7 years ago

Bacon and Apple Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

Love sweet potato casserole but tired of the same old marshmallow-topped side dish? Twin Cities food blogger Taylor from greens & chocolate has a sweet and salty new version of this Thanksgiving favorite:

Sweet potatoes are a food that I don’t save just for Thanksgiving; I eat them year-round. Drizzled with olive oil and tossed with some garlic, and then roasted in the oven until nice and crispy is my go-to preparation of choice, but Thanksgiving calls for something much more special. I’ve never been a huge fan of the traditional marshmallow topped and pureed sweet potato casserole, and would go for second helpings of my grandma’s potato dumplings and gravy over sweet potato casserole every time.  

I figured with my love of sweet potatoes in their roasted state, I had to find a way to incorporate them into my Thanksgiving table this year. That’s where this Bacon and Apple Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel comes in. I left the sweet potatoes diced, along with a couple of diced apples for a little more natural sweetness. Then I added bacon because you can never really go wrong with adding bacon, and this is no exception.  

The combination of the smoky bacon and apples with the sweet potatoes is out of this world delicious. Since some people just can’t imagine a sweet potato casserole without some sort of sugary topping, I decided to top it with a buttery pecan streusel for not only added sweetness, but also a bit of crunch.  It was a huge hit in my family of taste-testers and I don’t think they’ll even miss the marshmallow-topped casserole this year.

Bacon and Apple Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel 

8 servings
Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 6 slices bacon, cut into ½" pieces
  • 4 cups diced sweet potatoes
  • 2 large Gala apples, peeled, core removed, and diced
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp salt

For the pecan streusel:

  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup diced pecans

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  2. Spray 9×13" baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  3. In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
    Add onions and bacon pieces and cook until onions are translucent and bacon is cooked, about 10-12 minutes.
  4. In large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, apples, and onion/bacon mixture, including any grease from the bacon.
  5. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt and stir well to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish.
  6. Make pecan topping by combining melted butter, brown sugar, flour, salt, and diced pecans.
  7. Sprinkle mixture over sweet potato mixture.
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until mixture is thoroughly cooked and golden brown.  

Serve and enjoy! 

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