TODAY Food Club

It’s Thanksgiving, y’all!! #family #eatingallday #grateful #howdiditgetheresoquickly? #youHAVEtotrythesepotatoes!

Alright, annoying over-hashtagging aside, you really do need to get this Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel on your Thanksgiving table. To be clear, it’s fan-freakin-tastic any day of the year but it’s tailor-made for Thanksgiving. And the best part? Wait for it…

Make Ahead Side Dish

You can prep it ahead of time so all you have to do is pop it in the oven on the big day. That’s right! You can assemble this, streusel topping and all, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge on Wednesday. Give it 30-45 minutes on your counter on Thursday, just to bring it close to room temperature before baking it up.

Why THIS Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel?

Of all the sweet potato casseroles this version is my favorite. Why? It’s full of flavor, but not super sweet. It actually tastes like a savory sweet potato side instead of dessert. My mom’s recipe, which is delicious, is basically a poorly disguised dessert that somehow made its way to our Thanksgiving table alongside the barbecued ribs and broccoli casserole. (You read that right. Barbecued ribs are what my childhood memories are built on. Turkey and I have never been friends.) Instead of whipping sugar into the sweet potatoes, maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness without overwhelming them.

Canned vs Fresh Sweet Potatoes

Fresh usually wins hands down over canned anything, but for this recipes, canned sweet potatoes get the W. They’re a huge timesaver – fresh sweet potatoes have to be cooked first – and the canned variety invariably whip up lighter and silkier than fresh.

So, if you’re into crunchy-creamy, savory with a hint of sweet, you need, yes, NEED, this Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel on your Thanksgiving plate.

• 2 29-oz cans sweet potatoes, drained
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ¾ cups chopped pecans
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick (4-oz) butter

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place sweet potatoes in bowl of stand mixer and mix until smooth. Mix in maple syrup, eggs, melted butter, salt and pepper. Pour sweet potatoes into 11x13 inch baking dish.
3. Mix flour, brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter. (Mixture will be thick.) Sprinkle streusel over sweet potatoes.
4. Bake until sweet potatoes are golden brown and start to pull away rom the edges of the baking dish, 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before serving.

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