Sweet Potato Casserole: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 1
Thanksgiving is such a wonderful day. No presents, no pressure, just an abundance of food and family. But Thanksgiving can be a minefield of gluten-filled carbs, and sugar-overload. So in this series of “Thanksgiving Cleaned Up,” I’ve taken some classic Thanksgiving staple foods and made them a little bit less detrimental. You can check out my other posts, Garlic Kale Mashed Potatoes, Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce, and Grain-Free Drop Biscuits and have yourself a slightly less guilty, but certain not less hearty, Thanksgiving feast! Wonderful additions to this series would be my Autumn Salad and my Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread!
I’m starting this series off with dessert. Gotta eat dessert first ;). I know the classic dessert for Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie, but I don’t actually particularly like pie (except Key Lime… I know, apparently there’s something wrong with me.) So this “dessert” substitute is something we always had on our Thanksgiving table growing up: Sweet Potato Casserole. Complete with the toasted marshmallows, because that’s a must-have element. I also added some bacon, because everything is better with bacon and this is no exception. No added sugar to the potatoes because sweet potatoes are just that: sweet. And the marshmallows already add that little extra sugar. The sweet, spicy and salty combo is perfect to round out your Thanksgiving table for dessert, with your meal, or as a pre-feast snack… I won’t tell!
Sweet Potato Casserole
- 2 lbs of sweet potatoes, roasted and mashed
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (from a can)
- 1/2 tsp each of ground clove, ground nutmeg and ground ginger
- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp grass-fed butter (I use Kerrygold)
- Homemade Marshmallows (about 1 cup)
- 4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Roast and mash your sweet potatoes. Transfer into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the butter, coconut milk, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon to your sweet potatoes.
- Use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients, and whip until smooth.
- Transfer your potato mix to oven-safe bake ware (I used an 8×8 Pyrex dish)
- Dig out a hole in the middle of your potatoes. Add a handful of marshmallows in the hole.
- Place your potatoes with the marshmallows in the oven under broil, and allow the marshmallows to toast until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and sprinkle the crumbled bacon around the edges, around the marshmallow middle.
- Serve hot.
Makes about 4-6 servings of potatoes.
