It’s not Thanksgiving until you set the sweet potatoes on the table! This sweet potato casserole is a recipe you can swear by. It’s the dish everyone will be talking about, and it takes your sweet potatoes from sidekick to star of the show.
Christy Denney shared her Ruth’s Chris copycat recipe. “This recipe has millions of pageviews and a cult following,” Christy says. “The days of marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes are gone. Some vintage recipes are delicious, and some need to be retired.” Topped with the most perfect pecan and brown sugar crust, you won’t even miss the marshmallows.
What makes this casserole stand out is its delicious topping. It’s made with a perfect blend of pecans, brown sugar, and butter that creates a crunchy, sweet crust over the soft, creamy sweet potatoes. It’s a flavor combination that will have everyone asking for seconds. Trust us, this dish is going to be the one everyone is talking about.
The best part? Christy gives you three ways to cook your sweet potatoes, so you can choose the method that works best for you. You can bake them, boil them, or even microwave them (Christy’s favorite way). This makes the recipe easy to accomplish, no matter how much time you have.
You can make this casserole days or months ahead of Thanksgiving and just freeze it! Thaw in the fridge overnight, and then bake. Christy says you won’t be able to tell a difference.
Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
Crust
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
Sweet Potato Mixture
- 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (See Notes)\
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- ½ cup butter, melted (1 stick)
Equipment
- Casserole Dish
- Electric Mixer
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a medium-sized casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- For the crust: Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Chill in the fridge until ready to use. This helps the crumble maintain its form and not melt into the sweet potatoes.
- Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed. Beat thoroughly with a hand mixer for about 3-4 minutes to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture.
- Pour mixture into the baking dish (I use around a 2 quart dish). Bake for 25 minutes. At this point, dish can be covered and refrigerated for a couple of days if making ahead of time.
- *If you refrigerated ahead of time make sure to reheat the potatoes again before adding the crust – around 10-20 minutes.
- Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10-20 minutes or until crumble is browned. Makes 10 servings. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- 3 cups sweet potatoes are about 3-4 large sweet potatoes. To cook sweet potatoes first wash and dry them carefully then you can either: 1) Bake them at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes 2) Boil them for 30 minutes or 3) Pierce them with a fork and microwave them for about 15-20 minutes (my preferred method).
- The size of dish will depend on how thick you want your potatoes. Christy likes to use a 2 quart dish. A 9×13 pan is a 3 quart dish, so if double the recipe and put it in a 9 x 13 pan, it will be on the thicker side.
CAN YOU FREEZE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE?
This can be frozen after baked for up to three months. To reheat: Thaw in the fridge and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Find the full post and a video tutorial on Christy’s website, here.
Find more from Christy on Instagram, @thegirlwho8everything, or on her website, the-girl-who-ate-everything.com.