Sweet potatoes roasted to perfection in a creamy herb sauce, covered with melty cheese and crispy panko breadcrumbs. The coziest side dish that no one will ever guess is actually pretty healthy!
Nothing says happy Thanksgiving like GREAT SIDES. I mean I do really like turkey actually, but it is definitely the sides that get me excited for the big day. But really whether it is Thanksgiving or not, this is just a super cozy, comfort food vibe side dish that is great for any occasion. And I lightened it up for you so it is good for that waistline too 😉
If you are looking for some more great Thanksgiving/cozy vibe side dishes be sure to check out my cauliflower mashed potatoes, my healthy sweet potato casserole, my crispy “cheesy” broccoli casserole, and my roasted carrots with tahini sauce! Or just go check out all my great side dishes here. And you can rest assured they are all healthy too!
Let’s Make Some Healthy Sweet Potato Au Gratin!
The hardest part of this is probably arranging the potatoes in a way you like 😛 I shared my process shot below of how I arranged mine. I like using an oval dish for this recipe but you can definitely use a rectangle or a square and arrange the potatoes however you like! You just want them to all be upright so they are touching both the bottom of the pan and sticking out at the top (gotta get baked and crispy!) and close enough together so they don’t fall.
If we are getting really particular about presentation, I like to try to get the roundest sweet potatoes I can find so that none of them have a funny shape when you put them next to each other, and I try to get them all around the same size, again, so they look normal next to each other. But once you cover them in all that cheese that is what people are really going to look at! So don’t worry too much 🙂
I don’t peel my potatoes and don’t think there is a need to, but if you really want to you definitely could.
You can use any dairy free milk you want for this, but I actually used Lavva’s new creamer. It Is super thick and creamy and isn’t sweetened so it is a great option. Just try to pick a thick milk that isn’t on the sweet side and you will be good!
Lastly – the cheese. I actually took a few minutes to separate a bunch of the potatoes to sprinkle cheese in the middle. I like that it made every bite extra cheesy! And you can always add more/less cheese as you like and even use vegan cheese if you want!
This is a great side dish that feeds multiple people and really gets the cozy vibes going. Hope you like it as much as we do! If you have any other questions I didn’t answer feel free to leave a comment or DM me on Instagram!
In addition to the listed ingredients, you will need:
- a medium to large baking dish (I like oval ones for this for the shape!)
- a mandoline or a super sharp knife and REALLY good knife skills)
- cooking spray oil
- a small bowl
- a fork or whisk
Enjoy!!
Print
Healthy Sweet Potato Au Gratin
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 medium pan 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Gluten Free & Vegan Options, Refined Sugar Free
Sweet potatoes roasted to perfection in a creamy herb sauce, covered with melty cheese and crispy panko breadcrumbs. The coziest side dish that no one will ever guess is actually pretty healthy!
Ingredients
- 3–4 sweet potatoes*
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- more salt and pepper to taste
- panko bread crumbs to taste
- optional: shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Slice your sweet potatoes to 1/8in using a mandoline (carefully!). No need to peel them, but you can if you prefer.
- Arrange your potatoes in a baking dish greased with oil (see process photo above for example). Spray potatoes with more oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Take 1/2 cup of your parmesan, and sprinkle on potatoes, separating in between as many as you can with your fingers to get the cheese in there good 🙂
- Combine the milk, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and garlic powder in a small bowl, whisk until combined, and pour on top of potatoes.
- Finish with the last 1/4 cup of parmesan.
- Bake at 375F for 40 minutes, until potatoes are mostly baked through.
- Pull out of the oven, top with breadcrumbs and more parmesan and mozzarella if desired, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until breadcrumbs are brown and toasty.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*try to find similar sized sweet potatoes that have a good round shape so they look good stacked next to each other and fit in well!
I actually used Lavva’s new plant based creamer as my “milk” because it is extra thick. I would recommend using a non-sweetened oat or coconut milk for a really thick option, or an almond milk. The thicker the better!
Feel free to use dairy free cheese and gluten free bread crumbs for both a gluten free and vegan option.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~1/2 cup
If you try this recipe please leave a comment below letting me know what you think! If you remake on Instagram don’t forget to tag me at @donutworry_behealthy so I can see your creation and share in my stories!
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