Description
This Ina Garten Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans is a beloved holiday side dish, featuring velvety sweet potato mash with warm spices and an irresistible crunchy pecan streusel topping.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 ½ – 4 pounds sweet potatoes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- ½ cup whole milk or heavy cream, warmed
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves, roughly chopped (for topping)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (for topping)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (for topping)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for topping)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for topping)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (for topping)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small ½-inch cubes (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick sweet potatoes with a fork; roast on a baking sheet for 45-60 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, peel, cut into 1-inch chunks, boil in salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender, then drain exceptionally well.
- Cool roasted sweet potatoes slightly, then peel skins. Scoop flesh into a large mixing bowl. Mash or puree until incredibly smooth using a potato ricer, masher, or immersion blender.
- To the mashed sweet potatoes, add ½ cup softened unsalted butter, ½ cup warmed whole milk/heavy cream, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, and ¼ cup pure maple syrup. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- Stir in 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, and 1 tsp kosher salt. Add a pinch of black pepper if desired. Mix until all ingredients are evenly incorporated and no streaks of egg remain. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Generously butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the dish, spreading evenly with a spatula. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 ½ cups roughly chopped pecan halves, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, and ¼ tsp kosher salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Add 6 tablespoons of very cold, ½-inch cubed unsalted butter to the dry streusel ingredients. Using fingertips, a pastry blender, or two knives, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining.
- Evenly sprinkle the prepared pecan streusel topping over the sweet potato mixture in the baking dish. Bake in the preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the casserole is gently bubbling around the edges and the pecan topping is beautifully golden brown and fragrant. If the topping browns too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. This allows the casserole to set slightly, enhancing its texture and flavor.
Notes
- Serve warm for best flavor.
- Can be prepared a day in advance and baked before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of casserole
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 70mg