I mean really…what is Thanksgiving without mini marshmallows? That’d be like not watching the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade. It’d be like not wolfing down tons and tons of stuffing and jellied cranberry sauce out of a can! It would be like NOT getting into a heated political or religious fight with Uncle Melvin.
A creamy sweet potato casserole topped with mini marshmallows just says Thanksgiving to me, but you could certainly make this without the marshmallows (if you think them too pedestrian), but I think you’d be depriving your family of the extra gooey sweet goodness.
And this is super easy to throw together, too. You could totally make it hours or even the day before, pop it in the refrigerator, and add 5 or 10 minutes to the baking time.
Game on, right?!
There is nothing like doing as much as possible ahead of time so you can actually watch the parade and the Lion’s game.
Anyway, this recipe calls for Bruce’s canned yams*, but any canned yams in syrup will work. (Or, as a more traditional alternative, buy five medium sized sweet potatoes, peel and dice them, then boil a bit longer so that they are soft and mashable.)
After boiling and draining, you’ll be doctoring up the potatoes with whole milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger** then baking them before scattering the mini marshmallows all over the top. Back in the oven, uncovered, for five minutes, and you’ll end up with that oohey gooey melted goodness with just a hint of browning on top.
Perfection!
This casserole is a Thanksgiving necessity for my family…but it works at Eastertime, too, next to the glazed honey ham and baked macaroni and cheese (which I also have a recipe for).
Go on, make this, Mom! Your kids will thank you. So will Uncle Melvin, because he’s always had a sweet tooth. (He’s a drunk, too, but we try not to mention that.)
* Bruce’s Yams are available in most grocery stores nationwide and on Amazon.
** I have skipped the ginger more times than not and have never noticed it’s not in there. You decide.
Great Sweet Potato Casserole
Servings: 6 to 8 / Prep: 10 minutes / Cook: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- Cooking Spray or Butter
- 45 oz Canned Yams* (or 5 medium sweet potatoes)
- ¼ cup Milk
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 tbsp Butter, softened
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Ginger
- 1 cup or so Miniature Marshmallows
* I use a brand called Bruce’s Yams—one 29 oz can and one 16 oz can. Occasionally, I’ll use real sweet potatoes, peeled and diced, but you have to cook them longer to soften enough to mash them.
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375º F (190º C).
- Prepare a medium-sized baking dish (with a cover, if you have one) with cooking spray or butter. I use an oval baking dish and cover with foil.
- Boil the canned yams in a medium- to large-sized pot on the stove for 5 to 10 minutes (fresh sweet potatoes will take longer). Drain.
- In the same pot, add all ingredients except the marshmallows. Mix well. I use a hand mixer.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Uncover, sprinkle with marshmallows, then bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Then eat ‘em!
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