Savory Sweet Potato Casserole: Tradition with a Twist!
If I’m being completely honest, I’ve always been a little weirded out by traditional sweet potato casserole. While I love sweet potatoes, in my opinion the added sugar and marshmallow topping are a little much.
Naturally, I became obsessed with the idea of developing an alternative sweet potato Thanksgiving side dish that’s a little more well-balanced – and this savory sweet potato recipe is the result! Not only is it perfectly savory-sweet, but it also packs a big punch of fall-inspired flavor on every single level.
This sweet potato casserole folds caramelly roasted garlic into dreamy whipped sweet potatoes and finishes them off with the ultimate savory topping – herbed bacon-panko breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs add delicious rich and savory flavor to contrast the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes. As a bonus, it also balances the creamy texture of the sweet potatoes with a crispy crunch.
If you prefer a hearty, umami dish over something sweet, then this savory casserole is perfect for you! It’s a delicious break from tradition that can also be easily prepped ahead of time for convenience. You’re gonna be obsessed – I know I am!
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How to Make Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
This casserole offers a few twists on tradition, creating a Thanksgiving side dish that’s the perfect balance between salty and sweet and creamy and crispy. Savory sweet potato casserole comes together in just a few steps:
- Roast the garlic
- Boil and mash the sweet potatoes
- Prepare the herb bacon-panko topping
- Assemble, bake, and serve!
Slice off the top of the heads of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil, then roast until golden brown. Why? ⇢ Roasting garlic helps bring out rich, savory flavor, creating beautifully soft, caramelized cloves for a big punch of flavor.
Add cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot and submerge completely with cold water. Season the water with kosher salt and bring the pot to a boil. Simmer, covered, until they’re fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Prep Tip! ⇢ Making sure the sweet potatoes pieces are uniform in size helps them cook more evenly.
Combine the cooked sweet potatoes and roasted garlic in a bowl and mash to your desired consistency. Add the butter and milk little by little while mashing for extra control over the flavor and texture. Prep Tip! ⇢ Use your food processor for extra smooth and creamy sweet potatoes.
This is where it really gets good! After cooking a few slices of bacon, set them aside, leaving as much of the rendered bacon fat in the skillet as possible. Toss fresh herbs into the bacon renderings, which blooms the fresh herbs and draws out all of their amazing herbaceous flavor. Add in the panko breadcrumbs and toast until golden brown.
Add the whipped sweet potatoes to a baking dish and top with the prepared breadcrumb mixture, then cover with aluminum foil. Bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, until lightly browned and warmed through. Tip! ⇢ For a beautifully browned and crisp top, remove the aluminum foil in the last 15 minutes of baking.
Make-Ahead Tips
If you are looking to save some time, certain components of this sweet potato casserole can be prepped in advance. The entire casserole can also be prepped up to 3 days in advance. Check out the Recipe Notes, below, for more guidance.
I can’t wait for you to try this Savory Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. It offers a fun twist on tradition, and it’s perfect if you prefer savory flavors to sweet.
If you do give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
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Savory Sweet Potato Casserole with Crispy Herbed Bacon Breadcrumbs
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: serves 12–14 1x
- Category: Side Dish Recipes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Perfect for anyone who wants to ditch the marshmallows this Thanksgiving, this Savory Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is not your grandma’s sweet potato casserole! Sweet potatoes are whipped velvety-smooth with roasted garlic, & finished with a crispy panko topping infused with bacon & fresh herbs for the perfect balance of savory & sweet.
Meal prep & make-ahead friendly!
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch dice
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
- 3/4 cup whole milk (or milk of choice)
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan
- 2 large eggs
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
for the crispy herbed bacon-panko topping:
- 6 ounces center-cut bacon
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (e.g. rosemary, sage, thyme)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
Roast the garlic: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice just the top off of the heads of garlic, to reveal their cloves. Lightly rub the garlic to loosen and remove any excess papery garlic skin. Wrap the garlic in foil, drizzling it with the olive oil before you seal the foil, then place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. 
- Boil the sweet potatoes: Meanwhile, as the garlic roasts, cook the sweet potatoes. Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven and cover with 6 cups cold water, or enough to completely submerge the sweet potatoes. Season with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Carefully strain and set aside.
- Cook the bacon: Meanwhile, as the garlic roasts & the potatoes boil, prep the breadcrumb topping. Add the bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 5-6 minutes per side, until crisp & rendered. Leaving as much of the rendered bacon fat in the skillet as possible, transfer the crispy bacon to a plate or cutting board & set aside.
- Prepare the bacon breadcrumb topping: Reduce the heat under the skillet used to cook the bacon to medium-low. Add the fresh herbs to the skillet, blooming them in the bacon renderings. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the garlic to the skillet & cook 30 seconds longer, stirring constantly, just until fragrant. Add the panko breadcrumbs to the skillet, cooking 4-5 minutes, while stirring constantly, until toasty & golden brown. Remove from the heat & transfer to a small mixing bowl. Finely chop or crumble the bacon, adding it to the breadcrumb mixture along with the grated parmesan. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Taste & season with additional salt & ground black pepper as needed. Set aside.
- Mash the sweet potatoes: For extra creamy mashed sweet potatoes, transfer the boiled sweet potatoes to a food processor & puree until smooth & creamy, working in batches, as needed, to avoid overcrowding the food processor. As you puree the sweet potatoes, mix in the roasted garlic – the cloves should squeeze out of the garlic bulb very easily. With the food processor running, slowly add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, and the milk. Alternate as you go – a little butter, then a little milk. Taste and season with additional kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired – I add ½ teaspoon of salt, taste, & go from there. Once the sweet potatoes have reached your desired consistency, transfer to a bowl. Fold in the grated parmesan & whisked eggs. Set aside.
- Assemble the savory sweet potato casserole: Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer the roasted garlic sweet potatoes to the baking dish. Top with the prepared bacon breadcrumb mixture. Cover with foil.
- Bake the savory sweet potato casserole: Transfer the savory sweet potato casserole to the oven. Bake 35-40 minutes, until slightly browned & warmed through. In the last 15 minutes of baking, remove the foil so the breadcrumb topping gets beautifully browned & crisp.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage & Freezing:
- Storage & Reheating: Leftover savory sweet potato casserole will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven, until warmed through.
- Freezer Instructions: You can also freeze leftover savory sweet potato casserole. Transfer leftover stuffing to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the microwave or oven, until warmed through.
- Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Meal Prep & Make-Ahead Instructions:
- Meal Prep: A little meal prep goes a long way in pulling this savory sweet potato casserole together on Thanksgiving day! Between prepping the sweet potatoes, breadcrumb topping, & roasting the garlic, there are many components of this savory sweet potato casserole that can be prepared 3-5 days in advance. Pick & choose from the below list, or do it all ahead of time & all you have to do on Thanksgiving is toss it all together – easy!
- Sweet potato prep: Peel & dice 3 pounds sweet potatoes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (10 minutes active)
- Roast the garlic: Roast the garlic according to Step 1 of Recipe Directions above. Store the roasted garlic in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (5 minutes active)
- Bacon breadcrumb topping prep: Prepare the bacon breadcrumb topping according to Steps 3-4 of Recipe Directions, above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (25 minutes active)
- Make-Ahead Savory Sweet Potato Casserole: This savory sweet potato casserole can also be prepped & assembled, Steps 1-6 of Recipe Directions, up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator. Bake as directed in Step 7 of Recipe Directions, above, adding 15 minutes to the bake time.
- Meal Prep: A little meal prep goes a long way in pulling this savory sweet potato casserole together on Thanksgiving day! Between prepping the sweet potatoes, breadcrumb topping, & roasting the garlic, there are many components of this savory sweet potato casserole that can be prepared 3-5 days in advance. Pick & choose from the below list, or do it all ahead of time & all you have to do on Thanksgiving is toss it all together – easy!
- Portions: As written, this savory sweet potato casserole recipe yields a large batch, serving 12-14 generously as a side dish. To serve a smaller crowd of up to 6, simply reduce the recipe by 1/2. Assemble in an 8×8 baking dish or 9-inch pie plate & bake as directed in Step 6, for 25-35 minutes or until slightly browned & warmed through.
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So I already commented about this recipe but had to follow up. It is SO good. I made it for Christmas today after doing a “test run” a few weeks ago. Everyone kept commenting and several asked for the recipe. I made it 3 days in advance and kept it covered in the fridge till I baked it today. Will definitely make this again. Didn’t change one thing. Delicious.
Hi Karol! Thanks so much for the follow up comment, we always love to hear how everything turned out & are thrilled to hear everyone else loved it too 🙂
Wonderful recipe. Tried it out tonight as a “test run” for Christmas. Made it exactly as written. Loved the flavor with the crunchy topping.
Hi Karol! We are SO glad to hear that – thanks so much for including the recipe in your Christmas dinner menu, it means so much!
I want to make this for Christmas dinner. My son has an egg allergy. Any thoughts on what could be subbed for them? Thank you!
Hi Courtney! We include the eggs in the original recipe as they help add an even more light & fluffy texture – that we love! However, you can certainly omit them & the potatoes will still be delicious.:) Thanks so much for including this recipe in your Christmas dinner meal planning – we hope you enjoy!!
I subbed most of the milk out with heavy whipping cream and added while blending in the food processor. It gave it a nice fluffy texture and I think worked well as an egg replacement.
So glad to hear it, Courtney! It sounds like they turned out just perfectly 🙂
I’m making this for Thanksgiving tonight. It’s in the oven. BUT…I FORGOT THE EGGS. Is it going to be a disaster?
Hoping to hear back, but I’m sure it’ll be after the holiday, so I’ll let you know. lol. 🙂
Hi Val, Happy Thanksgiving. The eggs help yield a nice, fluffy texture, but the potatoes will still be delicious without them! Hope that’s helpful news. =)
I want to try this for Thanksgiving this year, but I need to prep ahead and take to another location. Do you think I could transfer to a crockpot to keep warm?
Hi Renee! You can definitely prep ahead of time, here’s what we recommend: You can complete steps 1-6 of Recipe Directions, up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator. Bake as directed in Step 7 of Recipe Directions, above, adding 15 minutes to the bake time (These directions are saved for reference in the recipe notes section of the recipe card).
We’ve never tested keeping warm in a crockpot – it should work for the sweet potato casserole filling but you’d still likely wan to top and bake the bacon breadcrumb mixture so it gets nice & crispy so baking would be our preferred method. Let us know if you give it a try!
This was a fantastic side at thanksgiving – everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. the herbed bacon breadcrumb topping was phenomenal. Will definitely make this again!
Yesss! The Herbed Bacon Breadcrumbs totally make it! Thanks so much for sharing, Rachel, we are so glad this PWWB recipe could be a part of your Thanksgiving feast!