This savory sweet potato casserole makes a great side dish for meals during the holiday season as well as weeknight dinners throughout the year. This baked sweet potato recipe is made with creamy sweet potatoes, quinoa, and spinach topped with a crunchy breadcrumb and walnut topping.
Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut into medium sized cubes and place into a pot. Cover with just enough water to cover the potatoes. Add a bay leaf, white miso and two cloves of garlic to the water. Heat to boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat when water boils to medium. Cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
When potatoes are ready, drain off the water, reserving it for later. Discard the bay leaf and garlic. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and use a fork to mash the potatoes.
Make Quinoa and Breadcrumbs
Rinse quinoa if needed and drain well.
Place quinoa and 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid in a pan and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
While the quinoa cooks, mix together breadcrumbs, finely chopped walnuts, parsley, thyme and garlic powder. Add salt to taste.
Prepare the Casserole
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add onion and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent and slightly golden. Stir frequently to keep the garlic from burning.
Mix together the cooked quinoa, onions and garlic, and chopped spinach.
Combine white wine, soy sauce and nutritional yeast in a small bowl and mix to dissolve yeast.
Add the quinoa mixture and white wine mixture to the sweet potatoes. Stir to combine. Add remaining reserved liquid or water to potato mixture one-half cup at a time until the potatoes reach the desired pureed consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Transfer the potato mixture to a sprayed 8x8 baking dish or equivalent.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the dish. Place in the oven to cook for 30 minutes or until gratin is bubbly and golden on top.
Notes
Don’t forget to reserve the cooking water from the sweet potatoes. Use this liquid to cook the quinoa and add moisture to the casserole. This liquid adds back some of the nutrients lost when boiling sweet potatoes and more flavor.
Choose orange, dark-skinned sweet potatoes (maybe called yams) when making this recipe. These sweet potatoes contain more moisture which means they mash much better and also are sweeter in flavor.
Mash the sweet potatoes well for a creamier consistency.
Thin out the potatoes after mixing by adding some of the reserved liquid to the mixture before transferring it to a casserole dish. The consistency of the mashed potatoes should be loose and easy to stir. This keeps the final dish from being overly dry.