Most years, we attend five (count ’em…FIVE!) Thanksgiving dinners. Starting with the church Thanksgiving meal a few Sundays before the day, then various other family celebrations on the big day or the weekends before and after…yep, the turkey dinner count is five. Not that I’m complaining. Oh my word do I love Thanksgiving food!
But, considering I always bring something to each one, and one of the meals I’m hosting, it takes a little management. That’s where my awesome Sweet Potato Casserole recipe really comes in handy. I make up a huge triple or quadruple batch for the first dinner, then separate it into baking dishes. I cook one and freeze the rest until they’re needed. I pull them out of the freezer to thaw the night before, then all I need to do is bake them the day of the festivities. This casserole has creamy mashed sweet potatoes with a sweet crumbly topping–I usually double this sweet potato casserole recipe and bake it in a 9 x 13 pan for a big crowd. Even if you don’t freeze it, you can do everything but baking the day before, and have it in the fridge ready to go in the oven. Gotta find those holiday survival techniques wherever we can!
Sweet Potato Casserole
- 3-4 cups mashed sweet potatoes (boil in a pot, peel, then mash in your mixer)
- 1 c. sugar (the original recipe calls for this much, I usually use half or less!)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup margarine or butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Mix all the above ingredients together and spread in the bottom of a 9″ pie pan or 8×8 square pan.
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup ground nuts (walnuts or pecans–coconut can also be used)
- 1/3 cup stick margarine or butter
Mix above ingredients together until crumbly. I use my food processor to grind the nuts, then add the other ingredients and give it a swirl to mix–easy peasy! Spread over sweet potato mixture. Bake in a 350° oven for 35 minutes.