Mashed sweet potatoes with lemon-basil sauce make for the perfect sweet-and-savory side dish.
Creamy and rich in flavor, they pair well with any main course, especially during the holiday season. When I want something with a little more texture and color on the holiday table, these roasted sweet potatoes with Brussels sprouts and cranberries are another favorite.
While regular mashed potatoes are always welcomed and favorites, sweet potatoes are forging a place at the dinner table.
Rich in flavor and texture, the added lemon basil salsa brings them to a new level or irresistible. And when I say irresistible, I mean I have been caught eating this whole dish alone. No regrets, either.
This is one of my favorite times of the year. Coming out, or almost out of the long summer months, the prospect of holiday cooking is welcome in my kitchen. And with the holidays fast approaching, I am enjoying all the fall flavors beforehand.
Baked sweet potato recipes are always a challenge, as every recipe I encounter is so sweet with so much brown sugar or maple syrup added that I want something more savory this year.
I added the lemon basil salsa and brought home the savory flavor I craved.
Just a few staple ingredients create a stellar combination.
In this Article
- A Note From Giangi
- A note about the Lemon Basil Salsa
- Key Ingredients needed
- How to make this fantastic mashed sweet potato recipe
- Equipment Needed
- What can you serve with your mashed sweet potato?
- Substitutions and suggestions
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Lemon Basil Sauce FAQs
- Storage and reheating instructions
- More Sweet Potato Recipes You Will Love
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Lemon Basil Sauce
A Note From Giangi
A note about the Lemon Basil Salsa
You will like this lemon basil salsa if you like gremolata and chimichurri.
The difference is in the amount of garlic used and adding the basil with the lemon juice.
Milder in flavor. Creamier and rich in texture.
I love the lemon zest added to the lemon. It made this salsa intense and so flavorful.
Key Ingredients needed
The ingredient list is also brief. It includes essential items that you may already have in your pantry. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.
Sweet potato – select all the same size so they will bake evenly for you.
Basil – Sweet Italian basil is best for this dish as it brings a tinge of freshness.
Italian flat leaves parsley – The best to use, and do use the stems also as they contain the most parsley oils.
Garlic clove – I enjoy finely grating it as it releases most of the oils. It automatically grinds finely; therefore, you will not bite into chunks.
Lemon zest and juice – remove the zest before squeezing the juice out of your lemon
Olive oil – rubbed all over the cut side of your potatoes as well as to make your salsa.
Salt and pepper – to season your salsa and potatoes
Pomegranate seeds – add some sweetness to your lemon basil salsa. This is optional, but under the holidays, it brings a touch of festivity to your dish.
How to make this fantastic mashed sweet potato recipe
This is a very straightforward recipe.
Step 1: Roast the sweet potatoes by cutting them lengthwise, and ensure each half is equal, or one half will bake faster than the other.
Step 2: Once the potatoes are roasted prepare the sauce by adding all the chopped ingredients with the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
Step 3: Remove the skin gently, mash with a masher, and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Place on a serving dish, drizzle the salsa over with the pomegranate seeds and enjoy.
Equipment Needed
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Baking sheet – to bake your sweet potatoes
Parchment paper – lining the baking sheet with parchment paper will prevent your potatoes from sticking to the bottom in the oven.
Sharp chef’s knife – slicing and chopping your herbs
Potato masher – makes your potato flesh smooth and lumps-free.
Zester – for your lemon
Juicer – for your lemon
Small mixing bowl – to prepare your lemon basil salsa
Serving dish – this colorful recipe requires a simple dish to stand out at dinner time.
What can you serve with your mashed sweet potato?
Mashed sweet potatoes go with just about anything you wish to prepare.
These mashed sweet potatoes are a great holiday side dish, but why stop there? Incorporate them with many of your weeknight favorite entrees.
Pair with other seasonal side dishes such as Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze or our fall salads.
Substitutions and suggestions
With just a few ingredients, you can create a new dish.
Here are a few suggestions, but let your imagination go wild and create your signature dish. Have fun!
- Bacon that is crispy and chopped into tiny bites.
- Spice it up by adding some cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, or chili pepper flakes.
- Add some chives or finely chopped scallions to your salsa.
- Cilantro can substitute for parsley.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Lemon Basil Sauce FAQs
What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?
Sweet potatoes have smooth, reddish skin and orange flesh, becoming softer when cooked and with a sweet flavor. Yams have rough, dark brown skin, often compared to tree bark.
What does a yam look like?
Yams have a cylindrical shape with blackish or brown, bark-like skin and white, purple, or reddish flesh.
Which is healthier, sweet potato or yam?
Both sweet potatoes and yams are nutritious even though they are entirely different vegetables. Sweet potatoes contain more vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, and protein.
Storage and reheating instructions
For several days, you can store our leftovers in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.
When ready to reheat them, please bring them back to room temperature and bake in an ovenproof container at 325F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve warm, and add lemon basil salsa if you have some leftovers.
You can also freeze any leftovers. Allow them to cool completely, then transfer them into serving-size portions in a zip-top freezer-safe container or bag. I am not fond of keeping longer than three months in the freezer.
Thaw in the refrigerator.
More Sweet Potato Recipes You Will Love
If you tried this Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Lemon Basil Sauce or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Lemon Basil Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, unpeeled and sliced in half lenghtwise
- 4 tablepsoons olive oil
- ¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1 garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉
- Rub the sliced sweet potatoes with olive oil, season generously with salt, and place them cut-side down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.Place in the hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until very soft.
- Meanwhile, prepare the lemon basil salsa in a small bowl by mixing the parsley, basil, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with salt and mix well.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooled enough to handle, remove the skin from the sweet potatoes. The skin and flesh should separate easily, almost slipping out.
- Mash the flesh with salt and pepper until smooth.
- Transfer to a serving dish, create some divots with the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle the salsa over it and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over it.Serve warm
Notes
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Sides
- Cuisine: American
- Occasion: Thanksgiving
- Season: Fall
- Type: Affordable Gourmet, Under 45 minutes
Did you make this?
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Barbara
This is my new favorite way to make sweet potatoes! That lemon basil sauce is unbelievably delicious and the pomegranate seeds are such a nice touch! The whole dish is pretty enough for a holiday meal but so easy to make. I just love this recipe! Thank you!
Giangi Townsend
The pleasure is all mine, Barbara. Thank you for making my recipe and sharing your feedback.
Enjoy!
Ryan
I absolutely love some sweet potatoes, but would have NEVER thought to pair them up with a lemon basil salsa. They were sooo good! Thanks for sharing this!!!
Giangi Townsend
Thank you and you are most welcome. Fun to add a new recipe to our repertoire.
Enjoy!