Mini Sweet Potato Casseroles

In the Fall months I find myself gravitating towards rich and heavy meals like chili, roast beef, and mac n’ cheese. There is something so comforting about a thick slice of roast beef that has been in the slow cooker all day, or a creamy bowl of mac n’ cheese after a long afternoon. One comforting dish that has been on my “to make” list for years now is sweet potato casserole.

This is not exactly an easy or quick dish to pull together, but OH is it worth it! In this version I have not only baked each casserole individually in a ramekin (because who doesn’t love anything in a ramekin!?), but dialed down the amount of added sugar. I wanted the natural sweetness of the sweet potato to really be the star in this dish, so I roasted the potatoes instead of boiling them. I find the roasting process almost caramelizes them; drawing out those natural sugars.

And what would a sweet potato casserole be without a sweet & crunchy nut topping? Well, it would still be delicious, but I don’t think it would be as fun… trust me, the topping makes it fun! With the holidays quickly approaching, I will definitely be adding this sweet potato casserole to my Christmas dinner menu!

Sweet potatoes are slow roasted in the oven, mashed, and baked in individual ramekins for a perfectly sized sweet potato casserole. And don’t forget about the nut topping – it makes it fun!

Ingredients
Casserole:
2 large sweet potatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy milk (or regular milk will do)
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, at room temperature
Big dash of cinnamon
Tiny dash of nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Tiny dash of sea salt

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line baking tray with parchment paper (for easy clean up), and place sweet potato halves (cut side down) on baking tray. Bake in over for 50-60 minutes or until very soft. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Once cooled, peel way the skins and mash in a bowl with sugar, soy milk, egg, butter, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Scoop 2-3 spoonfuls into each ramekin, leaving 1/2 inch at the top.
4. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, butter and chopped walnuts until it forms crumbs and sprinkle it on top of each ramekin of sweet potatoes.
5. Bake in a 350 oven until topping starts to become golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
6. Serve hot!