This sweet potato casserole is perfect for Thanksgiving

It’s no secret that Southerners are known for having a handful of delicious food on their dinner tables. But during Thanksgiving, they truly outdo themselves, and that often includes a scrumptious sweet potato casserole. If you’re not from the South, or if you’re taking over casserole duty from grandma this year, this is how to make the sweet side dish yourself.

Classic Southern Recipes That Are Better Than Grandma’s

Casseroles are great comfort foods to make ahead and freeze for later, but they’re typically served in the savory variety. Sweet potato casserole has that hearty feel, but it’s topped with marshmallows, brown sugar and pecans, which add a layer of sweetness to the dish.

This recipe can be made in under an hour and has a few special ingredients, like orange juice and pumpkin seasoning.

To start, preheat the oven and mix together the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice into a large bowl. Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Add the mixture to a baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes.

Once the potatoes are tender, mix together the ingredients for your crumb topping. Spoon the chopped pecans and marshmallows into the dish and bake for another 10 minutes. And while it may be tempting to open the oven to peek at your creation, not being patient is one bad cooking habit you need to stop.

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without sweet potato casserole and more of our incredible potato recipes.

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 teaspoons McCormick All Natural Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice, divided

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat. Spoon into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cover.

Bake for 45 minutes or until potatoes are slightly tender.

Meanwhile, mix flour, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Cut in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter with a fork until crumbly. Stir in pecans and marshmallows.

Remove casserole from the oven and stir gently to coat potatoes in syrup. Sprinkle evenly with marshmallow-crumb topping. Bake, uncovered, 7 to 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and topping is golden brown.

Courtesy of McCormick