After 10 years, I have finally decided to feature my family’s favorite Ruth Chris sweet potato casserole recipe with pecans here on the blog. Not only is this recipe a family favorite, but it is also a make ahead sweet potato casserole which makes it an Amy favorite, as well.
If you’ve ever eaten at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, you may have been privileged to enjoy the Ruth Chris sweet potato casserole first-hand. I ate it there years ago – maybe like 15 years ago when I lived in south Louisiana. I visited the Lafayette, Louisiana location with my aunt and some of her work friends. It was a wonderful visit, and I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner!
Then, 10 years ago, I stumbled upon a recipe online claiming to be a sweet potato casserole Ruth Chris recipe. While I can’t verify if this is a legit copycat recipe or not, I can verify that it is AH-MAZING. I do recall the restaurant version being spectacular and this make ahead sweet potato casserole is also spectacular – so there ya go!
I can’t even remember which website I originally saw this recipe on ten years ago. I do know it was rather poorly written with no photos. Luckily, it is simple enough that I pretty much put it to memory and have been making it ever since!
Should You Boil or Bake Sweet Potatoes?
To boil or bake sweet potatoes? That is the question. Personally, I say you can do either. I have done both, although I almost always bake them these last several years. I find baked potatoes to be more flavorful than boiled. However, I would say you can do whichever way is easiest for you!
I bake my sweet potatoes in a 425 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or so. The key is to make sure to choose potatoes around the same size. I wash, dry, and prick them before placing them on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. At the 40 minute mark, I check them by poking them with a fork. If they are not soft enough, I just let them go 5-10 minutes longer. In the past, there have been times when the sweet potatoes have needed closer to 60 minutes because the potatoes were pretty large.
Sweet Potato Casserole With or Without Pecans?
Which team are you? Personally, I can’t think of eating sweet potato casserole without pecans, but I know many people prefer theirs that way. The Ruth Chris version in the restaurant is served with a pecan crust. However, the Ruth Chris sweet potato casserole recipe with pecans also allows for marshmallows. You can simply layer them on top of the pecans, arrange them around the perimeter of the dish, or omit the pecans altogether.
Can I Use Canned Sweet Potatoes in Sweet Potato Casserole?
You may be crunched for time and are wondering if you can use canned sweet potatoes in this sweet potato casserole. My answer is that you can but I don’t guarantee the potatoes will be as flavorful. There is just something about fresh produce in dishes like this!
If you do choose to use canned sweet potatoes, you will need 6-7 cups.
Prepping Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
Since we often travel with our Ruth Chris sweet potato casserole, I have learned how to turn it into a make ahead sweet potato casserole. Here are the steps for making your own dish ahead of time.
- Prepare the sweet potato filling as described in the recipe card.
- Place the sweet potato filling in a greased or buttered 9×13 baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with a lid or with foil and refrigerate.
- Prepare the pecan streusel topping in a separate bowl.
- Transfer streusel topping to a Ziploc bag or container with lid.
- Stack sweet potato filling, pecan streusel, and a stick of butter together in fridge so you do not forget any of the three items.
- When ready to bake, melt 2/3 of the butter.
- Mix the pecan streusel and melted butter together.
- Evenly spread pecan streusel over the sweet potatoes
- Bake the uncovered casserole in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Can I Add Marshmallow Topping to This Make Ahead Ruth Chris Sweet Potato Recipe?
You do whatever floats your gravy boat! Traditionally, this sweet potatoes recipe is served with the Ruth Chris pecan streusel topping. But I tend to use both. Sometimes, I put the pecan streusel on one side of the dish and only add marshmallows to the other side. Or I layer both all over. My family loves both the pecan streusel and the marshmallow toppings.
White you are planning out this recipe for your family, be sure to consider some of our other family favorite recipes for Thanksgiving:
And if you need some recipes for leftover ham, you will want to try one of these in the days after Thanksgiving:
These ham dishes are a fun way to use of some of that leftover ham that tends to linger after the holidays. This year, I am working on tweaking some leftover turkey recipes I hope to share soon.
Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Filling
- 7 Sweet potatoes *boiled or baked and peeled
- 2 cups White sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 4 Eggs lightly beaten
- 8 tbsp Butter (1 stick); melted (optional)
Pecan Streusel Topping
- 2 cups Brown sugar
- ⅔ cups Flour
- 2 cups Pecans chopped
- ⅔ cups Butter melted
Instructions
Baking Sweet Potatoes in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Wash, dry, and prick potatoes with a fork, and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Bake potatoes for 40-50 minutes or until soft and fluffed.
Preparing Ruth Chris Sweet Potato Casserole Filling
- Turn oven to 350°.
- In a large mixer bowl, combine all ingredients for sweet potato filling, starting with the cooked and peeled sweet potatoes and ending with butter (if using).
- Mix until the filling is mostly smooth (though you may still see a few small lumps).
- Pour the sweet potato filling into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Preparing Pecan Streusel Topping
- Mix pecan streusel topping in a second medium bowl, starting with brown sugar and ending with melted butter. (Note: if making this casserole ahead of time to be eaten later, do not add the butter at this time or proceed with the following steps. See notes below.)
- Spread pecan streusel topping evenly over the sweet potato filling in the baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.
Notes
Tips for Boiling or Baking Sweet Potatoes
- Choose 7 medium to large sweet potatoes which are similar in size for even cooking.
- Boil or bake sweet potatoes (one hour of cook time is calculated into this recipe to account for cooking and peeling the potatoes).
- The 7 medium potatoes should yield about 6 cups of mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe.
- If you need to cook your sweet potatoes, obviously your prep time for this dish is longer than if you choose to use canned sweet potatoes (which you can do, if necessary).
Tips for Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
- Prepare the sweet potato filling as noted in the recipe card.
- Place the sweet potato filling in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with a lid or with foil and place in refrigerator (for up to 3-4 days).
- Prepare the pecan streusel topping in a separate bowl (omitting butter for now).
- Transfer pecan streusel topping to a Ziploc bag or a Tupperware style container with a lid.
- Stack sweet potato filling, pecan streusel bag/bowl, and a stick of butter together in fridge so you do not forget any of the three items when it is time to transport or prepare your sweet potato casserole for serving.
- When ready to bake, melt 2/3 of the butter in the microwave or on the stove top.
- Pour melted butter into the bowl with the pecan streusel and mix together.
- Evenly spread pecan streusel over the sweet potato filling.
- Bake the casserole (without lid) in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Hopefully, your family will enjoy this special dish! And I hope we all take some time during this holiday to really think about all the things we have to be thankful for! It’s so easy to forget sometimes how blessed we really are!
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