A delicious, naturally-sweetened sweet potato casserole made with a gluten-free topping. The most-requested Thanksgiving side dish at our family gathering.
Cut the sweet potatoes in half, lengthwise. Place the potatoes on a rimmed sheet pan that's been lined with parchment paper (for easy cleanup, the parchment paper is optional).
Drizzle the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil, then rub the oil on the flesh of each potato.
Flip the potatoes over, flesh-side down on the baking sheet.
Bake the sweet potatoes, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes (this will depend on the size of the potatoes), until the skins begin to look shriveled and soft. Remove the potatoes from the oven.
Set the potatoes aside, on the sheet pan, to cool for 10-15 minutes until they're easy to handle.
Make the Casserole:
Reduce the oven to 375F.
Scoop the sweet potato flesh from the skins into a large bowl. Discard the skins. Mash the sweet potatoes using a fork or potato masher. They should be very easy to mash.
Add the remaining casserole ingredients (not the topping ingredients) and stir to combine: butter, maple syrup, milk, egg, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla.
Spoon the casserole filling into a casserole dish or baking dish.
Wipe out the large mixing bowl and add the topping ingredients: pecans, almond flour, starch (optional*), maple syrup, melted butter, and a pinch of the seasonings (salt and nutmeg). Whisk to combine.
Spoon the topping over the sweet potato filling. If you find this is hard to do with a spoon, try using your fingers.
Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, in the center of the oven, until the top is golden brown. You don't want the almond flour topping to burn, so if you find it's getting too brown, change the position of your casserole in the oven or reduce the oven temperature to 350F.
Serve warm.
Notes
Starch: Without the arrowroot starch or cornstarch, the topping is moist in spots, even after baking, due to the almond flour. I personally don't mind this. I actually like the texture. If you'd like a crispier topping, add the starch as this will absorb the moisture.Thicker Topping Option:If you want more topping (a thicker layer) make 1.5-2 times the topping recipe provided. This will provide a very thick layer for the casserole.