Sweet Potatoes Baked with Marshmallows Recipe
Baked sweet potatoes topped with a layer of melted marshmallows are one of the most surprising dishes on the American holiday table. For a Pole, the combination of potatoes and marshmallows sounds strange, but in practice it turns into something between a dessert and a sweet casserole. In the USA it’s a classic for Thanksgiving and Christmas, served next to roast turkey.
This is one of the most recognizable side dishes on the American Thanksgiving table, often made with canned sweet potatoes and bagged marshmallows. Homemade sweet potato purée, however, gives a deeper flavor and better texture than semi‑homemade versions.
Sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows are one of those dishes that best show the American approach to the holiday table – part dessert, part side dish to meat. The contrast between the creamy, spiced sweet potato purée and the gooey, toasted marshmallow topping is surprisingly pleasant and completely different from casseroles known in Poland. In the USA this dish appears almost obligatorily next to roast turkey for Thanksgiving.
Why this version works
- Purée made from well‑steamed sweet potatoes holds its shape, so the layer under the marshmallows doesn’t turn runny.
- Pre‑baking the purée on its own stabilizes the center and protects the marshmallows from burning.
- The pecans are pressed lightly into the mixture, so they stay crunchy but don’t turn bitter from over‑toasting.
Chef's tips
Make sure the sweet potatoes are really very soft – only then will the purée turn out smooth and free of lumps under the marshmallow layer. Toast the marshmallows briefly and keep an eye on them through the oven door, because it takes literally a minute to go from lightly golden to burnt. If you’re making the dish ahead of time, bake only the sweet potato layer, then add the marshmallows and bake just before serving so they stay soft and gooey.
How to serve
The casserole is best served alongside roast turkey, ham or roast pork – it then acts as a sweet, spiced side that can even replace dessert. It tastes great with a mug of black coffee or cinnamon tea, especially on winter evenings. It also works perfectly on a holiday table as a “weird American dish to try” when you invite family over for a USA-themed dinner.
Watch out for
- Don’t shorten the cooking time for the sweet potatoes – if they’re undercooked, the purée will be lumpy and hard to spread evenly.
- Marshmallows brown very quickly; keep an eye on the oven at the end of baking and don’t use a strong broil setting without supervision.
- If the purée seems too loose before baking, bake it a few minutes longer before adding the marshmallows.
Substitutions
- You can replace pecans with walnuts or hazelnuts, lightly toasted in a dry pan beforehand.
- Instead of vanilla, add finely grated orange zest if you want a more festive, citrusy aroma.
- Mini marshmallows can be replaced with large marshmallows cut into smaller pieces with kitchen scissors.
Ingredients
- sweet potatoes - 800 g
- butter - 60 g
- brown sugar - 3 tablespoon
- milk - 80 ml
- egg - 1 piece
- cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
- nutmeg - 0.25 teaspoon
- salt - 0.25 teaspoon
- vanilla - 0.5 teaspoon
- marshmallows - 120 g
- pecans - 40 g
Preparation
- Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into large, evenly sized pieces, place in a pot, cover with cold, lightly salted water and cook for 15–20 minutes from the moment they start boiling, until a fork goes in without resistance and the edges of the pieces are just starting to crumble.
- Drain the cooked sweet potatoes thoroughly and leave them in the warm pot for 2–3 minutes, until the surface turns matte rather than glossy with water. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat).
- Transfer the hot sweet potatoes to a large bowl, add the butter and mash everything with a potato masher into a smooth purée. If you still see distinct lumps, keep mashing longer or press the mixture through a ricer until it is uniform and velvety.
- Add the brown sugar, milk, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla to the warm purée. Mix vigorously with a spoon or briefly with a mixer until the mixture is creamy, slightly fluffy and evenly orange.
- Transfer the purée to a greased baking dish and smooth the top with a spoon, creating an even layer without dips. Sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans and press them in lightly so only their tips stick out.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the edges of the mixture pull slightly away from the sides of the dish and the top is lightly golden. When you gently shake the dish, the center should be set and not wobble like jelly.
- Remove the dish from the oven and scatter the marshmallows on top in a dense, even layer so that almost the entire surface is covered, but the marshmallows don’t pile up – small gaps between them are fine.
- Return the dish to the oven for 5–8 minutes and watch through the door: the marshmallows will quickly puff up and then start to brown. When most of them are golden‑brown with a few darker spots, take the dish out immediately.
- Let the casserole stand for 5–10 minutes, until the marshmallows sink slightly and are no longer completely liquid but still stretchy when scooped. Serve with a large spoon, digging through the marshmallow layer into the hot, creamy sweet potatoes.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
The first time I made this casserole was purely out of curiosity for a holiday dinner with friends – everyone looked at it suspiciously at first, and then went back for seconds. Now every year someone asks whether “those sweet potatoes with marshmallows” will be on the menu again.
