Would your Thanksgiving table be complete without sweet potato casserole? I know mine wouldn't! My grandma always made hers with canned sweet potatoes, loads of butter and sugar, plus a to-die-for topping of sugary spiced pecans. The taste is over-the-top, and so are the nutritional stats! I've taken it down a notch in the sugar and fat department, but you'll be just as satisfied with this lightened up side dish. (Scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable PDF version of the recipe!)



Sweet Potato Casserole

For sweet potatoes:

• 3 cups (one 29-ounce can) sweet potatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 beaten eggs
• Salt to taste

For topping:

• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 cup pecan pieces

Changes Made:

For sweet potatoes:

• 3 cups (one 29-ounce can) sweet potatoes, drained: Cooked and mashed fresh sweet potatoes to cut down on sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter: Eliminated to cut down drastically on fat and calories
• 1/3 cup milk: Used 1/4 cup skim milk
• 3/4 cup sugar: Decreased to 1/3 cup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla: Decreased to 1/2 teaspoon to let sweet potato flavor come through
• 2 beaten eggs: Used 1/4 cup egg substitute to decrease fat and calories
• Salt to taste: Specified 1/2 teaspoon
  

For topping:

Decreased amount of topping overall by about 67%

• 5 tablespoons melted butter: Decreased to 1 tablespoon
• 2/3 cup brown sugar: Decreased to 1/4 cup
• 2/3 cup flour: Decreased to 3 tablespoons
• 1 cup pecan pieces: Decreased to 1/3 cup

Added 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (just for fun!)

Nutrition Facts Face-Off!

1/8 recipe

Sweet Potato Casserole (Printable PDF Version)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 3 cups mashed sweet potato
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup egg substitute
• ¼ cup skim milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• ½ cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 1 ½ quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, salt, egg substitute, milk, and vanilla. Transfer to casserole dish.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle pecans first over the potato mixture, followed by the brown sugar topping and then the marshmallows.
4. Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (1/8 recipe): Calories 230, Total Fat 5g (Saturated 1g), Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 200mg, Total Carbohydrate 43g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A 390% DV, Vitamin C 25% DV, Calcium 6% DV, Iron 8% DV

Today's post was written by Leia Kedem. Leia Kedem, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and Nutrition & Wellness Educator covering Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties. She appears weekly on WCIA-3/WCIX-49 and is a biweekly contributor to the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. She also maintains Facebook and Twitter accounts where she regularly posts health tips and answers nutrition questions for free.