Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

We have been in Thanksgiving planning mode a lot around here lately. Juicy turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, pie, and the infamous sweet potato casserole. Not gonna lie, this is so good it should be considered dessert, but somehow we still get away with calling this a ‘vegetable side dish’ year after year. 

Sweet potato casserole has a lot of variations out there, and this one is always a favorite. Is there really a wrong way to eat sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows though? We think not. Can we all agree not to tell the kids that sweet potatoes are healthy? We’d like to get away with this for a few more years before they realize there is actual nutrition in this dish. If you’re looking for another delicious option, you can always make the variety of Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping.

What’s the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? 

In the United States, the terms “Sweet Potato” and “Yam” are used interchangeably and refer to that potato looking thing with the red skin and orange flesh. Yet, you have probably seen something else in the grocery store labeled sweet potato with light yellow skin, while your orange flesh variety is labeled yams. Guess what? Both of them are sweet potatoes! The kind of sweet potatoes you think of as yams are simply dark-skinned sweet potatoes. You won’t commonly come across true yams in an American grocery store. True yams have brown or black skin and the flesh is either red, purple, or off white. 
We prefer garnet sweet potatoes in our casserole, both for the flavor and the color! However, you can use either an orange or white flesh sweet potato.

Mini or Large Marshmallows in Sweet Potato Casserole:

Large marshmallows are just a bit too big for a sweet potato casserole and are difficult to eat and can also burn. We love the ratio of gooey center to crispy outside on the mini marshmallows, and recommend you stick to the mini variety. If you’ve only got large marshmallows and you are in a pinch, use clean kitchen scissors to snip them into smaller pieces for topping. Spraying the scissors with nonstick cooking spray will help with any sticking issues. 

Can I use canned sweet potatoes/yams?

This recipe is written for raw sweet potatoes and we do highly recommend using them for the best flavor. If all you’ve got is canned, we can work with that! Simply skip the second step of the recipe where you boil your sweet potatoes. Instead, drain your canned yams thoroughly and proceed with mixing them in with the other ingredients and placing them into your casserole dish. You’ll need 1 1/2 to 2 pounds total, but you can always scale the recipe smaller if you need to. 

Storage and Reheating Instructions:

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, and simply reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through. If you want to reheat a large portion at one time, you can slip the entire casserole dish back into a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until warmed through.