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Sweet Potato Casserole

November 20, 2014 By Jessica

I know I say this every year but I cannot believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Yikes! Not just because of all the preparing for the holiday — which is my favorite, and always cook way more selections for the table than I need to — but because it means Chanukah will be here soon, then Christmas, then New Year’s, then 2015!

Where is the time going?? 

The other day I looked at my 13 year old and had to look up. He’s so much taller than me! It then dawned on me life goes too fast … as fast as it goes I must say I’m thankful for the time spent with my loved ones on holidays like Thanksgiving. We get the whole family together, and I just look around and get this warm, fuzzy feeling inside my heart. Yes, that I am thankful for. And, I realize there are a gazillion other bloggers out there, and I am thankful to all of you who come visit me looking to see what’s cooking. 

About this sweet potato casserole – I must tell you it is one heck of a side dish. It is good. Real good. Okay forget the modesty. I will shamelessly say, it rocks.

The toasted pecans and golden raisins in here give that oomph a casserole needs. Can I just say how incredible toasted pecans smell? Of all nuts, I think toasting pecans reminds me most of the holidays. No?

And eating them warm, right out of the pan, oh my goodness.

A distraction I must warn you about.

Yes, those ingredients do make this recipe fabulous, but that’s not why I say my dish rocks. Not very traditional, but I cannot make this without balsamic and orange extract. My secret ingredients. The tartness, and tanginess … you need to try this to see (and taste!) what I’m talking about. 

It takes more time to peel and cut all that sweet potato than it does to cook. Can you believe it! And we always have the issue of oven space, with all the dishes that compete for oven time. This one is prepared on the stove, and can be kept in the oven to warm just before serving. An easier, quicker version of a casserole dish, well almost. It’s also one of those perfect make ahead. We actually have this throughout the year because everyone loves it so much. It’s not exactly like the Williams Sonoma Thanksgiving Catalog casserole on page 43, but more of my twist on their sweet potato casserole. Full of autumn flavors that I think you will enjoy as much as we do on Thanksgiving (or anytime) … enjoy!

P.S. – The next dish in the catalog that I am adapting is the mashed potato dish with shallots. Minus the potato. Stay tuned. It’s a good one.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons coconut oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
14 medium sweet potato or yams (about 6 pounds), peeled, cut into large 2 inch chunks – about 8 cups
1/2 cup pure maple syrup Grade B
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
2 cups (about 8 ounces) raw pecans, chopped, divided
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) raw pecans, ground fine before using
1/3 cup, organic golden raisins
1 teaspoon pure GF vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar,

 

Preparation:

Soak the raisins in a small bowl with filtered hot water, set aside.

In a large deep skillet set over medium high heat that is hot, add coconut oil. Add onions, stir to coat with oil until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add salt.

Meanwhile, toast chopped pecans in a stainless steel pan set over medium heat. Turn after a minute. When it begins to darken, and the oils begin to become fragrant they are ready to take off heat. Set aside.

sweet potato casserole gluten free dairy free vegan - From Jessica's Kitchen

Note: Watch the nuts closely, can burn very quickly.

Add sweet potato, toss to combine well. Stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium.

sweet potato casserole gluten free dairy free vegan - From Jessica's Kitchen

Add maple syrup, brown sugar, raisins including the water, ground pecans, vanilla extract, and orange extract. Combine all the ingredients. Cover and let it cook another 10 minutes, or just until the sweet potato is soft enough to easily pierce a fork into. Add 1 1/2 cups of toasted chopped pecans, and balsamic.

sweet potato casserole gluten free dairy free vegan - From Jessica's Kitchen

sweet potato casserole gluten free dairy free vegan - From Jessica's Kitchen

Note: Keep in mind that balsamic vinegars that contain additional ingredients like caramel, flavorings, etc may contain gluten. Check with manufacturer to ensure it’s gluten free. They usually respond to an email quickly.

Take off heat and stir to combine well. Transfer to an oven safe baking dish (if reheating in the oven). Add remaining chopped pecans on top just before serving.

sweet potato casserole gluten free dairy free vegan - From Jessica's Kitchen

Note: I use organic ingredients for the most part, but leave that up to your discretion. Some foods are more important to buy organic than others, like raisins. They are heavily sprayed so try to buy organic, if available.

 

Note: To reheat, place in a 300 degrees F oven.

This recipe freezes well for a month in an airtight freezer safe container.

sweet potato casserole gluten free dairy free vegan - From Jessica's Kitchen

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Filed Under: holiday, side dishes, vegan Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten-free, holiday, side dishes, soy-free, vegan

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Comments

  1. Beth says

    November 20, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    Exactly how I love a sweet potato side dish. Bring on the pecans, toasted of course!
    Reply
  2. Morgan says

    November 20, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    nice casserole-ish take on a sweet potato casserole and thank you for your untraditional side. I love your combinations of flavors and like all your recipes want to try this. Now.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 20, 2014 at 9:57 pm

      You are so sweet Morgan, thank you! I do have that untraditional side :)
      Reply
  3. P. says

    November 20, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    yes you should brag! must be full of flavor and great for next thursday!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 20, 2014 at 9:55 pm

      Ha! Thanks for the compliment P! It is pretty darn yummy, enjoy!
      Reply
  4. Liz says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    This looks so satisfying. I like the addition of the "secret ingredients." Which brand of balsamic do you recommend? Thanks Jessica
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 20, 2014 at 9:54 pm

      Thanks Liz! :) I use organic balsamic vinegar of Modena.
      Reply
  5. Lara Trutnik says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    just curious why use golden raisins instead of normal purple ones? my 8 year old does not really like golden raisins so I'm wondering if substituting would affect the flavors in any way.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 20, 2014 at 9:53 pm

      I use golden raisins because I find them to be less sweet than red grape raisins. If you like it sweeter with dark raisins, go ahead and substitute. Enjoy!
      Reply
  6. Nancy says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    This looks so yummy. I am wondering if you ground the pecans or buy it that way? And which balsamic vinegar do you suggest?
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 20, 2014 at 9:52 pm

      I grind 1/2 cup of raw pecans in my food processor. Sorry for the confusion. I use Organic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, it's GF/DF/Vegan!
      Reply
  7. Kim says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    By kids don't like raisins oddly enough so what do you suggest I use instead? I'm thinking cranberries. Thanks!
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 20, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      Cranberries sounds great Kim!
      Reply
  8. Kimberly says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Ooh love the amount of pecans here. Looks like an easy recipe too. Hooray for me!!
    Reply
  9. Suzanne says

    November 20, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    Balsamic and orange extract! WOW, would never think of this in a sweet potato casserole :)
    Reply
  10. Emily says

    November 20, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    Great idea on taking no space in the oven. This will make my crazy day easier. Yum!!!
    Reply
  11. Lenore says

    November 21, 2014 at 8:05 am

    Great twist on a casserole (ish!!) dish with balsamic and orange extract. I can imagine how good this will taste and think this will be the sweet potato casserole I will serve. Thanks for your untraditional twists!!!
    Reply
  12. Fran says

    November 21, 2014 at 8:38 am

    I love how detailed your instructions are. This looks like an easy recipe to make. Thank you Jessica.
    Reply
  13. Jennifer says

    November 21, 2014 at 8:40 am

    Though I love anything Williams Sonoma I think your casserole dish looks like it has more depth to it and I'm a sucker for pecans. It makes me want to dig in and scoop a bunch on my plate!
    Reply
  14. Mindy says

    November 21, 2014 at 8:42 am

    This looks awesome Jessica! Wasn't sure if you meant 1/2 ground pecans or 1/2 cup pecans to make ground. Thanks.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 21, 2014 at 8:26 pm

      I will clarify this on the post, it is 1/2 a cup of pecans to be ground. Thanks!
      Reply
  15. Maria says

    November 21, 2014 at 8:59 am

    We love pecans at our house and this is definitely making it to the table. I was wondering how much hot water to cover the raisins. Don't want to screw it up :/
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 21, 2014 at 8:25 pm

      Just until it covers them all in a small bowl :)
      Reply
  16. Rachel says

    November 21, 2014 at 9:13 am

    Just came across your blog looking for gluten free dairy free sweet potato casserole and see you are adapting recipes from williams sonoma catalog. What a great idea! Your recipes look delicious! What a nice surprise to see food that looks good but also food I can eat. I'm excited to see more!
    Reply
  17. Kate says

    November 21, 2014 at 9:59 am

    How are you putting out all of these dishes?? You ARE gourmet :)
    Reply
  18. Mackenzie Stauskas says

    November 21, 2014 at 10:01 am

    You know I feel the same way... These holidays come and go so fast. But each year has been memorable so all the work we do does pay off! Hope you and your family have a splendid Thanksgiving.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 21, 2014 at 8:19 pm

      Thank you Mackenzie, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well!
      Reply
  19. Sara says

    November 21, 2014 at 10:45 am

    I appreciate your take on making the holidays as stress free as possible with recipes like these. It didn't occur to me to make things ahead. After looking through your recipes I see that I can. I'm new to your blog and also wanted to say that I love your dedication to your kids and all the dietary issues. You are inspiring me and look forward to more recipes.
    Reply
    • Jessica says

      November 21, 2014 at 8:18 pm

      Thank you Sara, that is so sweet to say. And thank you for visiting and hopefully sticking around for more. I do make many thing ahead of time, or at least parts of a recipe, then complete it the next day or so. Cooking is easier that way :)
      Reply
  20. Laura Shwartzman says

    November 21, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    I completely agree, life goes by so fast! But not fast enough for Thanksgiving, its my favorite holiday too and I think your secret ingredients in your casserole is so clever by offsetting all the sweetness with acidity. Nice recipe, as always. I will be serving this for sure.
    Reply
  21. Mina says

    November 25, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    This looks like an impressive side dish and simple enough to make. What brand of balsamic do you know is gluten free? Thank you. -Mina
    Reply
  22. Mina says

    November 25, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    Oh, I just noticed some else asked that :) Thanks anyway.
    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Herbed Roasted Turkey and gravy – From Jessica's Kitchen says:
    November 16, 2015 at 11:41 pm
    […] stuffing with chorizo, or a lighter, meat-free mushroom leek stuffing. Also some sides like sweet potato casserole, brussels […]
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Welcome!

Hi! I'm Jessica, welcome to my blog! I'm a wife and mother of four (all boys, including twins. Did not see that coming!) who loves to eat. Discovering food intolerances in my family and myself had me think about cooking differently with an emphasis on nutrition, but not any less deliciously. No, won't settle for that, neither will my kids! Here you will find simple, healthy, seasonal recipes we love that are gluten, dairy, and soy free. Many are also egg free, nut free, plant-based and/or grain free, given our evolving dietary lifestyle. Even though we live a life of dietary restrictions, my passion for food keeps me on a constant quest to create tasty recipes or adapt our favorite recipes from my stack of cookbooks to bring back the joy of eating again, without sacrificing flavor. Hope you find some inspiration and recipes to enjoy ... thanks for stopping by!

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