Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

A baked casserole topped with golden breadcrumbs, chopped nuts, and fresh sage leaves, served in a white oval dish on a table.

5 from 1 vote

Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

🍠🍁 Creamy sweet potatoes and a crispy Parmesan, walnut, and breadcrumb topping combine to create a savory twist to classic sweet potato casserole! This stunning side dish belongs on your holiday menu for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and holiday entertaining!

Serving size is dependent on if you're serving this with a lot of other sides and mains, such as for Thanksgiving or Christmas, where no one takes too much of any one item. In that case, I think you can serve 8. Although I list 6 servings below to be conservative.

Make-ahead instructions are incorporated below.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 20

Course: side, Side Dish, Sides, Salads & Vegetables

Cuisine: Sides

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: savory sweet potato casserole, savory sweet potatoes, sweet potato casserole with savory topping, Thanksgiving sides

Servings:

Calories: 420cal

Equipment

potato masher optional (or use a wooden spoon for rustic texture; or electric mixer for very smooth texture)
2.5-quart baking dish (a 2 to 3 quart baking dish should work fine; or use a 9x9-inch square pan)

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Base

2.5 pounds sweet potatoes washed
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2 garlic cloves finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely minced
1 teaspoon salt to to taste
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste

Topping

½ cup chopped walnuts lightly toasted if desired (chopped pecans may be substituted; omit if you don't care for nuts or are allergic)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs (do not use regular Italian breadcrumbs because they won't crisp up as well)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh sage finely minced; or to taste
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Garnishes

fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley, or your favorites) optional and to taste

Instructions

Sweet Potato Base - Preheat oven to 400F, scrub the sweet potatoes well, and puncture them with a fork in a few places. Bake the potatoes for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until very soft and tender. Notes - Baking time will range based on size of potatoes. Jumbo sweet potatoes could take a bit longer than an hour to fully bake through. I have boiled sweet potatoes for other sweet potato casserole recipes and that's an option, noting that the base layer will be wetter.
Allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle them (put on a pair of rubber gloves if you can't wait), slice them in half vertically, and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, and discard the skins. Note - For texture reasons, I would not include sweet potato skins (peels) in the base layer since the skins are quite tough and impossible to really blend into a smooth texture.
To the large bowl with the sweet potato flesh, add all the remaining ingredients from the Sweet Potato Base section, above.
Stir everything together with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Tips - For a smoother puree, you can beat with a handheld electric mixer. For an ultra smooth puree, you can process everything in the canister of a food process. Personally, I use a wooden spoon.
Transfer the mixture into a 2.5-quart baking dish (or similar) that's been sprayed with cooking spray, and smooth the top lightly with a spatula. Set aside.
If you're making this in advance, stop now, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate for up to 24-36 hours. When you're ready to bake this off, remove it from the fridge, allow it to sit on your counter for at least 30-60 minutes to come up to room temp. Don't put a cold casserole into the oven because it'll really extend the amount of time you'll need to bake it. Proceed with the rest of the recipe below when you're ready to bake it.
Topping - Turn the oven heat to 375F.
If desired, toast the nuts in a dry skillet over low heat, tossing them constantly for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant, taking care not to burn them.
Add the nuts and all remaining ingredients from the Topping section, above to a medium bowl and toss with a spoon to combine.
Evenly sprinkle the topping over the sweet potato base, and bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp. Baking Tips - Since all ovens vary in their heat output, make sure to start checking after about 16-18 minutes so you don't accidentally burn the topping. I like to rotate my baking dish once midway through cookings.
Optional - If you know how to broil and are confident you can do it without burning the whole thing, you can broil it for 1-2 minutes (I do it on the middle rack and don't move it up to the top). Broiling will provide extra crunch, but if you're not an experienced cook, don't broil. There's more risk of you burning the whole thing in the final 90 seconds than it's really worth!
Garnishes - Optionally garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Note that no matter how you try to reheat this, the topping will not be crispy and crunchy after it's been refrigerated or frozen. For ease, I reheat it gently in my microwave although you could warm it in the oven.

Nutrition