In this recipe:
Nutcracker Sweet Potato Penne Casserole
Gather around NUT-Cracker casserole this holiday season with warm helpings of a Chickapea pasta family favorite. This delicious casserole is topped with a nutty, savory crumble to perfectly compliment the sweet potato and pasta filling of the dish. This recipe is gluten-free, vegan and soon to become a season staple.
Nutcracker Sweet Potato Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Course: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
- Servings: 12 slices
Pecan Topping Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 ½ cup pecan halves
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp water
- ¼ tsp vanilla
Pecan Topping Instructions:
- Add brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, sea salt, water, and vanilla into a sauce pan over medium heat
- Cook the sugar mixture until it bubbles (roughly 4 minutes)
- Stir in the pecans cooking until coated, (for roughly an additional 3 minutes), stirring constantly
- Prepare a flat surface with parchment paper
- Transfer each pecan to the parchment paper to cool
- Once the pecans have cooled, break them apart and store them in an airtight container at room temperature
Casserole ingredients:
- 2lbs sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 4 Tbsp vegan butter
- 1/3 cup oat milk, unsweetened
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Package Chickapea Penne
- 2 Tbsp salt, (for cooking pasta)
- 1 Package Hippie snacks cauliflower crisp, original flavour, crushed
- Optional: 1 cup vegan marshmallows
Casserole Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Add the sweet potatoes to a large pot of water
- Bring the pot to a boil over high heat and cook the potatoes until tender (roughly 20 minutes)
- Mash the cooked potatoes
- Coat the inside of a casserole dish with a tsp of vegan butter
- Mix the remaining vegan butter, oat milk, brown sugar, and ½ tsp salt into the mashed sweet potato
- Cook the Chickapea penne, (heat 16 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of salt in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add pasta to the water, decrease heat to maintain a gentle boil. Stir and cook pasta for 6 minutes)
- Drain pasta and rinse with warm water
- Mix the cooked penne noodles into the sweet potato and layer into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish
- Crumble the cauliflower crackers over the potato
- Layer the pecans over the crackers and potato mixture
- Bake for 25-30 minutes
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Dandies vegan marshmallows are suggested as an optional topping for this dish
- Make the components ahead to reduce the time spent on the dish when it is being served
- Hippie snacks original Cauliflower crackers were used in this recipe
- Earth balance vegan butter was used in the recipe
- This recipe can be reheated after being stored covered in the refrigerator for up to two days
- If making ahead, keep the crackers and pecan topping off of the casserole and add just before cooking