A sweet potato casserole is a wonderful addition to any meal. Using roasted sweet potatoes this easy recipe uses simple ingredients for a great savory side dish.
I am always on the look out for sweet potato recipes that aren’t all that sweet. This is a take on my cinnamon and sage roasted sweet potatoes. Made with just a few additional ingredients they transform the sweet potatoes into a dish that will disappear very quickly. Although these made a wonderful Thanksgiving side dish I find that they are great all year round!
In this recipe
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that there really isn’t a lot in it. With just a few ingredients you can make a great side dish and on top of that if you have an immersion blender this is a great time to use it. A food processor works well also. There is a little maple syrup in this recipe but not enough to add a lot of sweetness to the dish. Like vanilla in other dishes it is really there to help enhance the other flavors.
Time to roast
By cutting them in half lengthwise you will drastically reduce the time they need to roast in the oven. Once the potatoes cook the skin will come right off. Be sure to choose sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size so they will all finish cooking at the same time. However depending on the size of the sweet potatoes (the ones in the photo were about a pound each) you might find that they will cook in a little as 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes. A great way to tell they are done is that the skin will be wrinkly and a fork on knife passes through easily.
Crispy sage butter
One of the best things about this recipe is the sage infused butter. You will get this by cooking the sage until it is nice and crispy in the butter. The good thing is that you can just add the leaves in whole. However you don’t want to cook it on high heat to keep the butter from browning and scorching too quickly. Once you add the shallots you will cook until they become translucent and soft.
Topping on sweet potato casserole?
I have always been on those that really don’t want a crunchy topping on my sweet potatoes. I don’t know why but I like them them without. However if you would like to add one by all means please do. I have a few recommendations for you that should compliment the potatoes well.
- Toasted or candied pecans.
- Breadcrumbs toasted in additional sage butter.
- Additional parmesan cheese
- Now just go with me on this one but bacon bits. Trust me you will thank me later. You will want to add these after it is done cooking so they don’t make the topping greasy.
- A combination of all of the above. If you want to keep it savory then just toast the pecans but just a little sweetness is also good.
Looking for other sweet potato recipes?
Sweet Potato Casserole with Sage
Equipment
- Food processor
- Immersion blender optional
- Sheet pan
- Casserole dish 2 quarts
- Sauté pan
- Spatula
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes halved lengthwise
- 1½ cup heavy cream
- 6 ounces parmesan cheese shredded, plus more for topping
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- ¼ cup sage leaves very loosely packed, about 20 leaves
- ¼ cup shallot chopped
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon thyme dried double if using fresh
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, 200°C, or gas mark 6.
- Place the halves of the sweet potatoes cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- While the potatoes are cooling heat the sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and sage. Cook until the sage becomes fragrant, about 3 minutes, and add the shallots. Continue to cook until the shallots turn translucent and the butter has started to brown. Remove from the heat.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle remove the skin and place in a large bowl or food processor. Add the parmesan cheese, thyme, salt, pepper, maple syrup, cream, and sage mixture to the sweet potatoes. Blend until the potatoes have been pureed.
- If using a food processor this might need to be done in batches but add the potatoes, half of the cream, and the sage mixture and blend until they have been pureed. Pour that mixture into the bowl. Add the remaining sweet potatoes, cream, thyme, salt, pepper, and maple syrup to the food processor and blend until pureed. Pour that into the mixing bowl and stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Pour the pureed sweet potato mixture into a casserole baking dish and top with additional parmesan cheese if desired. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered or until the top starts to brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
The sage really puts this sweet potato over the top! And it goes wonderful with turkey or beef roasts.
I can’t wait to make this casserole recipe once again for my family, made over the weekend and we finished it so quickly. Thanks
The sage butter was delicious! We ended up adding breadcrumbs to the casserole and it came out so good. Definitely making it again for Thanksgiving!
I love the flavour of baked sweet potatoes and this recipe really is a fab way to use them. I served this casserole in place of my usual mashed potatoes with some roast chicken and all the family loved it!
Oh these look SO perfect! What a fabulous casserole recipe…I’ll be saving this for the holidays! The sage is perfect here.
Love the sweet potato and sage flavor combination. This makes such an easy and delicious side dish! Can’t wait to make it again 🙂
I love the sound of the sage butter and Parmesan with the sweet potato, the perfect side for a special roast dinner. Bookmarked for trying soon.
Sage is probably the BEST herb to add to sweet potatoes. I loved how easy this casserole was to put together. The flavor of the sweet potatoes combined with the herbaceous sage was spot on.
I agree with you here. I’m not a fan of the usual overly casserole with sweet potatoes either. However, I know they are AMAZING with sage. Great pairing and a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving and beyond.
This is such a wonderful side dish. I love sweet potatoes and I wanted to try it before Thanksgiving! This recipe is a keeper.