Sweet Potato Casserole

This sweet potato casserole recipe is a traditional Thanksgiving Day side dish, only done a tad more on the healthy side.

No marshmallow toppings or heavy cream in this sweet potato casserole recipe, but you won't miss any of the sweetness or creaminess. Plus, the crunchy nut topping is the perfect counterpart to the sweet potato's smooth texture.

This tempting side dish is gluten-free, and can be made dairy-free by substituting the butter for a plant-based alternative. This can be made entirely vegan if you also ensure the sugars are vegan versions or use an alternative like turbinado sugar.

The serving size here is a generous scoopful, so if you're having this with a full Thanksgiving meal, you might want to limit yourself to a 1/2 serving. Though, that might be hard to do.

If you make this version, let me know down in the comments how it turned out, and whether you still prefer the marshmallow version of this Thanksgiving Day classic.

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Ingredients

(Makes 8 servings)

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 6 tablespoons pure demerara sugar

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 1/4 cup coconut milk, full fat

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

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Directions

In a large pot, place the peeled the sweet potatoes, with enough water to cover, and boil on medium-high until very tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the water, and with the heat turned off, return the pot to the hot element to steam off any excess liquid. Shake the pot every 10 to 15 seconds so the sweet potato doesn't stick to the bottom. Once the sweet potato has steamed off any excess liquid remove it from the hot element.

Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.

Using a potato masher, mash the sweet potato (still in the pot) until it is smooth. Switch to a hand mixer and mix in the demerara sugar, orange juice, coconut milk, butter, vanilla extract and salt until well combined.

Spread the sweet potato mixture in an even layer in a casserole dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar and nuts. Sprinkle this nut mixture evenly over the sweet potato layer.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

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Nutritional Information Per Serving:

total calories = 275.5 | total fat = 16.11g | saturated fat = 5.12g | cholesterol = 15.5mg | sodium = 173.92mg | carbohydrates = 32.63g | dietary fibre = 3.15g | sugars = 22.71g | protein = 3.04g