My Aunt Dorothy’s McCann family recipe for sweet potato casserole has always been a holiday favorite for as long as I can remember. So this past Thanksgiving, I brought this sugary side dish to my in-laws, with a few healthy tweeks.

If you’re looking for the original family recipe, you can pretty much just go with the non-light version of the ingredients (for example, regular brown sugar instead of the Truvia brown sugar baking blend).

Even with the healthy adjustments, it’s not the lowest calorie dish in the world. But it is fairly low in fat and full of healthy sweet potato goodness. Because of the marshmallows, there is a lot of sugar. I’ve read a suggestion for that: you can use mini marshmallows and sprinkle them lightly around the top, rather than having a full marshmallow blanket.

I just didn’t want to give that up.

This is a time consuming process, which is why its a holiday special. Totally worth the work, however, and it’s really not that hard. Peeling the potatoes and cutting them ahead of time, then steaming, really seems to keep the potatoes flavorful and it’s not nearly as messy as baking them first.

And if you’re traveling by car for a family get-together, this casserole will work out perfectly, as long as you can squeeze your dish into the oven about a half an hour before the big meal is served. Fight for some space next to that main course. It’ll be worth it.

Holiday Sweet Potato Casserole – 264 calories per serving. And they’re just as hearty and sweet as the original recipe, but much lighter!

Servings: 12
Cook Time: 30 minutes to steam potatoes plus time to boil water, 30 minutes to bake, and time to brown the marshmallows. Mind you, this works better if you let it sit overnight before baking.

Ingredients:

4lbs sweet potatoes
6 Tbsp light butter (such as Land of Lakes light butter made with canola oil)
½ cup fat free evaporated milk
3 Tbsp Truvia brown sugar blend
5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp rum or honey whiskey
3 Tbsp chopped pecans
1 (10oz) bag of marshmallows

Peel potatoes and cut into even sized chunks. In a pot for steaming, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Reduce water to a simmer and place steamer over pot. Add potatoes, cover, and steam for 30 minutes, or until potatoes give no resistance when pricked with a fork. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Then add the evaporated milk and heat until warm (2-3 minutes). Pour butter and milk mixture over the potatoes, then add brown sugar blend, cinnamon, salt, and rum. Whip potatoes with a stand mixer, hand mixer, or food processor until smooth. Gently stir in pecans. Transfer to a casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Before baking, bring casserole to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and put marshmallows on top of the casserole, keeping in mind that the marshmallows will expand when heated. Return casserole to oven and bake until marshmallows are golden on top. Time varies so check frequently. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Nutrition Information:

Nutrition Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist…these are just the calculations I’m pretty sure are close to correct. I use BodyMedia to generate my information.

Calories: 264
Fat: 3.8g
Saturated Fat: 1.6g
Cholesterol: 7.9mg
Sodium: 357mg
Carbohydrates: 55g
Dietary Fiber: 5.3g
Sugar: 23.4g
Protein: 4.2g
Dietary Exchange:  3 Starch servings
Jenny Craig: Pair this with 1 Meat serving and a good helping of vegetables, and you’ll be set for dinner.
Weight Watchers: 7 Points (using calculatorcat.com).