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Having a few ready-made side dishes in the freezer makes weeknight cooking considerably easier, especially in fall and winter when I want something warm and from scratch without a lot of effort. These sweet potato balls came from a recipe in Angi Schneider’s book on preserving vegetables, and honestly it’s not something I would have thought to do on my own. You cook and mash the sweet potatoes, roll them in butter and pecans, freeze them, and then bake straight from the freezer whenever you need a quick side. I make a batch every fall just to have on hand.
Cookbook Inspiration
This recipe came from The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables by Angi Schneider. The book is an amazing resource for any person interested in food preservation.
Whether you have a large garden, are simply looking to make the most of your CSA subscription, or simply want to save money by purchasing and preserving in-season produce this book is a guide you’ll turn to repeatedly.
Make Ahead Side Dish
This recipe will give you an entirely new way to look at how to freeze sweet potatoes and it makes cooking and preparing for big feast meals a snap.
When it’s time to cook, you simply plop the frozen balls onto baking sheets and bake no muss, no fuss.
To make the prep work of making the actual balls even easier, it too can be broken up over several days. Cook and mash the potatoes one day, place them in a container in the fridge for a day or two and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Changes & Options
The original recipe has orange juice or lemon juice instead of milk. I knew that bit of fruit juice wouldn’t go over well with some folks in my family, so I substituted milk and it worked just fine.
Vegans can feel free to skip the bacon and use melted coconut oil or vegan margarine instead of the butter.
The instructions in the recipe called for making much smaller balls than I did. I opted for making large balls and using a cookie scoop to keep them evenly sized. Feel free to go larger or smaller as desired.
I didn’t try it but I don’t see why patty shaped instead of round wouldn’t work just as well if that is something you’d prefer.
Frozen Sweet Potato Balls
Fluffy and crunchy sweet potato balls are the perfect prep ahead side dish. Make them now, freeze, and easily heat for serving later.
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Pecans, finely chopped
- 3 1/2 Cups Cooked & Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- 1/4 Cup Cooked & Crumbled Bacon
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 Cup Bread Crumbs
- 1/2 Cup Butter, Melted
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper.
- Have the melted butter ready in the pot or in a bowl.
- Spread the chopped pecans onto a plate.
- Mix together the mashed sweet potatoes, bacon, milk, pepper, salt, and half of the bread crumbs. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Try forming a ball with the mixture. If it doesn't hold it's shape, mix in the remaining bread crumbs.
- Roll walnut size balls of the sweet potato mixture between your palms.
- Dip the ball into the melted butter, coating completely.
- Roll the ball in the chopped pecans to cover completely.
- Place the ball onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until all the sweet potato mixture is used.
- Place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze for at least 8 hours.
- Remove the frozen balls from the cookie sheet and store in airtight containers. Keep frozen until ready to use.
To Cook & Serve
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the frozen balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cook for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 BallAmount Per Serving: Calories: 181Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 224mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g
We try our best but cannot guarantee that nutrition information is 100% accurate.
Hi, I like your recipe concept! Have you ever made it without the bread crumbs? I am wondering if using flax seed (ground) in lieu of the bread crumbs might work. I’d like to keep it gluten free and grain free. Any ideas? Thanks!
The flax might work oy but I can’t say for certain.
I love that book, too, and these look amazing!
I love that this recipe doesn’t use sugar and spices like the traditional side dish for the holiday meal. Yum.