So I’ve been holding onto a recipe for weeks now, just waiting for Thanksgiving to roll around and provide the perfect opportunity to make a new sweet potato casserole. I found original recipe here on the Taste of Home website, and I only tweaked it slightly {less sugar & butter} to make it a little less guilt-filled. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this recipe was SO good!
I even ate the leftovers for two extra days & loved it each time. The pretzels add a great salty contrast to the sweet potatoes, and the cranberries {on my word, the cranberries!} were the perfect ingredient to put this dish over the top. I used fresh cranberries, and I recommend using fresh. It was the first time I’ve cooked with fresh cranberries & it was a breeze {plus the whole bag was only $0.99 at Aldi…score!} I love this dish & it will definitely become an annual must at Thanksgiving for me.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pretzel & Cranberry Topping
- 2 cups chopped pretzel rods {about 13}
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup fresh cranberries {I think I’ll add more next year because I loved them so much!}
- 1 cup packed brown sugar for the topping {and a small handful for the potatoes}
- 3/4 cup butter, melted, {1/2 cup for topping, 1/4 cup for potatoes}
- 2 1/2 lbs fresh sweet potatoes {recipe says you can use 1 can sweet potatoes, drained, but fresh’s much better in my opinion}
- 1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, since I used fresh potatoes, we had to peel, dice & boil them until they were soft {fell off a fork inserted into the middle of them}. Thanks to my brother-in-law, Dale {aka BUD}, for chopping them for me!
Then, I enlisted my hubby to crush my pretzel rods. {I was in a delegating mood apparently.}
Just placed them in a zip lock baggie & used a rolling pin to smash them into small chunks.
Meanwhile, I diced the pecans & rinsed the cranberries.
Then, in a large bowl, I combined the pretzel pieces, brown sugar, cranberries, pecans & 1/2 cup of melted butter.
Stir until it’s mixed well.
Shortly after this, your potatoes should be soft, so you’ll want to drain them & mash them. {I prefer the ol’ fashioned method.}
Into my sweet potato pan, I added the evaporated milk, vanilla, and a small handful of brown sugar. {I didn’t do as much sugar as the original recipe called for because I prefer my sweet potatoes to taste more like a side, rather than a dessert….just my preference.}
See, just a bit of brown sugar to sweeten them…
Then you add your 1/4 cup of butter, and honestly, I bet you could skip this step and it’d still taste just as good.
Once you’ve whipped/smashed the mixture together, add it to your greased 2 quart baking dish, and smooth the top.
Now’s time to add the topping {if you can get your sister to stop picking out the brown sugar-covered cranberries…it was a challenge for me!}
Here’s a close-up of the topping. YUMMM.
Pop it in the oven at 350 uncovered, & bake it for 30 minutes {the edges will be bubbly when it’s done.}
The recipe says it makes 10-12 servings – perfect for a holiday dinner!
Oh so delish!
