Step up your Sweet Potato Casserole with coconut and pecans this Thanksgiving
In October 2020, we asked readers from across the country to submit original family recipes. We received a wealth of submissions, and wanted to give readers a look into family-favorites and new twists on classic recipes. You can find all of those recipes in Taste Across the States.
Some dishes are non-negotiable for a Thanksgiving meal. They might vary family to family, they might be called different things depending on where you live, but a handful of side dishes are bound to be present in anyone’s Thanksgiving. Stuffing (or dressing, or filling, or whatever regionalism you have to call it), mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and green bean casserole come to mind immediately.
But let’s face it, sweet potatoes are the unsung stars of Thanksgiving dinner sides. That’s not even taking into account sweet potato pie. Solely as a side dish, sweet potatoes offer a variety of preparations that are sure to become winners at your table.
Perhaps the most recognizable and beloved is a rich, sugary-sweet potato casserole. Served alongside turkey and stuffing, it’s almost like a precursor to dessert it’s so rich. Classically topped with marshmallows that brown beautifully in the oven, sweet potato casserole becomes a tender mix of earthy sweet potato, spice and sweetness.
This recipe, submitted by Linda Wood, takes the holiday mainstay of sweet potato casserole and replaces a toasted marshmallow topping with a coconut and pecan blend. A dash of orange zest helps mellow the rich sweet potato filling. Wood says her favorite thing about the recipe is that “it’s so tasty, it could be a pie, too.” Serve leftovers of the sweet potato casserole with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a rich treat.
Equipment to make Sweet Potato Casserole
- Get some mixing bowls set aside for the topping.
- Ensure the topping is well combined by blitzing it in a food processor.
- Mixing your sweet potato, eggs, sugar and other casserole ingredients in a stand mixer.
- We recommend using a 2-quart casserole dish for this sweet potato casserole and not a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Pull out your measuring cups to measure sugar, pecans, brown sugar and other ingredients.
- Make sure you have measuring spoons for the orange zest and vanilla.
- A potato masher to get your sweet potatoes mixed together after cooking.
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 9:47 AM with the headline "Step up your Sweet Potato Casserole with coconut and pecans this Thanksgiving."
