Lightened Up Sweet Potato Casserole

I absolutely love my mom's sweet potato casserole. It is so decadent and comforting, but it's loaded with lots of butter and calories! So I thought I would try to make a version that was a bit lighter and better for you while still remaining delicious. I got inspiration from Cooking Light & All Recipes and made my own variation. I used oats in the topping, but I would also suggest using chopped pecans. I had used pecans in several of the dishes for this meal, so I went with oats & it gave it a nice crunchy texture. I also meant to add a tbsp. of whole wheat flour to the topping, but I forgot in all the preparations! I'll go ahead and list it below, though. This casserole tasted great! The sweet potato really comes through and it wasn't overly sweet. I loved the nice pop of flavor that the orange juice gives it. I also opted to bake the sweet potatoes instead of boiling per some of the comments on the above sites to retain the nutritional value in the sweet potatoes.

Lightened Up Sweet Potato Casserole
Source: Inspiration from All Recipes & Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Sweet Potatoes (about 3 large or 4 medium)
1/2 cup fat free half & half or skim milk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
1/4 cup quick cooking oats (or chopped pecans)

1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1/2 tbsp. melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut sweet potatoes in half and roast in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven & allow to cool slightly. Once cool enough to touch, scoop out insides & place in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until sweet potatoes are slightly mashed. Add in 2 tbsp. butter, brown sugar, half & half, orange juice, vanilla, nutmeg & cinnamon. Beat until incorporated and sweet potatoes become a whipped consistency.

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour sweet potato mixture into dish. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp. cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup oats, & whole wheat flour. Whisk together. Add half of melted butter and stir to combine. Spoon topping over sweet potato mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining butter. If desired, broil for one minute more to crisp the top, watching closely.

Nutrition Info: Per serving (serves approximately 9) Calories 135.7, Fat 3.7 g, Sat. Fat 2.2 g, Cholesterol 9.3 mg, Sodium 42.5 mg, Carbs 42.5 g, sugar 18.7 g, Protein 1.8 g

*(recipe entered at sparkrecipes.com to find nutritional info-information deemed reliable but not guaranteed)