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If you’re looking for a fun way to eat an old favorite, try this sweet potato casserole with marshmallows foil pack! It’s perfect for camping and cooking over a fire or charcoal grill, or you can just make it at home on a gas grill or in the oven! All the delicious ingredients of a sweet potato casserole in an easy-to-make, no-mess individual serving pack! Also included is a healthy version – clean |Whole30| paleo!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows:  The Dish I Never Knew I Needed

I stumbled upon sweet potato casserole on accident. We were at a friend’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, and sweet potato casserole was on the menu. I was well into my 20s and had never had sweet potato casserole, let alone a sweet potato. Out of politeness, I tried a serving, but let me tell you, I have not looked back after the first bite.

While sweet potato casserole is generally thought of as a Thanksgiving side dish, I assure you, it is not just for Thanksgiving. Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is amazing any time of year. Especially in a foil pack.

A Fresh Spin on an Old Favorite: Foil Packs

Thanks to my sister, I was introduced to foil packs. I seriously feel like I must have been living under a rock until friends and family exposed me to delicious food awaiting me.

Foil packs are amazing all on their own – quick, easy, customizable, no mess. I was in a rush one night and out of nowhere, it just came to me to try sweet potatoes in a foil pack. I’m not sure if I was just bored with the usual or didn’t want the hassle of cutting them into fries – but sweet potato casserole in a foil pack just sounded amazing to me.

I did search on google and Pinterest for a recipe to follow, but I couldn’t find anything that really sounded like sweet potato casserole.

So I went to work on this one, and I think I hit the bullseye.

Two Versions of an Old Favorite

OK, so if you’ve seen some of my posts on the blog, I really do my best to keep things healthy around here. I think there are always healthy, easy alternatives for our old favorites. But sometimes, well, the original- fatty and sugary as it is – has its place. Its place is NOT on our plate every day, and it’s not something to indulge in all the time, but there are those occasions where that’s just fine.

For these sweet potato foil packs, I tried to keep close to the original, but making things easy, especially if you are camping. Nobody wants a complicated recipe with lots of ingredients and measuring when you’re camping.

However, I think it can be done.

I did also include a healthy version. Mind you, it’s not really a sweet potato casserole in the strict sense as there are no marshmallows. But you can still have a sweet version that’s still really good as well.

For the healthy version, you can substitute coconut oil for butter and omit the marshmallows. The rest stays the same. So if there’s someone in your group is who eating healthy, you can definitely adjust this recipe for them. Or maybe you just want the healthy version for your family, which is great, too!

How to Cook a Foil Pack

Cooking a sweet potato foil pack is very versatile and very easy. It can be done on a gas grill, over coals and fire, or in an oven. Of course, you need to watch it a little more over a fire or charcoal where you can’t really regulate the temperature. But the good news is that you really can ruin this. If you overcook the sweet potatoes, they are just a little mushier, which plays into the whole casserole, so you’re good there.

In an oven or gas grill, you want to cook for about 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees. On a fire or charcoal grill, you’re looking at about 20 minutes.

Basically, once the sweet potatoes are soft, take them off the heat, open them up, add the marshmallows (if you’re using them). You can either seal them up and let them rest for 1-2 minutes – or you can open the foil, add the marshmallows and put them back in the oven or on the grill for 1-2 minutes.

You’ll want to eat them right away, or the gooey marshmallows will start to melt away. The longer you wait, the less white fluffy goodness will be there (although the sugar sweetness will).

Also, if you try to cook the sweet potato foil packs with the marshmallows from the start, the marshmallows will melt down completely and carmelize, so no gooey goodness, although you’ll still have the sweetness.

Notes about the Recipe

This recipe will make 4 sweet potato casserole foil packs, which is about 3 large sweet potatoes. You can adjust the amounts to your group, but you’re aiming for about 1/2 cup of sweet potatoes per foil pack.

The amount of butter or coconut oil is a preference as well. I found that about 1 1/2 tsp (or 1/2 Tbsp) of coconut oil or butter was about right, but you can increase or decrease it to your liking.

The same goes for the cinnamon. If I wasn’t writing out a recipe, I’d probably just sprinkle it over all the packets instead of measuring it out. I used about 1/8-1/4 tsp of cinnamon per pack – so, if you fill a 1/2 tsp with cinnamon and sprinkle it over all 4 packets, that’s about the right amount. Again, you can increase or decrease depending on your family’s preferences.

For the marshmallows, I used about 1/4 cup of mini-marshmallows per packet, about 1 cup total. If you are camping and have the large marshmallows, you can use 1-2 large marshmallows per packet. You may want to cut them up a little smaller so they melt easier.

For the healthy version, I used coconut oil (making it Whole30 and paleo compliant) instead of butter. That will give it some extra sweetness since there are no marshmallows in that version. However, you certainly can make the marshmallow version with coconut oil as well.

Delicious Add-Ins

You can add in a few more ingredients depending on your liking.  A sprinkling of brown sugar before you cook (about 1/8 – 1/4 tsp on each packet) would be delicious. You could also add in chopped pecans, which would also be delicious – about 2-3 tablespoons per packet.

Ok, let’s get to the recipe!

Sweet Potato Casserole Foil Pack Recipe

 

More Delicious Summer Food

If you’re looking for more delicious food to eat this summer, I’m putting together a special series focused just on that! Summer is a time for cookouts and family and friends, even in these crazy times. For all the food inspiration, take a look at these posts below! You can also follow the hashtag #summereats2020, just in case you miss anything, as I’ll be adding all summer long!

25 Delicious Summertime Strawberry Desserts & Treats

25 Easy & Healthy Summer Desserts

35 Refreshing & Healthy Summer Salads

If you try this, I’d love to hear how it came out or any suggestions you have (always a work in progress here!). Please tag me on Instagram@100affections or leave a comment on Pinterest! And use the hashtag #summereats2020.

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!