This classic Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole has a delicious twist: an herbed pecan streusel. Add this to your Thanksgiving menu and wow your guests!

T-minus 17 days and counting until Thanksgiving!  I can’t wait.  I love everything about Thanksgiving…well, other than cleaning the turkey!  And speaking of turkey, I find that collectively our family eats very little turkey on Thanksgiving.  We just love diving into all of the different side dishes: mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, roasted brussels sprouts, stuffing, and corn casserole.   Those are a few of our favorites.

The Sweet Potato Debate

Yesterday on Facebook, I posed the question of whether or not people enjoyed marshmallows with their sweet potatoes.  I know it is a must have for many people.  Personally, I steer clear….very, very clear of the marshmallows.  I simply associate marshmallows with dessert and never with dinner.  But to each their own!

I do, however, love sweet potato casserole and have come up with my own slightly sweetened version.  My casserole has two main components: the sweet potato filling and the crumb topping.

The Sweet Potato Filling

The filling for my casserole is quite simple.  First, begin by selecting three pounds of sweet potatoes.  Next, give them a good scrubbing, pierce them a few times with a fork, and roast them in the oven until they just begin to soften.  Taking the time to complete this extra step makes all of the difference.  Canned or boiled sweet potatoes will not yield the same flavor as baked.

Since the size of sweet potatoes varies greatly, cooking times will vary as well.  The sweet potatoes will eventually return to the oven as part of our casserole, so you do not want to bake them until they are soft and mushy.  Carefully check for doneness by trying to pierce the potato with a fork.  If there is a lot of resistance, the potatoes need to bake for a bit longer.  If a fork goes in with little effort, they are likely perfect.

Allow the potatoes to cool enough so they are safe to handle.  Remove the skins and discard.  Place the potatoes into a 8″ x 11″ baking dish.  Using a handheld potato masher, press down on the potatoes.  Focus on breaking up the potatoes, not on mashing them to a smooth paste.  You want small pieces and chunks present.  They should look like this:

Next, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.  Stir 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt into the butter.  Stir.  Then, pour the mixture over the potatoes, and stir together with a spoon until the potatoes and butter are mixed.

The Gluten Free Pecan & Herb Streusel Topping

I have always been a big, big fan of streusel (aka, crumb) topping.  And let me tell you, this crumb topping fits so well with sweet potatoes.  The streusel comes together very easily.  Begin by adding 1 cup of gluten free flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup very finely chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves, and 3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary to a bowl.  Stir together.

Next, take one stick (1/2 cup) of cold salted butter and cut it into small chunks.  Using your hands or a pastry blender, press the butter into the dry ingredients.  This will require a little gusto and elbow grease.  It may take a few minutes (2-3) for the crumbs to come together.  These crumbs will not be big crumbs but smaller, like this:

Once the crumb mixture has come together, sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.  Lastly, place 12 pecan halves on top of the casserole.  Now, you’re set!

Pop the casserole, uncovered, into a preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until the streusel topping is golden brown.

And there you have it, one of my family’s favorite Thanksgiving side dishes.  I hope that will give this favorite of ours a try this year.  If you do, let me know!

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Homemade Applesauce
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Crumb Bars (egg free)
Chicken, Rice, Apple, and Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar & Cinnamon Dressing

 

This post contains affiliate links through Amazon.  Should you choose to click on a link and make a purchase, I will be paid a small commission by Amazon.  This comes at NO additional cost to you and assists with the expenses associated with this blog.  Thank you for your support!

© The Gluten Free Gathering
 The images, content, and recipes found within are copyright protected. Do not use images and written content without first obtaining permission from The Gluten Free Gathering.  Looking to share or republish a recipe? Please link back directly to this post for the recipe.