Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows Recipe - Dessert for Two (2024)

FAQs

Why put egg in sweet potato casserole? ›

Eggs help bind and lift the casserole for a light, set texture once baked. Sweet potato casserole can also be made without eggs, if needed.

How do you thicken a sweet potato casserole? If you are not adding eggs, you can thicken your sweet potato casserole by adding a bit of flour or cornstarch. You will need about 2-3 tablespoons of flour and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Despite what your grandmother says, this cloying side dish didn't originate as a family recipe. It was concocted by Big Marshmallow as a way to push the candy on Americans. Though the tubers are high in sugar to begin with, there's historical precedent for treating sweet potatoes like dessert.

Many contend the traditional southern dish is 100 percent a dessert, because its served in a pie crust. But others argue sweet potatoes are vegetables, regardless of the crust, and nobody considers meat pies dessert.

Eggs (or not!)

– I've made this sweet potato casserole with and without eggs, both ways are delicious. The eggs act as a binder and gives the casserole a light and fluffy texture. Without eggs, the casserole doesn't have as much structure but it still silky smooth and tastes delicious.

Eggs and cream help stabilize the dish and prevent it from becoming too runny (a common complaint with many sweet potato casserole recipes). Make it as smooth or chunky as you like!

Canned or frozen sweet potatoes may be substituted for the fresh form in any recipe calling for cooked sweet potatoes as the starting point. Canned sweet potatoes are generally smaller in diameter because of their better canning qualities.

Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Why is my sweet potato casserole watery? If you overcook your sweet potatoes, they may begin to absorb too much liquid, making them watery. It's important to cut your potatoes into equal-sized pieces so that they all cook at the same rate. Make sure to remove them from the steamer as soon as they are fork-tender!

Sweet potato skins are rich in oxalates. This means that if you are high risk of kidney stones, you may need to limit your consumption. In rare cases, excessive consumption of vitamin A can lead to vitamin A toxicity.

What does sweet potato do for mental health? ›

Sweet potatoes are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, D'Ambrosio says. This helps in reducing damage to the brain cells, which can have a negative impact on mental health. It can also be helpful in reducing the oxidative stress on DNA, which has been linked with depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, she adds.

Jewel. With copper skin and deep-orange flesh that's moist and tender when cooked, the jewel is a go-to potato for traditional baking and casseroles.

Spoiler: They're not the same vegetable.

That's because sweet potatoes and yams are in fact very different vegetables that we've come to refer to interchangeably for a number of reasons over the years. While a dish may arrive at your table calling itself "candied yams," it may well have been made with sweet potatoes.

Yams and sweet potatoes differ in flavor and appearance, and they are not related. Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, while yams belong to the lily family. Yams aren't as sweet as sweet potatoes, and they are starchier and drier. Their texture and flavor are more similar to potatoes or yuca.

The proteins in eggs coagulate or set at different temperatures. This results in thickening but it means that eggs must be cooked gently and heated carefully or they will scramble rather than thicken a sauce or other mixture.

Eggs play an important role in everything from cakes and cookies to meringues and pastry cream — they create structure and stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, and can even act as glue or glaze.

If your sweet potato casserole turned out “watery”, its usually because you forgot to add eggs; you didn't let your casserole have enough time to set up after baking or you used fresh sweet potatoes and didn't boil them long enough before mashing.

Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery. The explanation for this lies in the fact that eggs are made up of protein.