In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleUndercooking or OvercookingToo Much SugarNot Adding the EggNot Enough Spice or Topping
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Undercooking or Overcooking
Too Much Sugar
Not Adding the Egg
Not Enough Spice or Topping
With its sweet filling and (sometimes)savory topping,sweet potato casseroleis the ultimate crowd-pleaser. It’s not fancy or complicated to pull together, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for error! Here are four ways you can mess up your sweet potato casserole—and four ways to fix it when things go wrong.
Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
Mistake No. 1: Undercooking or Overcooking
There’s some debate over which is better: sweet potato casserole with a filling as smooth as silk or a filling that has a little more texture. No matter where you land,everyonecan agree that the filling shouldn’t be crunchy. If it is, you’ve got a problem—and the problem is that your sweet potatoes haven’t been cooked properly. You can bake or boil your sweet potatoes for sweet potato casserole. If you’re baking them, make sure a sharp knife can slide easily through to the middle of the sweet potato after cooking. If you’re boiling, make sure to cut your sweet potatoes into equally sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. (Another hot tip if you’re boiling your sweet potatoes: Don’t overcook them! They tend to absorb water, which could make the filling watery.) So, say you do have some undercooked bits of sweet potato. You have two choices: Pick them out or bake your sweet potato casserole long enough to soften the underdone pieces.
Pictured Recipe:No-Sugar-Added Sweet Potato Casserole
Mistake No. 2: Too Much Sugar
Sweet potato casserole walks a fine line between being savory and sweet. That’s why we love it! But if you taste your filling and find it would be better suited for dessert, then you may want to try toning it down. You can add more sweet potato to even out the flavor, but that takes tons of extra time you might not have. Your best bet might be to add something to the filling to counter the sweetness. Something tangy, like sour cream or buttermilk, can help. And the topping? If your filling is sweet already, you can skip the marshmallows on top and opt for a more savory topping like a nutty crumble mixture. If the topping calls for sugar (which many do), feel free to hold back on the sugar and bump up the salt a little. The savory topping and sweet filling will taste perfect together.
Pictured Recipe:Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Mistake No. 3: Not Adding the Egg
A really good sweet potato casserole filling should be light and moist, not dense. If it’s dense, then you may not have added an often overlooked ingredient—an egg. An egg adds lift, structure and volume and makes the filling more custard-like. Obviously, you can’t add an egg after the fact, so know that it’s not absolutely necessary for success. Your casserole can still be great without it. Butdoknow that if your recipe does include an egg, you will want to make sure your casserole is cooked through—not just warmed up in the oven. How will you know? The filling should puff a bit around the edges. If you want to be absolutely sure your casserole is cooked through, an instant-read thermometer can also tell you. If the casserole contains an egg, check that it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Pictured Recipe:Meringue-Topped Sweet Potato Casserole
Mistake No. 4: Not Enough Spice or Topping
The Bottom Line
If your sweet potato casserole turned out a bit crunchy, too sweet, dense or bland, don’t worry. With our helpful tips on ingredients to add or subtract, you can fix the issue. Your sweet potato casserole—one of the highlights of any meal or holiday feast—can shine!
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