Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Sweet potato Casserole is a popular Thanksgiving dish. This Mediterranean version, however, is life-changing and great for any night of the week. This Mediterranean-style sweet potato casserole, flavored with feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, and Mediterranean spices, is the only way I will ever make sweet potato casserole again. Ever. It’s literally the best sweet potato casserole recipe I’ve ever made or eaten. It’s seriously yum.
For those of you who are not familiar with an American Thanksgiving, our traditional menu usually has a sweet potato casserole on it. However, the “classic” version is very sweet. It has brown sugar mixed into the potatoes and is then topped with marshmallows that get lightly roasted and melted in the oven. It’s pretty much just sugar on your plate (as with many American “classics”).
There are, of course, much healthier versions. Several years ago, I did a from-scratch, healthy sweet potato casserole that was sweet but avoided marshmallows and used nuts as a topping. It’s very good, and something I’ve made again and again with much success. But this year will be different. This year, I’ll be making this version all for me. Mini Chef prefers regular mashed potatoes.
Are Sweet Potatoes Good For You?
Actually, yes. They are a very healthy tuber.
“In addition to being an excellent source of vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, vitamin B-6 and potassium. And like all vegetables, they’re relatively low in calories — one-half of a large sweet potato has just 81 calories. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.“
Mayo Clinic
Sweet potatoes are also much lower on the glycemic index. Meaning they won’t affect your insulin as badly as a white potato. White potatoes can be as high as an 82 on the glycemic index scale, while sweet potatoes are a 54, with only and 11 for glycemic load. That’s pretty good for a potato.
Can You Have Sweet Potatoes On The Mediterranean Diet?
Absolutely! Potatoes of all kinds are enjoyed on the Mediterranean diet. While they are definitely higher in carbs, they are still considered to be quite nutritious.
How Do You Pick Out A Good Sweet Potato?
If you are buying your sweet potatoes individually instead of in a 5 lb. bag, select your sweet potatoes by looking for smooth skin without any black dots or sprouts growing out of them. Avoid cracks, bruises, and soft spots.
Additional Topping Ideas
If you want to add even more to the top of this, here are a few ideas:
- Chickpeas
- Fresh basil leaves
- A dash of cinnamon
- A drizzle of maple syrup (a little will go a long way. Don’t overdo it.)
- A sprinkle of ground cumin.
- A drizzle of olive oil
- Chopped pecans
- Minced red onions
- Any Mediterranean veggies you care to add
What’s In This Sweet Potato Casserole??
For the Sweet Potato Mash
Sweet potatoes – Get firm, unblemished sweet potatoes. You want approximately 3 large ones. You can save time buy purchasing pre-cut sweet potatoes if you local store offers them.
Extra virgin olive oil – The better quality oil you can get, the better it will be for your health. Very cheap oils are usually not 100% olive oil.
Garlic cloves – You can add more or less if you wish. How much garlic you use is between you and your heart.
Ground cumin
Smoked paprika
Ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper – To taste.
Broth – Optional for consistency. I used it here, and I loved the overall texture. You can use vegetable broth or chicken broth.
For the Mediterranean Topping
Cherry tomatoes – Grape tomatoes work too.
Kalamata olives – I buy mine pre-sliced. It’s easier to not have to remove pits.
Crumbled feta cheese – You can use cow, goat, or sheep feta. Whatever tastes best to you is what you should use. If you are serving this to a group, however, I recommend using cow-based feta to make sure everyone enjoys it. It’s a milder flavor, and it avoids that “gamey” flavor that some people can taste in goat or sheep cheese.
Fresh parsley – Opt for flatleaf (Italian) parsley if you have the choice. If not, regular curly parsley will work.
Pine nuts – These are optional but delicious.
For the Lemon-Tahini Drizzle
Tahini
Fresh lemon juice
Water
Garlic cloves
Salt and pepper – To taste
How To Make This Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Casserole: Step By Step
Sweet Potato Mash
Prepare and measure all your sweet potato mash ingredients.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the peeled and cut sweet potato cubes until they’re tender. About 10-15 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot you cooked them in.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the sautéd garlic to the pot of cooked sweet potato chunks, along with the cumin, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Blend them all together using an immersion blender or potato masher. An electric hand mixer will work, too.
If it needs it for consistency, blend the broth in now.
Transfer the seasoned sweet potato mixture to a baking dish.
Toppings
Prep all your topping ingredients. (I forgot to add the pine nuts for the photo (oops!), but you want them now for this.
Spread the Mediterranean toppings evenly over the sweet potato mash in the baking dish.
Sauce
Gather all the sauce ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, fresh lemon juice, water, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed. I didn’t find it necessary, but you might.
Drizzle the Lemon-Tahini sauce over the top.
Serve your Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Casserole and garnish with additional fresh herbs, if desired.
Storage
Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap so it’s well covered, or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing
Freezing is not recommended for this recipe.
Reheating
While you don’t want to overheat this dish, a quick warmup to get it to just over room temperature can be achieved in a microwave. You can also reheat this in an oven at 350F. But cover it with foil and keep a close eye on it.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
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Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe Card
Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Immersion Blender (or potato masher)
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Base
- 4 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed – about 9 cups)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup broth (optional for texture – vegetable or chicken)
Mediterranean Topping
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ½ cup Kalamata olives (pitted and chopped)
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley (chopped)
- 2 tbsp. fresh oregano (chopped – or 1 tbsp. dried oregano)
- 2 tbsp. pine nuts (toasted)
Lemon-Tahini Drizzle
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 large garlic clove (minced)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Sweet Potato Mash
- Prepare and measure all your sweet potato mash ingredients.
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook the peeled and cut sweet potato cubes until they're fork-tender. About 10-20 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot you cooked them in.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the sautéd garlic to the pot of cooked sweet potatoes, along with the cumin, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Blend them all together using an immersion blender or potato masher.
- If it needs it for consistency, blend the broth in now.
- Transfer the seasoned sweet potatoes to a baking dish.
Toppings
- Prep all your topping ingredients. (I forgot to add the pine nuts for the photo (oops!), but you want them now for this.
- Spread the Mediterranean toppings evenly over the sweet potato mash in the baking dish.
Sauce
- Gather all the sauce ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, fresh lemon juice, water, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed. I didn't find it necessary, but you might.
- Drizzle the Lemon-Tahini sauce over the top.
- Serve your Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Casserole and garnish with additional fresh herbs, if desired.