These maple roasted sweet potatoes with bacon, pecans and pomegranate seeds will be a showstopper at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner table! The perfect side dish to compliment your beautiful bird and traditional sides.
It’s the second week in November and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! Whether you’re hosting this year or in charge of bringing a dish, I’m sure most of you are in planning mode right now. And if you are here, I am guessing you’re looking for inspiration for new side dishes to spice up the Thanksgiving table. Well look no further! These are the best and easiest maple roasted sweet potatoes you will ever try!
Now hear me out for a second, I know stuffing and mashed potatoes are the real crowd pleasers on the Thanksgiving table. They are my favorite, too! However, I feel like every Thanksgiving spread needs a dish that balances out all the savory dishes. That’s where this dish comes in. Ditch the overly sweet casserole with marshmallows on top (you already have one mashed vegetable, why do you need another?) and opt for these roasted sweet potatoes instead.
And while these maple roasted sweet potatoes make the perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish, they aren’t just for the holidays. These roasted sweet potatoes would be great any night of the week and would pair well with roast chicken or pork tenderloin.
Regardless of whether you make these for a holiday gathering or for a regular weeknight dinner, just be sure to give them a try. They seriously blew away my expectations!
The sweet potatoes are cut into bite sized pieces and coated with a mixture of maple syrup, butter and spices. As the sweet potatoes are roasted to perfection, the maple butter thickens and caramelizes to create a beautiful glaze over the sweet potatoes. They are then tossed with crispy bacon, toasted pecans and pomegranate arils. The salty bacon and the nutty pecans balance out the sweetness from the glaze and the pomegranate arils add a lovely tart freshness to the dish.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MAPLE ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
- Baking dish
- Cutting board and knife
- Peeler
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Frying pan
WHAT IS IN MAPLE ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
- Sweet potatoes
- Bacon or turkey bacon
- Pecans
- Pomegranate arils
- Maple syrup
- Butter or ghee
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
HOW TO MAKE MAKE ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Using a sharp knife, cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
In a mixing bowl, combine the maple syrup, butter or ghee, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the cubed sweet potato to the bowl and toss until the sweet potatoes are completely coated in the maple mixture.
Pour sweet potatoes and all of the maple mixture into a greased baking dish. The maple mixture may seem thin at first, but as the sweet potatoes roast, the mixture will thicken into a glaze and adhere to the sweet potatoes.
Roast sweet potatoes for 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender (but not too soft). Be sure to toss the sweet potatoes a few times while they are roasting to keep them coated in the maple glaze.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add bacon or turkey bacon and cook until desired crispiness is reached. Drain bacon on paper towel and then crumble or cut into bits. Set aside. Turn heat down slightly and add pecans to pan with remaining bacon fat. Drain excess bacon fat if there is too much. Alternatively, if you opted for turkey bacon and there is no rendered fat, a dry pan works well in toasting the pecans, too. Toast pecans for 5 minutes, or until they are golden brown and fragrant.
Once the sweet potatoes are done roasting, take them out of the oven and chopped bacon, toasted pecans and pomegranate arils. Give everything a good toss to ensure everything is coated in maple glaze.
Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven. These roasted sweet potatoes can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you liked this maple roasted sweet potatoes recipe, check out some of my other recent recipes:
- Pecan Pie Baked Oats
- Sweet Potato Chowder
- Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Pumpkin Pie Baked Oats
- Butternut Squash Lasagna
As always, if you make this recipe please let me know by leaving a comment/rating below. If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram @thechowdown. I love seeing your recreations!
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 cups)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup butter or ghee
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup pecans
- 5 strips bacon or turkey bacon
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Using a sharp knife, cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the maple syrup, butter or ghee, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the cubed sweet potatoes to the bowl and toss until the sweet potatoes are completely coated in the maple mixture.
- Pour sweet potatoes and all of the maple mixture into a greased baking dish. The maple mixture may seem thin at first, but as the sweet potatoes roast, the mixture will thicken into a glaze and adhere to the sweet potatoes.
- Roast sweet potatoes for 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender. Toss the sweet potatoes a few times while they are roasting to keep them coated in the maple glaze.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add bacon or turkey bacon and cook until desired crispiness is reached. Drain bacon on paper towel and then crumble or cut into bits. Set aside.
- Turn heat down slightly and add pecans to pan with remaining bacon fat. Drain excess bacon fat if there is too much. If there is no rendered fat, a dry pan works as well. Toast pecans for 5 minutes, or until they are golden brown and fragrant.
- Add chopped bacon, toasted pecans and pomegranate arils to the roasted sweet potatoes. Toss well to ensure everything is coated in the maple glaze. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
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