Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole with Meringue Marshmallows
What is your favorite side dish at Thanksgiving? Mine has to be sweet potato casserole! I have loved this dish since I was a kid, and it is always my number one dish to serve alongside our turkey. I love the creaminess of the sweet potatoes mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon. This is how my mom always made our casserole every year, though she topped it off with mini marshmallows!
I wanted to put my own spin on this casserole and put little meringues on top! I think it turned out really sweet and unique. The special surprise to this dish? It’s topped with cinnamon streusel! This really gives it something extra, in my opinion. It’s perfectly sweet and creamy, just how I like it!
the history of sweet potato casserole:
As I research more about the history of our favorite dishes, the more I begin to make connections between different recipes and their origins. I find food history fascinating, and so many of the meals that my family loves today are connected to the 1700s and 1800s. For whatever reason, those two centuries seem to keep coming back to me in my day to day life.
As I was researching the origins of this particular casserole, my first thought was the original pumpkin pie of the American colonists, in the 17th century. It is documented that this was more of a squash or pumpkin soup or stew, served in a roasted pumpkin. I still want to give this dish a try myself! But this casserole really is not different. It consists of mashed sweet potatoes mixed with sugar, butter, spices, cream, and eggs to bind it together. It is then baked again, setting it up to be served.
The sweet potato casserole that we know today, topped with marshmallows, comes from the early 1900s. It was used as a way to market prepackaged marshmallows at the time, though many variations of candied sweet potatoes already existed at the time. I have seen my fair share of them in my vintage recipe books from the 1800s! This would be more of a roasted sweet potato type dish instead of mashing them.
the method:
Making sweet potato casserole is rather simple. You’ll want to boil the potatoes ahead of time before putting the casserole together. I love this casserole because it has plenty of areas where it can be made ahead of time and finished the day of if you are serving it for Thanksgiving or Christmas. One place to begin would be mashing the boiled sweet potatoes and then placing them into the fridge for later!
Once the casserole is assembled by combining the sweet potatoes with the mix-ins and topped with streusel, it can be covered in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge to be baked later. Simply pop it in the oven and bake for the recommended amount of time! If you would rather bake it first, then it can be reheated in a 350° F oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
As for the meringue marshmallows, those can be added at any time. They only need about 5 minutes to brown in the oven! You can keep this casserole warm by storing it in your oven’s warming drawer until it is time to serve.
Are you a sweet potato casserole fan? I hope that this recipe gives you some ideas for new additions to try! I am thankful to my mom for making this every year for me to enjoy, as I tend to be one of the only people that eats this casserole. Ha! This was pretty much all I ate while I was pregnant with my oldest child.
xoxo Kayla
Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole with Meringue Marshmallows
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 whole freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup superfine sugar
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a large stockpot and cover with water. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and mash in a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.
- To the potatoes add the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, eggs, cream, and ricotta. Mix until fully incorporated. Spread the potatoes into the prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon for the streusel. Press the butter into the mixture with your fingers until it forms clumps the size of a pea. Spread this all over the top of the sweet potatoes.
- Bake the casserole for about 35-40 minutes in the oven or until the streusel is a dark golden brown, and the casserole is set.
- While the casserole bakes, make the meringue. This is a basic French meringue that needs to be toasted. If you are eating it fresh, use pasteurized eggs.
- In a large bowl, gently whisk together the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. With a handheld electric mixer on the highest speed, begin to whisk the egg whites. Slowly incorporate the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites begin to thicken up generously. Their volume will quadruple, so make sure that you are using a large enough bowl!
- Beat the egg whites on high speed until they form stiff peaks. To check if the peaks are stiff, they should stand up straight on their own. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without them falling out. This should take anywhere from 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of your whites and equipment.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a star attachment. Pipe the meringue on top of the sweet potatoes. My design is very minimal, but this makes a lot of egg whites so there is enough to cover the entire top of the casserole!
- Increase the oven temperature to 425° F. Bake the meringues for about 5-6 minutes or until they have lightly browned. If you prefer, you can use a butane torch instead.
- Serve the casserole warm!
