Dolly Parton’s sweet potato casserole was a hit at my Friendsgiving.
Sebastian Smith
Dolly Parton and her sister released a cookbook called “Good Lookin’ Cookin'” in September 2024.
It has an entire section with Thanksgiving recipes, including sweet potato casserole.
I made the dish for Friendsgiving, and it was a huge hit.
Dolly Parton always loved whipping up feasts of Southern comfort food for her loved ones, including her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus .
The late country icon loved it so much that she even wrote a cookbook with her sister, Rachel Parton George, which came out in 2024.
My favorite section of ” Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals ” is dedicated entirely to Thanksgiving dishes . And the best recipe of the bunch is Parton’s sweet potato casserole.
Here’s how to make it.
Dolly Parton’s sweet potato casserole has a nutty twist.
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To make the sweet potato casserole at home, you’ll need:
5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups of miniature marshmallows
½ cup of chopped raw pecans
½ cup of light brown sugar, packed
½ cup (1 stick) of butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
First, I preheated the oven and prepped my potatoes and baking pan.
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I set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and buttered a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan.
I also washed, peeled, and quartered my sweet potatoes.
I placed my sweet potatoes in a large pot and covered them with cold water.
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I brought the pot to a boil over high heat, then lowered the heat to maintain a low boil for 20 minutes while the potatoes cooked.
You’ll know they’re ready when the potatoes are fork-tender.
I drained the potatoes, placed them in a large bowl, and added the butter and seasonings.
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I threw in the brown sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and butter, adding the latter in knobs so it’d be easy to mix.
Then it was time to mash.
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The recipe recommends using a potato masher to mix the ingredients until they’re “well combined.” I don’t own one, so I simply used a big wooden serving fork — it worked like a charm!
I transferred my mashed sweet potatoes to the baking pan, smoothing the top.
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I sprinkled the pecans on top, then evenly covered the casserole with my miniature marshmallows.
I covered my pan with aluminum foil and threw it in the oven.
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The recipe says you should bake your sweet potato casserole for 20 minutes.
Once the 20 minutes were up, I baked the casserole uncovered for five additional minutes.
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The marshmallows should turn golden brown, but mine were still white as snow after five minutes passed. So I turned on the broiler and baked the casserole for two additional minutes to give them some color.
I let my sweet potato casserole cool for 15 minutes before serving.
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I was slightly disappointed when the sweet potato casserole came out of the oven. The marshmallows got a little overcooked by the broiler and now only covered half of the casserole. Next time, I think I’ll just let the marshmallows cook uncovered the entire time.
Unphotogenic marshmallows aside, this sweet potato casserole was delicious. The crunchy pecans added a delightful twist, and the combination of brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon was well balanced. The texture was satisfyingly creamy, and the dish made my kitchen smell delicious.
I brought this to a Friendsgiving, and the pan was empty within minutes — despite having a lot of competition!
I’ll definitely be missing Dolly during this holiday season. Serving up a casserole that’s warm and sweet seems like a fitting tribute.
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