Colder month have almost past where a warm Sweet Potato Casserole recipe  hits the spot on a snowy day late in February like today. Easy dinners though are always important no matter the season.

A quick night before recipe,  that takes 20-30 minutes to prepare and anyone over the age of 12 can stick into the oven matters to empty-nesters, and busy families.

Quick Night Before Sweet Potato Casserole

You can make this meat pie with either sweet potatoes or yams. We have even done it with different types of squash, especially Acorn, my husband’s favorite.

Below is our audio of cooking instructions. Simply carry your smart device or laptop into the kitchen and listen. Pause as needed. The full recipe for Yam Casserole follows, remember this is a meat pie with tons of vegetables from your refrigerator. We cook this toward the end of our week when we don’t have enough of any one vegetable for everyone.

It’s great to prepare ahead while making your dinner for the night before. When we gave up white potatoes a decade ago we still wanted a warm comfort food on cold stormy nights. It’s easy to do the prep work, as you’ll hear in the recording while you cut up vegetables the night before.

Audio recipe >>> click here! [sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/acudocdeb/SweetPotatoeCasserole2-12-15.mp3″]

Choose health for your Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Many new clients think buying foods organic or free-range meat is expensive. Look for sales, Whole Foods is not offering many great buys. Natural Grocers a local chain has low prices and quality too. Along with Whole Foods, Costco is the only other market that 3rd party certifies organics and labeling.
I have a simple saying, “Buying healthy food now is cheaper than buying expensive health care later.”
Our dish is filled with great organic produce and free-range meats to make it tasty. It a quick night before fixings making it simple to place in the oven when you get home from work before you go change your clothes.
Many recipes I share allow you to experiment and using the last of vegetables in the refrigerator. To make it more interesting you choose your favorite spices of cinnamon, cloves, a pinch of all-spice along with sea salt, pepper, and thyme.
Sweet potato casserole recipe is great whether it’s early October or late winter in February after our friend the ground-hog tells us to expect 6 more weeks of cold.

Dr. Deb’s Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Serving 2 people. Double for 4.
Prep time: 20 minutes [night before]
Warming Time: 20-25 minutes [dinner night]
INGREDIENTS
• 1-2 large Sweet Potatoes Or Yams. You can use canned or deli prepared.

• Approx. ¼ to ½ cup of each left over vegetable you have in your refrigerator.
Carrots, Yellow Pepper, Zucchini Squash, Onions, Mushrooms, Cooked Green Beans, and Celery.

• ¼ to ¾ pound of free-range ground meat like beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. We combine 1/3 lb. beef and pork each. Do not blend poultry meats.

• Fresh spices and herbs like garlic, onions, thyme, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, all-spice, or other meat spices.

• Chicken stock or broth to saute cook instead of oil or along with oil

• High-heat oil like avocado, or coconut

• Low-heat oil like olive oil.

HOME-COOKING – PREPARE FOOD WITH LOVE
Meals taste best when a little love it added. While kids seldom remember all the details getting them involved gives them life skills once they go off on their own. It also frees you up as they get older.
The complaints about helping you are less when they feel a contributor to the meal and they are more likely to try a new dish they helped to make.
If you live alone or with other adults, make mealtime special by doing something together or invite a friend to dine with you.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
While making your dinner for tonight – you can start this dish at the same time so tomorrow night is a ‘free’ night from cooking.
PREP FOOD FIRST – Do this while you prepare tonight’s meal or if you prep vegetable a few times for use.
1. Dice vegetables.
2. Peel and cube sweet potato or yams. [I make slices for quick cooking]
3. Unwrap meat
4. Spray a small to medium size casserole dish or pie plate.
5. Spray a large skillet or deep cooking pot
DIRECTIONS
Start: Add 1-4 tbp. of high-heat oil to a ceramic skillet – on medium heat.
• Cook onions first until slightly clear.
• Add other vegetables in this order usually, peppers, carrots, green beans, celery, and last the mushrooms. If you are running out of oil moisture, you can add a little chicken broth a tablespoon at a time and turn the heat to low and cover. This is broth sauté.
• You want the vegetable to be slightly soft and translucent.
• While the vegetables cook: Start the yams or sweet potatoes. Cook on top of stove in enough water to cover on medium heat until tender.
• Drain water and let cool a bit, add butter or mild tasting oil and mash. Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder and a dash of cinnamon.
• If using canned you can add these seasoning; deli prepared has spices.
• Next: it’s time to cook the meat. We move the vegetables to a small plate and use the same skillet to brown the meat with a little coconut or avocado oil on low to medium. Make sure to break up large chunks with a pan-spatula.
• While the meat is cooking, line the sides of a casserole dish or pie pan with the mashed potatoes. Place this in the refrigerator.
• Cook meat until no pink remains. Remove the skillet from the stove to a safe countertop and gently add back in the vegetables mixing well.
• Take the casserole dish out and carefully spoon the meat vegetable mix into the center. If the mix doesn’t fill the dish, you can use a fork to loosen the yams sides onto the top.
• Cover and place back into the refrigerator until tomorrow evening.
• To cook: remove from refrigerator and place in cold oven. Turn on heat to 350 degrees and warm for 20-30 minutes. Test center for warmth. If still cool place back in oven covered.
This Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is easy to make while cooking other food because you’re simply browning, boiling or sautéing foods on low heat.