Sweet Potato Banana Crumble Casserole

 
Let's face it...unless you live in the South, the only time that most of us think about making anything with sweet potatoes, or yams, is during the holidays. Well not anymore! I must admit that I have given sweet potatoes a fair shot every year...to no avail. Sweet potatoes/yams + me = unhappy tastebuds. Until now! This dish is so good that it could be served for breakfast, a side for dinner or a dessert. I LOVE this casserole! Finally, sweet potatoes and I have a relationship. A wonderful love affair...even my little Grace loves this (minus the crumble, go figure). 

There is very little that happens in the beginning...Preheat the oven at 375°F. Then I take 3 medium yams, rinse them off and pat them dry. Place the yams on a cookie sheet.

Next a bit of stabbing is required. I grab my modest little table fork and stab the front & back of each yam several times. Note to self: Do Not forget to stab yams...they have a very serious temper. For if you fail to do so, they will EXPLODE! Apparently they do not like being warmed at all.

Into the oven they go...for 20 minutes.

Next we have our bananas...3 large ones to be exact.

I remembered 5 minutes into the roasting that there was a sticker on my bananas.

Reminder: Remove sticker from banana before roasting.
After the yams have cooked for 20 minutes, I add my bananas for 15 minutes of roasting. 

  

After 15 minutes, pull out the bananas. This is when Grace & Rose scrunch up their faces and say "Ewww...Yucky bananas Mama!" And when I spend the next 10 minutes trying to convince them that this is when the bananas are sweet like candy.

The yams still have another 25-30 minutes of roasting, so I allow the bananas to cool a bit. Once they are cool enough to handle, I go ahead and put them in my mixing bowl and whip them for about 10-15 seconds. Just enough to break them down a little before the yams come out and join the party.

Once the yams have finished roasting (after I can insert a fork smoothly into the center of the yam without any resistance), I let them cool for about 10 minutes. Just enough that I can peel away the skin without my fingers feeling on fire.

Toss the yams into the mixing bowl with the bananas and let the whipping commence for about 30 seconds.

Stand back...if the hot mixture doesn't get you, the steam just might. You could do it a bit longer, but I like having a little texture to the dish...not just a smooth paste.

Grab my 2 quart baking dish and start pouring in the banana yam mixture. It smells so good that I have to take a little taste right then...Mmmmm.

 

Smooth it out...although I don't really need to at this time, I still do just because it looks better.

The zester comes out and I zest 1/2 of a navel orange. This step could be skipped if you aren't a fan of orange zest. I've made it with and without and it's phenomenal either way, but I'm just partial to a little bit of the zest. Stir it in...why I don't whisk it in the mixer...I don't know. I just don't. But you Can. :) Then I smooth it all out again. Now for the topping...my crumble. Really easy to do...can I even stress, really easy.

Take a 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and pour it into a medium mixing bowl.

Add a 3/4 cup of light brown sugar.

I take my cold butter, cube it and add it to the flour & sugar. Next a bit of spice...1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon...

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (freshly grated is even better)...

Now my hands get to get into the mix. I crumble the mixture of sugar, flour and spice with the butter until it's well incorporated and chunky. (For extra crunch you could add 1/4 cup chopped pecans!)

Then I just pour the crumble mixture evenly over the yam & banana mash.

Caramelized Topping (1 Tablespoon more butter)

Crunchy Crumble Topping

Into the oven it goes for another 20-25 minutes. Now, if you have a little bit too much butter in the topping (about a tablespoon more) it will look exactly like this batch...more caramelized than crunchy on top.

Caramelized Topping

Crunchy Crumble Topping

Once everything is finished, and the crumble topping is toasted and crunchy on top, I take this heavenly casserole out of the oven and let it set for 10-15 minutes.

Time to dig in!!! My mouth is in heaven...this is finally a side dish of sweet potatoes/yams that I can enjoy eating.
 

If you are in need of a dessert fix, then I highly recommend that you try a dab of Dryers Yogurt Blends Tart Honey frozen yogurt...OH MY GOODNESS!!! You've got to try this. Happy Eating!

Gobble Gobble (Turkey) Casserole

I'm sure that I am not the only woman who tries to find other ways to enjoy the leftovers of a Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey. Nah, I can't possibly be. So I put my "little grey cells" to work, as my favorite detective Hercule Poirot would say, and then it hit me! Not a turkey soup...no, I've had plenty of that through the years, it's to be expected...instead it occurred to me that a casserole was the way to go. So here we go!
Here we have the main players of this production. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350°F.
While the oven is getting warmed up, grab a medium saucepan and fill it with 3 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.

Since a watched pot never boils, start tearing, cutting or shredding 2 cups of turkey meat. White meat, dark meat or both...it's your choice. Mine? White meat everytime. Place the turkey meat into a 9x13 baking dish.

It's time to grab your knife! I like to buy pre-sliced mushrooms, it's so convenient, so all that's necessary now is to slice them into halves. If there are a few peices that are too big when halved, then go ahead...get crazy and cut them into quarters! Place the mushrooms into a medium sized bowl.

Now grab your carrots. (I always grab more than needed starting off) Again, take a little bit of the work out of your day...when you hit the store, grab the bag of peeled carrots. Let's slice these beauties into 1/4" thick disks. Perfectly bite-sized. Add the carrots to the mushroom bowl. And set aside. Let's check in on our water...

It's ready for action!

Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to the water. This is the only chance there is to flavor the pasta itself.

Pour in 1 1/2 cups of mini pasta. I used mini wheels. (my kiddles love the mini wheels) Cover and let cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Be sure to set your timer...we don't want the pasta to cook completely. 5 minutes is all that's needed to reach al dente. This timer annoys me more than the one on my stove so it really gets my attention.
Back to our casserole assembly...in a medium bowl mix 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup...
Add 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning,

1/2 teaspoon sea salt,

1/4 teaspoon black pepper,

 1/8 teaspoon paprika.

Stir until it's creamy and everything is well mixed.

Time to add our milk! Add little by little, stirring carefully so things don't slop all over you. (this is a problem that I battle all the time)

Oh! Time to get our pasta off of the stove! Have your strainer ready and place it in the sink. Step back as you pour the pasta into the strainer...unless you are in need of serious facial. Give the pasta a little cold shower...to stop the cooking process. It will finish cooking in the oven.

Okay, back to the casserole dish. Here we have our turkey...looking a little lonely.

Perhaps a little pasta will help...looking better, but not there yet.
Let's add the carrots and mushrooms....getting there.
Time to mix the turkey, pasta, carrots and mushrooms with your hands to insure that everything is well distributed. (plus it's just another excuse to get your hands in there)
Ah, yes. Much better. Now we're getting somewhere.
Pour the soup mixture over the turkey, carrots and mushrooms...
mix well and spread the mixture evening in the casserole dish.
Oh it looks so good already!

Check out this creamy goodness...it's just screaming to be eaten! And we could stop here...but why do that?

Time to mix our toppings! Here is our next cast of characters.
Pour out 1 cup of French's French Fried Onions onto the cutting board. Here is it.... a chance to get some agression out...perhaps pent up from those pesky laundry stains you just can't seem to get out. Perhaps not. Regardless, these french fried onions are in need of a good beating. Don't resist...how many times does that mallet actually get to come out and have some fun?
Once the onions have been pummeled into crumbs, pour then into a small mixing bowl. Then grab 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs and pour them in aswell. As you could see before, I keep quite a bit onhand. Oh how I love bulk bin shopping.

Pour our toppings over the casserole mixture.

Carefully smooth the toppings evenly, trying not to uproot any goodies along the way.
Since a little more of a crunch is always nice, drizzle 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on top of the toppings.

Now it's time to use a bit of a gently touch. Just mix the oil in enough to get some of the bread and onion crumbs mixed in. As you can see, I've chosen to use a table knife rather than a spoon...I do not want to accidently start scooping things up to the top. And mixing it all into the casserole is definately not what the goal is here.

Okay. Ready to hope on into the oven. All that's needed is a little covering of aluminum foil first. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Then uncover the casserole and bake an additional 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) so the bread topping can get a little crunchy.
It's time! Pull that badboy out of the oven and let it set for 10 minutes. This is the point when my Charming came over looked at it with a questionable expression on his face (as he knew that I was experimenting with a new recipe) and said, "Well, is this it? Can I try it? It smells good." (pick me up off the floor!) This dish is now a very welcomed addition to our menu. Enjoy!

Gobble Gobble (Turkey) Casserole
Ingredients:
2 Cups Turkey, dark and/or light meat pulled or shredded into bite size peices
2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms, halved
1-1/2 Cup Sliced Carrots, 1/4" thick
1 Cup Dry Pasta of your choice (mini pastas work best)
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt, Separated
3 Cups Water
2 - 10oz. Cans of Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Cup Whole Milk
Topping:
1 Cup French's French Fried Onions
1 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. When water comes to a boil, add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and pasta. Cook for 5 minutes until al dente. (pasta will finish cooking in the oven) When pasta is ready, strain pasta & rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to finish draining excess water.

While pasta is cooking, tear, cut or shred 2 cups of turkey meat. Set aside in a 9x13 casserole dish.
Slice peeled carrots into 1/4" rounds. Set aside in a medium bowl. Slice mushrooms into halves. (quarters for large sections) If your mushrooms are not pre-sliced, then start by slicing them into 1/4" slices, then halve or quarter accordingly. Place in the bowl with carrots.

In a seperate medium bowl combine soup, poultry seasoning, black pepper, paprika and milk.
Pour pasta into casserole dish. Mix with turkey pieces. Add carrots & mushrooms and mix again, distributing ingredients evenly. Add soup mixture to casserole dish. Mix ingredients well and spread evenly.

With a mallet, crush the French's Fried Onions until they become crumbs. Pour into a small bowl and mix with the bread crumbs. Drizzle olive oil over the breading mixture and mix gently. Pour breading mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. (if prefered, pour dry breading over casserole and lightly coat with olive oil cooking spray)

Cover casserole with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Cook for another 25-30 minutes (depending on the oven) uncovered to allow breading to toast. Remove and let casserole with for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.