Celebrate fall with this classic dish with a Whole30 twist. Our Scalloped Sweet Potatoes are a creamy and comforting holiday side dish that everyone will love. Thinly sliced sweet potatoes are baked in a savory, dairy-free cream sauce until tender and silky. This recipe is compatible with both the Original and Plant-Based Whole30 programs.
Ingredient Notes
- Raw cashews form the base of the sauce, making it rich and creamy while imparting a neutral flavor. Ideally, use raw and untoasted cashews here. For a nut-free option, try raw sunflower seeds.
- Nutritional yeast is another key ingredient in the sauce. This Whole30 staple adds that “cheesy” flavor while enhancing the savoriness. It’s a must-have in your Whole30 pantry if you do a lot of dairy-free cooking or are missing cheese during elimination.
- Tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch) thickens the sauce just enough to coat the sweet potatoes, and produces the best texture for this dish. Without it, your sauce will be too thin, and you may end up with soggy potatoes. If you don’t have tapioca flour, try swapping it for arrowroot or cassava flour.
- Feel free to use any sweet potato variety you like. We opted for orange flesh sweet potatoes since their color really stands out in this dish, but white and yellow sweet potatoes are delicious too. If sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, you can also use Yukon Gold potatoes.
Notes
- Your cooking time depends on your oven, potato variety, and thickness of the slices. Cook the dish covered until the potatoes are just tender. You don’t want them too soft, since they will continue to cook a bit more after you remove them from the oven. Uncover and continue baking until the top browns and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. If your potatoes aren’t browning, you can broil them for a few minutes (just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn).
- We made this in an 8×6-inch baking dish, perfect for a small batch. If you are feeding a larger crowd, you can double the recipe and use a 9×9-inch baking dish or similar size. (Adjust your bake time as needed.)
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp olive or avocado oil
- ½ small onion thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 lb sweet potatoes
For the sauce
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ tbsp tapioca flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Instructions
- PREHEAT oven to 400°F.
- HEAT oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened and lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- DRAIN cashews and add to a blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth and pour into a large mixing bowl.
- PEEL and thinly slice sweet potatoes and add to the bowl with the sauce. Make sure each slice gets coated with some sauce.
- PLACE ⅓ of the sweet potato slices into an 8×6-inch baking dish, covering the bottom. Sprinkle half the onions on top. Layer another ⅓ of the sweet potatoes over and sprinkle the remaining onions on. Layer the remaining sweet potatoes on top. Pour the sauce evenly over.
- COVER the dish with foil and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the sweet potatoes are just tender. Use a spoon to gently push down on the potatoes so the top gets some sauce on it.
- UNCOVER and continue baking another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the sauce has thickened.
- COOL the dish on the counter for about 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken more.
- GARNISH with fresh thyme leaves or chopped parsley, if desired.
