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Home > Easy Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Meringue

Easy Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Meringue

October 23, 2018 by Denise Browning 8 Comments / THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE SALES LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY _FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY_ FOR DETAILS

Gluten FreeVegetarian

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This easy and rich Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Meringue is a gluten-free and nut-free side dish that is sweet enough to serve as a dessert. 

A bowl of sweet potato casserole

Thanksgiving will be arriving sooner than you think, folks! Among the main dishes, a juicy Turkey, and many dessert options, is this rich and buttery Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Meringue.

Brined Whole Turkey in a platter

A twist on a classic that is actually better than the traditional side itself. My husband’s taste buds are happy… as well as mine! 🙂

This is a gluten-free holiday side dish made with just a few ingredients, and is a real crowd-pleaser. Oh… our version is also nut-free! Yep! In addition, it doesn’t require any special cooking skills and can be partially made-ahead to be put together on Thanksgiving Day. Don’t you love dishes like that?

You can also choose either to boil the sweet potatoes or microwave them, like I did, to reduce cooking time by up to 50%.

So after scrubbing sweet potatoes, prick them several times with a fork; then place on a microwave-safe plate and cook on full power for about  7-10 minutes (depending on the microwave potency)… or until they turn out soft.

When they are fully cooked, remove from the microwave and either peel them by gently scrubbing the peel with a pairing knife or, alternatively, cut them lengthwise and scoop all the flesh out from the peel using a spoon or cookie scoop. In either case, please be careful to avoid burning your hands!

See? Easy peasy!

But if you’d rather boil them, peel them first, cut into chunks, and place into a pot filled with cold water (never boiling water, otherwise they won’t cook evenly). Bring to a boil and let cook for about 12-15 minutes or until soft. Drain water!

Sweet potatoes are ready to be mashed and mixed with other 6 widely available ingredients.

close up image of make-ahead sweet potato casserole sliced with a maple syrup drizzle

Well, curious?

Let’s prepare this smash hit for your Thanksgiving table!

HOW TO MAKE THIS MAKE-AHEAD SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH TOASTED MERINGUE

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Scrub sweet potatoes and either cook in the microwave or boil them until tender, as described right above.
Peel and mash them. Then, stir in milk, lightly packed brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and egg yolks until obtaining a homogeneous mixture. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake on middle rack for about 35 minutes. Five minutes before removing casserole from the oven, prepare the meringue. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar in the bowl of a mixer until foamy, about 1-2 minutes.

meringue in a mixer bowl showing stiff peak

Add powdered sugar and beat again until stiff, about 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to 400 F.

Spoon meringue on top of baked casserole and bake on top rack of the oven for additional 6-7 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

Make Ahead Tip

If you don’t intend to bake casserole on the very same day that you are making it, prepare sweet potato mixture and spread into greased casserole dish. Then, wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Then when ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, uncover, and bake as directed.

Always remember that meringue has to be prepared on the day that casserole will be baked and served. Why? Because egg whites will separate after a while although the cream of tartar, an acidic ingredient, helps to stabilize them.

Freezing Tips

If you would like to freeze casserole, prepare sweet potato mixture and spread into greased casserole dish. Let mixture cool completely, wrap tightly, and store in the freezer up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed above. Meringue should not go in the freezer.

Taking Care of Leftovers

You can re-purpose the dish by simply serving on toasted slices of a hard-crust bread such as a baguette, or by using them to make sandwiches along with other Thanksgiving leftovers such as sliced turkey and cranberry sauce, or with a buttery melted cheese and chutney.

make-ahead sweet potato casserole served on slice of toasted baguette, an idea to use leftovers

If you would rather have it as a dessert, serve it with a drizzle of pure maple syrup on top or with vanilla ice cream on the side. 😉

Any other suggestions?

I am looking forward to your feedback!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Two combined images of make-ahead sweet potato casserole

A bowl of sweet potato casserole
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Meringue

This easy and rich Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Meringue is a gluten-free and nut-free side dish that is sweet enough to serve as a dessert. 
Course:Side Dish
Cuisine:American
Keywords:alternative dessert, easy recipe, make-ahead, sweet potato casserole, Thanksgiving, toasted meringue
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 42 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 2 minutes
Servings 12
Calories154 kcal
Author Denise Browning

Ingredients

  • 5-6 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon (or pumpkin spice)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 eggs, separated (yolks from whites)
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Scrub sweet potatoes and either cook them in the microwave or boil  them.  Microwave: Place on a microwave-safe plate and cook on full power for about  7-10 minutes (depending on the microwave potency) or until they turn out soft. 
  • Then, peel them by gently scrubbing the peel with a pairing knife. Or alternatively, cut them lengthwise and scoop all the flesh out of the peel using a spoon or cookie scoop. Just be careful to avoid burning your hands!
  • To boil:  Peel them first, cut into chunks, and place into a pot filled with cold water (never boiling water; otherwise they won't cook evenly). Bring to a boil and let cook for about 12-15 minutes or until soft. Drain!
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350º F. Mash sweet potatoes and stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, melted butter, milk, and egg yolks until obtaining a homogeneous mixture. 
  • Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Bake on middle rack for about 35 minutes. Five minutes before removing casserole from the oven, prepare the meringue. 
  • Beat egg whites with cream of tartar in the bowl of a mixer until foamy, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add powdered sugar and beat again until stiff, about 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to 400 F. 
  • Spoon meringue on top of baked casserole and bake on top rack of the oven for additional 6-7 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Make Ahead Tip: If you don't intend to bake sweet potato casserole on the same day that you are making it, prepare sweet potato mixture and spread into greased casserole dish. Then, wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.  Then when ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, uncover, and bake as directed. Always remember that meringue has to be prepared on the day casserole that will be baked and served. Why? Because egg whites will separate after a while although cream of tartar, an acidic ingredient, helps to stabilize.
  • Freezing Tips: To freeze sweet potato casserole, prepare sweet potato mixture and spread into greased casserole dish. Let mixture cool completely, wrap tightly, and store in the freezer up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed above. Meringue should not go into freezer, however.
  • Love sweet potato dishes? Try our No Bake Eggless Sweet Potato Flan or Spiced Sweet Potato Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting   

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 7860IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 0.6mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Comment and rate the recipe. Also follow us on Pinterest at @easyanddelish for more delish recipes.

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Filed Under: Easy And Delish, Gluten-Free, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian Tagged With: Fall, meringue, Sweet Potatoes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John / Kitchen Riffs

    October 24, 2018 at 9:07 am

    Like the idea of the meringue on the sweet potato casserole — looks classy and is a bit different. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Deb|EastofEdenCooking

    October 25, 2018 at 1:01 pm

    Make ahead is just what I need this holiday season! What a fab idea!

    Reply
  3. Karen (Back Road Journal)

    October 28, 2018 at 8:41 am

    It certainly does make for a pretty side dish.

    Reply
  4. Amada Swann

    October 14, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    5 stars
    Hi, Denise! I am from the South and made this sweet potato casserole for a recent family reunion. No need to say my family loved it. It was delicious, not overly sweet. Keeping the recipe for Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  5. Robin

    November 28, 2019 at 2:45 am

    Hi. I’m making this delicious recipe but have to bring it to our Thanksgiving Dinner. Can I make the recipe from start to finish at home and warm it up just before dinner?

    Reply
    • Denise Browning

      November 29, 2019 at 1:04 pm

      Hi, Robin! I really apologize for having gotten your comment late. I was away with my family for this holiday. I don’t know exacly what you ended up doing, but if I have answered the comment in time I would have advised you to make the sweet potato casserole ahead and only when it is time to warm it up you had topped with the toasted meringue. The reason why it is because reheating can cause the merigue to deflate. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and made precious memories with your family!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Instant Pot Stuffed Acorn Squash - Easy and Delish says:
    October 12, 2020 at 7:01 pm

    […] other Thanksgiving side dishes? Try this microwave mac and cheese, mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato casserole, broccoli gratin, and low carb […]

    Reply
  2. Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu - Rainbow Delicious says:
    December 7, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    […] not such thing as too much sweet potato so you also need this easy make ahead sweet potato casserole with toasted meringue from Easy and […]

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Denise Browning!

I'm a professional Chef with an expertise in Brazilian food. I am also a busy mom of two girls, living in Texas. Here you will find budget-friendly, healthy Brazilian and Global Recipes made Easy and Delish! I'd love to help you feed your family healthy dinners (many low carb) with a few splurges because life is all about balance! Join our community and happy cooking!

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