This smoked sweet potato casserole recipe elevates the Thanksgiving classic with the addition of spicy cheese, smoky bacon, and plenty of sour cream. It's the perfect holiday side dish to serve alongside your grilled turkey.
If you love sweet potatoes but can't bear the thought of a sweet-on-sweet marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole, then this is for you. In this simple holiday side dish, the natural sweetness of the potatoes gets tempered by pepper jack cheese, smoky bacon, and rich sour cream.
It's also a fantastic side dish to serve at the holidays as it can be prepared in advance and finshed just before serving, and it doesn't take up any oven space.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sweet potato--These are the large orange-fleshed potatoes, which may be labeled as yams. They vary wildly in size, so choose a couple that are similar sized so that they will cook in the same amount of time.
- Bacon--You can use thick or thin cut bacon here, but I recommend staying away from maple flavored bacon. Use regular or hickory smoked bacon for best results.
- Cheese--The spice in pepper jack cheese really helps to balance the sweetness of the potatoes. If you are very sensitive to spice, you can substitute regular Monterey jack cheese.
- Sour cream--Use full-fat for the creamiest sweet potato mash.
How to Make Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole
1. Wrap the potatoes in foil and poke a few holes all over with a fork.
2. Cook the potatoes on the grill over medium-high heat until tender. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
3. Remove the flesh from the sweet potatoes and mash until mostly smooth.
4. Stir in the cheese, bacon, and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Scoop the mixture into a foil tray and smooth the top.
6. Cook on the grill with a smoke packet or on your smoker until heated through. Serve warm.
FAQs
I recommend using a mild wood, such as hickory for smoking your sweet potatoes. You want to give the dish a slightly smoky flavor, but not overwhelm it, so stay away from strong smoke flavors, such as mesquite.
Yes. Follow the directions, baking your potatoes in a 400°F (200°C) oven until tender, then finishing the assembled casserole in a 350°F (180°C) oven. It won't have the same smoke flavor, but will still be delicious. Note that if you are baking it in the oven, you can cook it in an oven-safe dish.
Definitely. You can cook the potatoes and assemble the casserole ahead of time. Store it in a tightly wrapped container in the fridge for up to 3 days before cooking or freeze for up to 1 month. If frozen, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before finishing on the grill.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Store leftover smoked sweet potato casserole in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
- The cooking time for the sweet potatoes will be dependent on their size. Extra large ones may take up to 30 minutes longer to cook than large-sized sweet potatoes.
- This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.
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Recipe
Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 18 oz | 500 g total weight)
- ¾ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- ⅓ cup cooked chopped bacon (from 3 slices)
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the grill for medium-high indirect heat (about 400°F | 200°C).
- Wrap each sweet potato in foil and pierce with a fork in a few spots around each potato.
- Cook on the grill over indirect heat until the potatoes are very tender when pierced, 60 to 75 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them open and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash until smooth.
- Stir in the cheese, bacon, and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scoop the mixture into an 8-by-8-inch or 8-by-6-inch foil pan and smooth the top.
- Prepare your smoker or grill with smoke box or smoke packet for smoking at 300°F using hickory wood chips, chunks, or pellets.
- Smoke the sweet potato casserole until it's hot throughout and the cheese is melted, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm directly from the pan or transfer it to a serving dish.
Notes
- Get ahead--Cook the potatoes and prepare the casserole up to 3 days before serving. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. Finish on the smoker just before serving. Heating time will be longer if the casserole is chilled before smoking.
- Storage--Store leftover smoked sweet potato casserole in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
- Size matters--The cooking time for the sweet potatoes will be dependent on their size. Extra large ones may take up to 30 minutes longer to cook than large-sized sweet potatoes.
- Dietary--This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.
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