This delicious sweet potato casserole is filled with sweet potatoes and fluffy marshmallows with a pecan-crusted topping! This is truly food made for the soul and serves as the perfect side dish for the holidays and gatherings!

If you love sweet potatoes, make sure you check out these deliciously fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies. Also if you’re looking for other sides for the holidays, check out this Kale Celebration Vegetable Salad with Walnuts as well as these Southern Baked Beans that can also be made with plant-based “ground beef”.

Food for the Soul

From Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Juneteenth, and even Soul Food Sundays—Soul Food has a such rich history in black culture and is one of the many things that connect us. It has also been an essential part of the Black, rural south since the 1960’s “Black Pride” era. Soul food was born out of survival and necessity. In your free time, read up on the Great Migration and soul food.

HB and I laugh all the time about how good we used to eat growing up in the south when we visited our grandmothers’. It wasn’t unheard of for Grandmother/Big Mama/Madear to have greens with ham hocks, okra, pinto beans, rice, peas, corn, etc. on the stove—or as Shirley Caesar said…”Beans, Greens, Potatoes, Tomatoes…you name it!”

Read about The Best Catfish in Birmingham

Sweet potatoes are part of the soul food family, especially here in the south. They were brought to Africa from Latin America and they’ve been grown in African countries for centuries ever since. Like okra, there are many foods and vegetables that originate from Africa. After the emancipation of slaves, black chefs and cooks provided for themselves and their families by doing a lot with very little. Many of them both English and French-trained, knew there was limited means for black farmers, families, workers. So what did they do? They cultivated and gathered inexpensive foods. That’s basically what we now call local grown, and where we get the true definition of farm-to-table. I also often think about how lobster is considered a luxury food item, yet it was fed to the poor and slaves because it was considered “scraps” or a “mark of poverty”.

We were ALWAYS destined to live a life of luxury and they didn’t even know it.

Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes

The word “nyami” which is also of African origin means “to eat”. This is where Americans got the word “yam”. Growing up, my Mom made Candied Yams for holidays and Sunday dinner. Americans still get yams and sweet potatoes confused, and I totally get why. True yams are dry and starchy with white flesh. Sweet potatoes are orange, soft, and sweet—but also come in a variety of colors like purple and white. As far as yams, I only know Sarah’s way—baked! The candied yams as we know them are actually sweet potatoes.

It seems that American slaves referred to the soft orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as “yams” because of their similarity to the true yams they knew from Africa. Growers began using this name to distinguish them from the firm white-fleshed varieties of sweet potatoes, and the name stuck. Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term yam to be accompanied by the term sweet potato when applicable, many Americans are unaware that true yams are different from sweet potatoes. Read more.

The Casserole

You’ve probably seen many Sweet Potato Casserole or Soufflé variations. A lot of them have a marshmallow, fluffy top—but with my casserole, the marshmallows are hidden. Stay with me. Instead of placing them on top, you fold them in, add the pecan-crusted, candied topping, then bake. I promise you will be running back for seconds!

What You’ll Need to Make This Sweet Potato Casserole

8×8 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
Any brand of bourbon (optional)
Don’t forget marshmallows to fold in before baking

DESSERT ANYONE?

I’m going to be honest here. This Sweet Potato Casserole is so delicious it can be eaten as dessert. It took me years to start making it because my Mama spoiled me. Now I only make this casserole twice a year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Honestly, I don’t think I make it enough. One thing is for sure, it will be on the menu for the holidays. I’m so grateful to my Mama for sharing the love with me!

I could seriously enjoy this casserole with a scoop of ice cream. Don’t judge me. It’s just that good! It’s something about that candied-pecan-crusted topping that just sets it off. I often eat my serving after the meal, especially if I don’t make a Sweet Potato Pie for dessert. Either way, it’s so delicious!

Other Recipes to Enjoy!

Crispy Oven Okra with Garlic Aioli

Baked Parsnip Chips

Cheddar, Gouda, and Pimento Cheesy Potato Bake

Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Cranberries, Pecans, and Gorgonzola

If you make this recipe, please be sure to tag me (@myprettybrown #myprettybrowneats) on socials. You may also find me by following the #myprettybrowneats hashtag on FB and IG! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, PINTEREST, and TikTok.