Low calorie individual sweet potato casseroles recipe

November 5, 12:42 PMNorfolk Cooking ExaminerKristin King

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Individual Low Calorie Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole has become part of Thanksgiving tradition for many families.  While its sweetness is heavenly, it isn’t friendly on the waistline.  A low calorie version of sweet potato casserole is just as good, if not better,  than the original and no one has to feel bad about eating it. 

Standard sweet potato casserole is laden with butter and sugar and then it’s topped with marshmallows.  Don’t even lie and say you don’t like it; it’s fantastic.  In an effort to make Thanksgiving dinner a little healthier, but still taste great, I’ve come up with a phenomenal recipe.  Honey is the perfect replacement for sugar while a crumble topping made takes the place of gooey marshmallows.  Worried about still putting too much on your plate?  I’ve taken the guesswork out of portion sizing by making individual casseroles out of the sweet potato skins – we all know how healthy those are. 

A standard sweet potato casserole with marshmallow topping runs about 430 calories for a 1 cup serving.  This low calorie version has about 220 calories for a 1 cup serving!!!  That is almost half and you don’t los e an ounce of flavor. 

Low Calorie Individual Sweet Potato Casseroles – makes 8 servings

• 4 medium sweet potato, make sure they are as round as possible
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp honey
• ½ cup low-fat milk
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp clove
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp cold butter
• ½ cup pecans, finely chopped

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.  Wash the sweet potatoes well and poke a few holes in them with a fork.  Bake on a baking sheet for an hour, or until the flesh is tender.  Remove from the oven to cool.  Once cool enough to handle, slice the sweet potatoes down the center (the long way) and scoop out as much flesh as possible leaving the skin intact.  This is exactly like making a twice baked potato. 
In a bowl, combine the sweet potato, honey, orange juice and zest, milk, vanilla, spices and salt.  Mash until smooth and fluffy.  Quickly whisk in the egg.  Divide the filling evenly back into the sweet potato shells and place on the baking sheet. 

To make the topping, place brown sugar, flour and butter in a bowl.  Either with your hands or a fork, mix the ingredients together – the mixture should be very crumbly and the butter should be the size of peas.  Stir in the pecans to combine.  Top each of the casseroles with the topping. 
Bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until the filling is hot and the topping is brown. 

To make ahead, bake off the sweet potatoes and scoop out the flesh.  The crumble topping can also be made in advance.  Right before baking, make the filling and top with the crumble.  An additional 15 minutes of baking might be necessary.