with water. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.

Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let them cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Before we add in the ingredients, drain them and allow to slightly cool.

In your mixing bowl, beat the sweet potatoes until they are mashed and smooth.

Add 4 tbsps unsalted butter, 4 tbsps brown sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Once everything is thoroughly combined pour the sweet potato mixture into a casserole dish and spread it out evenly.

There is a special little tip that I want you to be aware of and that is to pour your chopped pecans first, and then add the marshmallows. I have baked this many times and have learned that having the marshmallows on top and the pecans underneath will better allow the marshmallows to brown and get that gooeyness that we all like.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the marshmallows are toasted to your preference.

If you really like the savory taste, you can sprinkle a few more chopped pecans to the surface once it is done baking like I did here.

Did you make this recipe? If so I would love to see it, drop a picture in the comment or send it to me on social media, Facebook @HisGirlSunday or Instagram @steffani_hisgirlsunday.