This post may contain affiliate links. Any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you!
This Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar Bacon Pecan Topping is hands down one of the BEST sweet potato casserole you will ever make. Its sweet, savory, smokey and filled with hints of fresh rosemary and sage.
Happy November 1st!!
Any one else super excited for Thanksgiving?! I can’t believe its that time of year again!
I am so, so, SO excited to share this wonderful recipe with you all today, and just in time for Thanksgiving right around the corner! If you’re looking for a sweet potato dish that is just amazing then this is the perfect casserole to try! I promise, you will not be disappointed!
I first tried this recipe last Christmas when family came to celebrate the birth of our Christmas Eve baby, Ellie. While pregnant with her I craved sweet potatoes like crazy, so they made this wonderful dish for us while I was busy recovering and snuggling with our newest addition. It was perfect. Having family that blesses and loves us so well is a wonderful thing.
But I have a confession to make. I used to not like sweet potatoes. Nowadays this is hard to imagine because they have become such a staple in our home and we are craving them regularly. Roasted, mashed, smashed you name it- we’ve done it. But I think in the past what had always turned me off were the overly sweet marshmallow, caramel explosion casseroles at Thanksgiving that were just too much. Usually, I am more into savory dishes than the overly sweet ones. I know, I know… I bake a lot of sweets. But as weird as it sounds… I like the process of baking even more than indulging in it. When I bake I give a most of it away to loved ones, which they’re always excited about. I bake. They eat. Repeat.
This sweet potato casserole is not overly sweet like many sweet potato casseroles I have tried. Don’t get me wrong… there is definitely a good amount of sweetness, but the smokiness from the bacon and the subtle notes from the herbs really sets this casserole apart.
A Few Tips:
- I would avoid using canned sweet potato. You just cant beat fresh, roasted sweet potatoes.
- For the bacon I highly recommend getting a good quality thick cut bacon.
- Its HIGHLY recommended that you use fresh sage and rosemary. The flavor just can’t be beat and it really puts the flavors over the top. But if you must you can use dried you can just decrease the herbs to a teaspoon or two, depending on your taste.
I cant wait to hear how this turns out for you! If you haven’t yet, hit subscribe to receive all the latest recipes! You can also like me on my Butternut & Sage Facebook page as well as my Pinterest page!
If you make this, be sure to tag #butternutandsageblog on Instagram!
Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar Bacon Pecan Topping
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. sweet potatoes, about 6 medium
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Bacon Pecan Topping:
- 6 slices thick cut bacon
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups toasted pecans, chopped
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Poke holes all over the sweet potatoes with a fork and roast on a sheet for an hour, until tender. Set the aside to cool.
- In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel. Discard excess grease. In the same pan, toast chopped pecans over medium heat until they begin to turn slightly golden. Remove from the heat.
- When the bacon has cooled, chop. In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, toasted pecans, melted butter, fresh sage, and rosemary and stir in the chopped bacon.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Carefully peel the skins away from the flesh of the sweet potato, discarding the skins. Add the sweet potatoes to a stand mixer. Add in the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, heavy cream, melted butter, eggs, and bourbon. Beat over medium high heat until combined. Season to taste with salt.
- Spoon the sweet potato mixture into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Add the bacon pecan topping and transfer to the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply