America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Grown-Up Sweet Potato Casserole

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on November 3, 2011

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Grown-Up Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 large potatoes), scrubbed and dried5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted5 tablespoons dark brown sugar 2 cups applesauce 2 cups mini-marshmallows

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, place baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Place them flesh side down on hot baking sheet and roast until flesh is easily pierced through skin with skewer, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove potatoes from oven and set oven to broil. Whisk together butter and sugar. Flip potatoes flesh side up and brush with butter mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and broil until top is glazed, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
  3. While sweet potatoes are cooking, place applesauce in fine-mesh strainer and press lightly to drain off excess liquid (you should have 1 1/4 cups solids). Transfer solids to large bowl. Scoop cooled sweet potato pulp out of skin and add to bowl with applesauce. Mash apples and sweet potato together until combined. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish, top with marshmallows, and broil until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.
  4. to make ahead

  5. The sweet potato and applesauce mixture can be mashed and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Heat the mixture in a medium saucepan or microwave until warm before transferring it to a casserole dish and topping with marshmallows.
Grown-Up Sweet Potato Casserole

Grown-Up Sweet Potato Casserole

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 large potatoes), scrubbed and dried
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 cups applesauce
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Ingredients

4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 large potatoes), scrubbed and dried
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 cups applesauce
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Ingredients

4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 large potatoes), scrubbed and dried
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 cups applesauce
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Why This Recipe Works

For a Sweet Potato Casserole recipe with a little more depth than the “cream, brown sugar, marshmallow" approach, we used fresh sweet potatoes, not canned. Roasting the potatoes gave us the driest, most flavorful texture. To intensify the potatoes’ flavor even more, we covered the halved tops with butter and brown sugar and broiled them until browned.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, place baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Place them flesh side down on hot baking sheet and roast until flesh is easily pierced through skin with skewer, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove potatoes from oven and set oven to broil. Whisk together butter and sugar. Flip potatoes flesh side up and brush with butter mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and broil until top is glazed, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
  3. While sweet potatoes are cooking, place applesauce in fine-mesh strainer and press lightly to drain off excess liquid (you should have 1 1/4 cups solids). Transfer solids to large bowl. Scoop cooled sweet potato pulp out of skin and add to bowl with applesauce. Mash apples and sweet potato together until combined. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish, top with marshmallows, and broil until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.
  4. to make ahead

  5. The sweet potato and applesauce mixture can be mashed and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Heat the mixture in a medium saucepan or microwave until warm before transferring it to a casserole dish and topping with marshmallows.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.