Looking for a healthy side to bring to your holiday table? Look no further!
Need a healthy side dish to bring to your holiday table? Make sure there’s a nutritious, tasty, veggie-forward alternative to the more traditional high-calorie, high-fat accompaniments. PCF has you covered with our November recipe: Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, and Apple Purée. With this terrific trio of ingredients, this dish is sure to be a family favorite–you might even want to make it a holiday tradition!
Thanks to the three main ingredients, this dish is full of fiber and naturally-occuring antioxidants. That bright orange color comes from natural compounds (especially beta-carotene) which help lower your risk of cancer at a cellular level. Another benefit is the high fiber content. Fiber feeds the “good” bacteria naturally living in your gut. Eating a healthy mix of different plant-based foods can help foster the correct diversity of disease-fighting gut bacteria. For bacteria, food variety is the spice of life!
And an added bonus—this recipe tastes even better if made a day (or two, or three!) ahead of time, so there’s no need to worry about additional holiday stress on an already busy day.
On the hunt for more healthy bites to add to your holiday feast? Make sure to check out our additional holiday recipes.
Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Apple Purée
Prep time: 30-45 minutes
Cook time: 1 – 1.5 hours
Serves: 6 – 8
Ingredients:
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- 1 pound pumpkin, seeds removed
- 2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 6 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (sub non-dairy yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- ½ cup pecans, crushed (optional)
Directions:
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- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Scrub the sweet potatoes and pierce them in several places with a knife. Pierce the apples in a few places.
- Line a baking sheet with tin foil, oil the foil, and place the potatoes, pumpkin (cut side down), and apples on top.
- Bake the sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and apples for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife can be easily inserted in the core of the apples and the pumpkin is soft. (Note: it is okay if the skin pops off the apples, or if they collapse.)
- Remove the pumpkin and apples from the oven. Continue to bake the sweet potatoes until soft and beginning to ooze, 15 minutes or longer.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool until you can handle them easily.
- Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and pumpkin.
- Peel and core the apples. Scrape off any apple flesh that adheres to the skin.
- Coarsely chop the pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and apples and place them in a food processor. Puree until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and blend well. Transfer to a lightly buttered or oiled 2-quart baking dish.
- Bake the puree in the 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until steaming. Optional: Garnish with crushed pecans.
- Serve hot. (Note: if prepared ahead of time, reheat for 30-50 minutes.)
Adapted from Martha Rose Schulman for NYT Cooking’s Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Apple Purée
Recipes on the Prostate Cancer Foundation website are offered for general interest on healthier cooking. They have not been reviewed by a nutritionist or other qualified health professional, and do not constitute medical or dietary advice or recommendations. Always talk to your health care provider to obtain personalized diagnosis and treatment advice, including your specific dietary needs.