If you love sweet potatoes in bite sized pieces, then this sweet potato casserole with pecans is for you. Oh, and don’t let the Paleo scare you… it just means that this recipe has none of the marshmallows, brown sugar, or refined ingredients out there…and it’s loaded with flavor.
Since giving up all grain three months ago, I’ve been thinking of some delicious recipes I can share with you that anyone can eat. I mean, this is family-friendly recipe blog… not a true specialty blog. But sometimes, some recipes are so delicious and so “clean” that I can’t help but share them with you.
Sweet potatoes are about the only starch I’ve allowed myself to eat for the last couple of months. Until recently, I rarely cooked sweet potatoes in “casseroles” but a girl has got to experiment.
My husband loves sweet potatoes that are baked, topped with butter and cinnamon. I personally like them cubed in small bite sized pieces. Sure, they taste the same… but since I’m the one that cooks…
Ok, so back to the recipe. Unlike traditional sweet potato casseroles this dish doesn’t have two sticks of butter, a cup of brown sugar, and a bag of marshmallows. Goodness, we gave the marshmallows up a long time ago (with the exception of the rare s’more party here and there). Although, I am working on a homemade marshmallow recipe you are going to love…
I also love the sweetness of raisins. I use them in things like my cinnamon raisin roll ups, inside of my over night cinnamon rolls, oatmeal cookie dough bites, cinnamon raisin newtons, cinnamon raisin peanut butter… even a healthier version of Chick-fil-a’s carrot raisin salad. Yup, I’m raisin obsessed.
Raisins add a sweetness to many of my recipes without needing refined sugar. Plus, they are an inexpensive substitute for many (not all) recipes that typically call for dates.
And this sweet potato with raisins and pecans? It is definitely a clean dish that has the best of both worlds, the sweetness from the raisins and the crunch from the pecans. It’s so good, you are going to want to make it year round.
Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
- 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ –1 cup pecan pieces
- ½ cup maple syrup
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a medium bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, raisins and shallots.
- Place sweet potato mixture in a 9×13 inch-baking dish.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add pecans and stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add maple syrup and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3 minutes.
- Top potatoes with caramelized toasted pecans, cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven 50-60 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
Nikki
I’m curious to know if you could prep everything the night before and pop in the oven the next day?
Laura Fuentes
Hi Nikki! Yes, you can assemble the sweet potatoes the night before and pot them in the oven the next day! 🙂
Shauna H
Would this work as a dairy free recipe by replacing the 2 tbsp of butter with olive oil?
Laura Fuentes
it sure would Shauna!
Trisha
We made this today for our Christmas dinner and it was delicious-thank you for sharing!
Laura Fuentes
So glad you enjoyed it Trisha!
Melody
I am not a fan of raisins…what are your thoughts on using dried cranberries? It sounds like a good pair with Thanksgiving, but honestly, I’m not adventurous/knowledgable about making swaps in recipes.
Laura Fuentes
I think the cranberries would work great! or… you could always leave them out 🙂
Tina
Could I leave the nuts out or should I substitute with something else? We have a nut allergy here 🙁
Laura Fuentes
You can definitely leave them out Tina. Enjoy!
Jacque
I have these ingredients so wanting to try. However Im a little confused…is it meant to be a savoury dish to accompany meat for eg or is it a dessert? With the maple, raisins and nuts it seems sweet?
thanks
Laura Fuentes
It’s a side dish. Enjoy!