Sweet Potato Casserole (Cazuela de Batatas)

This Sweet Potato Casserole (Cazuela de Batatas) is a delicious dish you can quickly put together with a few ingredients in under 30 minutes that everyone will love at Thanksgiving! It’s soaked in pineapple juices, topped with pineapple chunks, cinnamon, butter crumble and maraschino cherries.

Thanksgiving is such a beautiful holiday! It allows us to really sit down and spend time with our loved ones over a wonderful feast of a meal! YUM!

This is the first true holiday of the year where all the fabulous traditional family recipes and dishes come out. We put all the pressures of life aside and cherish this time together. Just like Christmas, this holiday brings us together.

Similarly, with all the beautiful cultures and traditions in this world, it’s also so interesting to me to learn what others serve at their festive tables. So today, in this post, I would like to share mine with you.

Our Puerto Rican Traditions

In our Puerto Rican home, I grew up where Thanksgiving morning was always truly eventful and memorable. I have the fondest memories.

I’d wake up to all the fabulous delicious smells of my mothers cooking. The pavochon (Puerto Rican style turkey) already in the oven lingering all its delicious garlic aroma throughout the house and my mother preparing all the side dishes.

In our home that meant not only the pavochon but also pernil (roasted pork shoulder), arroz con gandules (pigeon peas and rice), ensalada de papa (Puerto Rican potato salad), ensalada de coditos (Puerto Rican macaroni salad), cazuela de batatas (this recipe! ) and if mami had already made her huge batch of pasteles, pasteles where also on the table!

Hence, this delicious recipe comes to you thanks to my precious mother! This is her sweet potato casserole recipe minus the butter crumble. This is a recipe that I not only have grown up with but continue to make in my own household.

It’s just delicious, really easy to make and not time consuming at all.

Ingredients for Sweet Potatoes Casserole

• 3-4 Sweet Potatoes, boiled
• 20 ounces Pineapple slices or chunks
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• cinnamon, sprinkled
• maraschino cherries, about 15 or so

Butter Crumble Topping for Casserole

• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup all purpose flour
• 5 tbsp butter

How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole (Cazuela de Batatas)

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1. Sweet Potatoes: Rinse sweet potatoes. In a medium size pot add potatoes and cover with enough water to cover. Cook potatoes over medium high heat for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. (Do not over cook potatoes or they will b too mushy)
2. Butter: Melt butter and spread in a 9×9 inch cake pan or larger.
3. Slice Potatoes: Slice potatoes to ½ inch slices. Place in pan.
4. Cinnamon: Sprinkle a little cinnamon on potatoes. Tip: Do not add too much just sprinkle on potatoes.
5. Pineapple: Top half of the can of pineapple chunks on top of potatoes. Sprinkle more cinnamon. Add all the pineapple juice to pan.

Butter Crumble

1. Combine butter, sugar and flour using your fingers to create a moist crumb.
2. Sprinkle butter crumble on potatoes.
3. Top with maraschino cherries.
4. Bake Casserole: Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes.

Can I Prep Sweet Potato Casserole (Cazuela de Batatas) in Advance

Yes you can! You can prep up to two days in advance and refrigerate. When ready to bake, make the crumble, top with cherries and bake.

Can I Make this Dish Vegan?

Yes you can! Simply use vegan butter! If you would like check out this post Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole from My Darling Vegan.

Can I Make this Dish Gluten Free?

Yes you can! Substitute all purpose flour with gluten free flour. Example: Almond flour.