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Our 2019 Thanksgiving Menu and Guide.
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Switching things up this Thanksgiving with this Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans. The classic sweet potato casserole we know and love, but topped with sweet and savory bacon pecans. These sweet potatoes are buttery, hinted with cinnamon, and lightly sweetened. The pecan streusel topping is just a touch spicy, perfectly sweet, herby, and a little salty too. When baked together the potatoes and topping create the perfect balance and make for the BEST sweet potato casserole. Make these ahead of time for an easy holiday side dish that everyone will love.
It’s the second week of November and I very much have Thanksgiving on my mind. Anyone else?
It’s been a little tricky to get my menu fully planned, photographed, and written up in between traveling for HBH Super Simple. But I’m excited to finally say that I will be sharing my full menu this week! Are you guys in planning mode? Hoping so, because I have some good recipes coming, and it all starts with this casserole.
I’m sure I have said this before, but when it comes to Thanksgiving I really love a traditional menu. Herby roasted turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, popovers, vegetable sides, and of course, sweet potato casserole. Some of you may be surprised to hear this, since I love to share all kinds of different recipes, but when it comes to both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m all about tradition. And the older and more traditional the better.
The classics keep things simple and perfect every time. It’s why we look forward to the holidays so much. All the traditions!
That said, every year I try to create a few new dishes that are spins on the classics. They still feel like the classics, just updated a bit. My brothers only care about the turkey, mashed potatoes, and rolls, so I keep those basic (but good). But when it comes to the vegetables? I have some room to play with, and have a little fun.
Enter this sweet potato casserole. It’s just like my grandma’s sweet potatoes, but with a sweet, savory, and salty pecan crumble topping…that everyone loves.
Let’s talk about the sweet potatoes…
Like most sweet potato casseroles, this bourbon sweet potato casserole is so simple and easy to make. The longest part of the process is roasting the potatoes. But nothing is hard and you might even have all the ingredients on hand right now.
So…start with the sweet potatoes. Yes, you can buy canned sweet potatoes, but I highly recommend roasting fresh potatoes for best flavor and color. If you have an instant pot, you can cook the potatoes quickly in there. If not, go the oven route. It’s my preferred method.
Once the potatoes are fork tender, peel away the skins (then use them to make these sweet potato skin chips) and then mash. Then add in a touch of light brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and a splash of bourbon, and that’s it. This is my grandma’s base recipe and it never fails. Simple, but so delicious, and not overly sweet, which I think is really nice.
Question: are you a sweet or savory, sweet potato casserole person? I prefer a savory casserole…with just a touch of sweetness!
Now about those bacon pecans…
While the potatoes are roasting, start working on the bacon pecans.
Oh, these bacon pecans. Basically, this is a topping of candied bacon with pecans, and it’s incredibly delicious. Sweet and savory with a little crunch from the pecans, and saltiness from the bacon. I added sage and a little rosemary to bring in some savory flavors and balance out the sweetness. These herbs may sound like an odd addition but go with me on this because it’s so GOOD.
Also, if rosemary isn’t your thing, or you’re worried it may overpower the other flavors, then simply leave it out. My dad’s not the biggest rosemary fan. He sometimes complains that it’s overpowering. Use your best judgment here and go with your own personal taste.
Put it all together…
Last up, layer the topping over the sweet potatoes in a casserole dish and bake. It’s simple, nothing too fancy, and so EASY. While this bakes, your house will smell incredible, just like Thanksgiving should. You’ll soon find out that every bite is just as delicious as it smells.
These potatoes are sweet and buttery and the topping is crunchy. It’s the sweet potato casserole your Thanksgiving table needs. Promise.
And finally, you can easily prepare this ahead of time and freeze, and yes, it travels well too. If you’re on side dish duty this Thanksgiving, this is your dish!
If you make this bourbon sweet potato casserole with sweet ‘n’ savory bacon pecans, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 426 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- kosher salt
Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans roughly chopped
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper using more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until soft and tender. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, slice them in half and allow to cool.2. Meanwhile, make the bacon pecans. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain onto a paper towel. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, pecans, butter, cayenne, sage, and rosemary (if using). Stir in the bacon.3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Peel the skins away from the flesh of the sweet potato. Add the sweet potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mash well. Mix in the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, butter, eggs, and bourbon until combined. Season with salt.4. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over top. 5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pecans are golden. Serve warm topped with flaky sea salt.
Notes
To Make Ahead: Prepare the casserole through step 4. Cover and store the assembled casserole in the fridge for up to 2 days. To bake, remove the casserole from the fridge while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
This post was originally published on November 11, 2019
This looks so freaking amazing I can hardly stand it!
And I totally hadn’t made a turkey until a couple years ago when I insisted just so I could see what it’s like. It was a whooooole lot of basting, haha! It was delicious, but I haven’t made one since :X
Thank you so much, Rachael!
Completely obsessed with sage, pecans, and sweet potatoes! This is perfect!
Me too! Thanks Christina!
I make somthing similar to this fairly often, it’s a good way to get my boys to eat all the pumpkins I grew, but will defiantly step it up by adding the bacon! As for skipping over Thnxgiving, we totally do, except for the food of course. In fact I still have my purple Holloween lights up! Seems like every year they stay up alittle longer…purple is an acceptable x-mas color, right?
HAh! We just put of a few Christmas light today. So fun!
These look amazing, Tieghan!! I love the addition of bacon and sage for a savory edge to all that sweet potato goodness. And bourbon is always a good idea.
Thank you so much, Cindy!
OMG you totally one upped the regular casserole, I just posted a skinny recipe, but damn I wish I added a little bacon now. DAMN this looks good!
Thanks Sophia!
Holidays are all about the classics, but this little twist on sweet potato casserole is looking dang good! I am definitely feeling the bacon in this, too! YUM!
Could not agree more! Thanks!
I host Thanksgiving every year and stay true to the recipes I’ve been using for years. But this? This might have to be introduced this year!
Love your Asher story !!
Thanks Kathy! I am all about tradition too!
Wow! This dish looks satisfying on so many levels! I am not super big on Turkey, but side dishes, I devour:-) over all u make and share. I am a new follower, and hope to stay in touch.
Thank you so much, Suzy!! Sides are the best if you ask me! 🙂
oh my gawd, I love this!! I wanted to make a sweet potato dish with a spin and this is it! love this and pinned!!
Thank you!
My mom made the best sweet potato souffle I ever ate. I do mine almost the same way. I just don’t use as much sugar and butter as she did. It has pineapple and coconut in the potatoes and a crunchy brown sugar pecan topping. It is a hit every time I make it and tae it somewhere. This year I think I am doing baked whole cinnamon apples instead.
Oh my gosh, that sounds delicious!! Love the idea of pineapple! 🙂
Thanks Charlotte!
Holiday meals are the best! I think people are such traditionalists when it comes to such meals because we only get to enjoy them a couple times of year, for the most part, so you really crave those certain dishes.
Make ahead dishes like this one are the best, more time to enjoy the people around, less time spent in the kitchen.
They so are! Thanks Cara!
To answer your question– yes, already have the menu all set up. We are going to the friend’s house but bringing all the food, and get this– the family does not like sweet potatoes! Is that the craziest thing you ever heard?! So your dish would of been perfect, but i don’t want to have it all to myself. No, take i back.. i really would love to have it all to myself, so better not get tempted. By the way, have never cooked turkey either.. my family loves smoked turkey, the one that you put in an oven for an hour and it comes out juicy, smoked and just perfect. So no need to stress over turkey on our side!
I can’t wait to see your Christmas menu– i find that on Thanksgiving everyone does the same thing– turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans. But on Christmas it’s ham and different variations. I can’t wait to see what your table will be like. And i totally get Asher– Thanksgiving is just food.. but Christmas is magical, there’s presents and songs and Santa 🙂
GO YOU!! That is awesome you have your menu set!!
Thanks Nikki and I can’t wait to start talking Christmas food!
I love your addition of bacon to such a classic thanksgiving side dish! It’s such a great idea and your pics are amazing as usual.
Thanks Tori!
I love tradition too, and for family holidays I am always happy to stick to side dishes too! x
First I would eat all the nuts on top then the potatoes. Wonderful pictures again and I can’t wait to eat this.
It has gotten super cold here for November hope you are doing better and the barn is moving along.
Thanks Nancy! The barn is moving..slowly! Haha! No it is doing good and getting closer! 🙂