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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
Is this something you would reccomend making the day ahead? And then heating up?
Hey Lauren,
Yes that will work great. Just reheat at 350 degrees F. for 1-15 minutes. I hope you love the casserole!
Help!! This looks amazing and I am def going to make this. I need a little clarification though. I want tp prepare this ahead of time for sure as in two days before Thanksgiving. Do I prepare it as directed and then skip the baking part and cover and refrigerate it, and then actually bake it on the day? Or, do I follow the recipe and bake it through, then cool it and refrigerate and then reheat it on the day? I would rather wait to bake it on the day but am not sure if it is ok to prepare ahead with the eggs in it and wait to actually bake it. Thanks!!
Hey Susan,
yes, I would prepare it as directed and then skip the baking part and cover and refrigerate it, and then actually bake it on the day. That works great and I do it this way as well. Hope you love this! Thanks!!
I am so excited to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year! Has anyone ever tried to make this in a crockpot? Our oven will be VERY full next week!
Hey Allison!
I personally have not. I think it would be fine, but I am a little nervous the topping will not get crisp. If you do try it, I would cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Let me know how it goes.
I LOVE this recipe.
I found this last year before Thanksgiving and told my best friend about it who decided to make it too. She called me in a panic telling me to leave out all the cayenne pepper as she had put in not even 1/8th of what the recipe called (she tripled the recipe) for an it was too hot for some of her family.
I took bestie’s advice and completely left out the cayenne and my husband BEGGED me not to put in the sage, so I didn’t. I also didn’t add in the optional rosemary. I have tasted my best friend’s version with the sage, and I’ve got to say, hubby was right. It tasted a little like potpourri to me with the sage so I’d leave that out too if I were you.
I also was lazy and didn’t bake the sweet potatoes, I just boiled them with their skins on.
This was a huge hit at my Thanksgiving and Christmas and so many people asked me for the recipe!
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit. I can’t wait to make it again this weekend for friendsgiving. Thanks for such a fantastically delicious recipe!!
Thanks so much, Jamie!! SO glad you love this!
So I am not a fan of sweet marshmallow-y sweet potato recipes, but I love me a good baked sweet potato with just a tab of butter on it. I love the idea of the pecans, bacon, cayenne, and the herbs adding a savory flair to the sweet potatoes. Do you think I could reduce the brown sugar in the potato mixture to reduce the sweetness? The vanilla too?
Hey Leah! Yes, you can reduce both. Hope you love this!!
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try it! Happy Thanksgiving!
This looks amazing, I showed it to my girlfriend and she immediately insisted I make it this Thanksgiving! I wanted to ask, do you think it will work out just as well if I make it the night before and use the oven to reheat it Thanksgiving day?
Hey Sarah!
Making this ahead works great! 🙂 Hope you guys love this!!
Been looking for a great twist on the traditional sweet potato casserole! I just included your recipe (and a link back here for instructions) on my Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Menu blog post!! I cannot wait to try it next week. will let you know how it goes!! Thanks for Posting 🙂
Thanks Hannah!
I’m not trying to take the lazy way out (ok, I actually am), but could I microwave the sweet taters to cook them? I usually do normal baked potatoes in the microwave instead of oven and they come out perfect. I would assume this would work for a sweet potato, as well? It’s just so much faster and I’d love to keep my oven free for other things. Thanks!!
Yes, for sure!! Nothing wrong with a little short cut! Hope you love this!
I, will making TG dinner this year and I am so gonna make this dish. To me anything with a lil bourbon has got to be a winner.
So true!! Thanks! Hope this is a hit!
Probably the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever had! And everyone at wine night loved it and wants the recipe! I used sage rub instead of fresh, and put half of what was called for… It worked out well! Especially for those who can’t seem to use herbs fast enough, like me! ? Enjoy all, it is well worth it!
SO happy you love this! THANKS!
I love love love everything about this recipe! I made it for a work potluck and it was a hit, (sadly there were no leftovers). It is definitely going in my permanent recipes to make box 🙂
Bourbon really does make everything better.
SO happy this is a hit! Thank you!
I made this tonight. Instead of regular brown sugar, I used dark brown sugar. I also switched the bourbon for jack Daniels no.7 and I did use the rosemary and sage. In the sweet potato mix, I added an extra half teaspoon of vanilla extract and only used a half teaspoon of cayenne. It is delicious and spicy enough that I’m glad I didn’t add more cayenne. Already recommended this to friends!!!
Made this last week. I have IBS so I substituted almond milk for the milk. (I am fortunate that I can have some butter and other dairy so nothing else had to be changed.) My pickiest eater in the house inhaled the casserole. It is what we call it in my house a “make again” recipe. YUMMM! Thanks for the recipe.
I am so totally NOT burned out on holiday foods. This creative, beautiful dish looks so delicious. I have some butternut squash and I am thinking it would be just as good as the sweet potatoes. 🙂 Thanks for this idea!
Haha! Me neither actually! 🙂
Thanks Char!