BASIL PESTO AND BACON MASHED SWEET POTATOES

Basil Pesto and Bacon Mashed Sweet Potatoes image

Different take on a mashed sweet potato recipe. Kid- and husband-approved! You can use a prepared pesto spread instead of making one from scratch with the basil, almond, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Provided by Natalie

Categories Side Dish Vegetables Sweet Potatoes

Time 50m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups chicken broth, or as needed to cover
3 tablespoons butter
5 slices uncured bacon, diced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup roasted almonds
3 tablespoons olive oil, or more to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper to taste
¾ cup milk

Steps:

Place sweet potatoes into a saucepan, cover with chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender enough to pierce easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to pan; add butter and cover pan.
Cook and stir bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to blot grease.
Process basil and almonds in a food processor until pulverized, about 30 seconds, and slowly drizzle olive oil into the running food processor until thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to basil mixture and pulse several times to combine to make the pesto.
Beat sweet potatoes in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, slowly adding milk, until potatoes are fluffy and smooth. Alternatively, mash sweet potatoes with a fork if you prefer a more chunky texture. Season to taste with more salt; stir in pesto and bacon. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 237.5 calories, Carbohydrate 21.5 g, Cholesterol 20.9 mg, Fat 14.8 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 5.8 g, SaturatedFat 4.7 g, Sodium 461.4 mg, Sugar 7.7 g