Sweet Potato Casserole

[kirra]

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potatoes?! On a low-carb diet?! Many of us miss the flavor of sweet potatoes in casseroles and more — especially in the Fall. The good news is that by adding just 1/2 cup of real baked sweet potato to a couple of more carb-friendly relatives (pumpkin and squash), we can extend the dish and fool the tastebuds! A finishing sprinkling of our low-carb marshmallows and you'll think you're cheating — but you're NOT!

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato, (baked, cooled and mashed to make 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 medium summer squash, (halved, seeded, baked and mashed to make 1 cup)
4 eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 stick butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash of allspice
Dash of cloves
1/2 cup Splenda
1 Tbsp molasses
4 drops of yellow and 1 drop red food color
Marshmallows for topping

Preparation:

Prepare sweet potato and squash to their recipe ready condition as listed above. Ingredients should be room temperature. Preheat oven to 325°F.
Butter a 9-12" casserole dish.

In large mixing bowl, stir together mashed sweet potato, pumpkin, and mashed squash (any summer squash is acceptable here). If some lumps remain, don't worry about it, they add a little character to the dish! In a separate bowl beat eggs with xanthan gum, Splenda and molasses. Add heavy cream and mix (with hand mixer) until well mixed and beginning to thicken.

Add egg/cream mixture to sweet potato mixture and stir by hand to mix lightly. Add salt, spices and food color. Mix to distribute. You may wish to taste here for your sweetness and spice preference. If more is needed, add it now.

Spoon mixture into buttered casserole dish and smooth to even out. Cut remainder of 1/2 stick butter (after using some to butter dish) into thin pats and distribute them over top of casserole. Optionally, you can sprinkle a bit of extra cinnamon on top. Bake for 35-45 minutes until browned at edges and cracking a bit. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before sprinkling with marshmallows. Makes 6 servings.

Note: You can top this dish with artificially sweetened meringue instead of marshmallows if you prefer. If you use meringue, give the dish a few moments under the broiler to brown the meringue tips before serving.

Carbs: 6.5 grams per serving. 40 grams carbs (allowing for fiber) in entire recipe.