This Sweet Potato Sausage Soup is on repeat at our house the second the weather turns colder! It has such a delicious, rich, savory broth. This soup is so easy to make in one pot.
It is made with simple ingredients and uses seasonal sweet potatoes. As usual I give you tips and variation ideas so you can use whatever you have on hand to make this delicious soup.
This soup is naturally gluten-free and is loaded with lots of healthy veggies.
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Sausage and sweet potato soup
If you need a soup recipe that the whole family loves, a soup that is filling, hearty, and delicious, then you need to make this Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup. The ingredient list is short and pretty simple, but the flavor is out-of-this-world delicious!
I love the combination of sausage and sweet potatoes, I think the savory and slightly-sweet flavors work so well together. And the texture is great together too—this soup has meaty chunks of cooked ground Italian sausage and softer pieces of tender sweet potato. It's perfect!
If you've never had ground sausage in soup, you really should give it a try. It's super satisfying and savory. Another favorite of mine is this Tortellini Soup with Sausage.
This soup makes about 4 hearty servings for lunch or dinner, or about 6 smaller appetizer servings. That is the perfect amount for our family, but of course you can increase the ingredients to make a bigger batch!
Serve this soup with a piece of focaccia bread made in the air fryer... so good!!
Related recipe: Vegan Sausage Zuppa Toscana
What kind of sausage to use
You can use your favorite uncooked ground sausage for this sweet potato sausage soup. I typically use sweet Italian sausage or even Bratwurst because I am cooking for my son who doesn't like spicy food. You can use spicy Italian sausage, if you like.
I do want to point out again that you want to use raw ground sausage meat for this recipe, not a cooked sausage such as kielbasa.
You can buy ground sausage by the pound, or buy sausage links and remove them from the casing. The easiest way to remove sausages from the casing is to slice them long-ways with a knife to break the casing while they're still in the packaging, then use your fingers to unwrap the casing and remove the sausage meat (see the picture below).
More Italian sausage recipes: Air Fryer Italian Sausage
Budget tip: You can cut down the sausage to 12 oz or even 8 oz (and save the rest for another meal, such as this ). Even with half the sausage the soup is very flavorful (albeit less meaty). I do this all the time when I buy 1 lb of ground sausage! Check out this blog post I wrote about more ways to stretch the food budget.
Related recipe: Sweet Potato Sausage Skillet
Fall vegetable soup with sausage
In addition to Italian sausage, which makes this soup so savory and flavorful, this soup is loaded with lots of veggies! It's just a few ingredients to make prep simple—sweet potato, celery, onion, garlic— but they make up the bulk of the soup.
I try to dice the sweet potatoes small into about ½-inch pieces so that they cook fast and so this soup is easy to eat.
Related recipe: Sweet Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion (red, white, or yellow, your choice), finely diced
- 3-4 stalks celery, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz - 1 lb ground Italian sausage (sweet, mild, or spicy—your choice), removed from casing (see the "What kind of sausage to use" section above for tips and pictures for how to remove sausage from casing)
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 14-oz can diced tomato with juices
- 1 lb sweet potatoes, scrubbed or peeled and diced to bite-sized (½-inch) pieces
- 3-4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon + water), use enough to just cover the sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Related recipe: Chicken Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
Aside from the usual kitchen tools, such as a cutting board, measuring cup, etc, you'll need:
- Large soup pot with a heavy bottom, such as a Dutch oven (I like using a 5-quart to prevent splatters and splashes, but you can use a smaller one)
- Optional: kitchen shears for slicing ground sausage into bite-sized pieces as it cooks in the pot
Related recipe: Sweet Potato Chili
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat a large soup pot. Add the olive oil, diced onion and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes over medium or medium-low heat until the onion and celery softens. Don't let the onion burn.
Step 2: Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute, stirring to mix in the garlic.
Step 3: Use a spatula to move the onion mixture to the outsides of the soup pot and clear the center. Place the ground Italian sausage in the center and let it brown on the bottom, untouched for about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Use a wooden spatula to break up the sausage into smaller pieces and stir together with the onion mixture. Tip: If this is hard for you to do, you can use clean kitchen shears to snip the sausage into bite-sized pieces, taking care not to scratch the bottom of the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sausage is mostly fully cooked. Take care not to let the onion burn.
Step 5: Add the next 5 ingredients (dried oregano, basil, diced tomato, sweet potatoes, broth) and stir together.
Step 6: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork. Try not to overcook them.
Step 7: Remove from heat and stir in the fresh cilantro leaves. Adjust the flavor with salt, if needed (I never need it if using Better than Bouillon or salted broth). Serve warm.
Related recipe: Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
Soup add-ins and variations
→ I often make this soup with regular potatoes (1 lb) and diced carrots (2-3 medium carrots). I add the carrots in with the onion and celery, and follow the same recipe and just sub the potatoes for sweet potatoes. I skipped the carrots in this sweet potato version because there's already enough healthy orange bits floating around in the soup. 🙂
→ Add a little extra veggies by adding in a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach at the very end and stirring until it's wilted. It's one of the ONLY ways my picky son eats spinach—when it's with sausage.
→ Choose your broth: A vegetable or chicken broth works well, but I find it a hassle to always be carrying quart-size containers of broth home from the store. I always use water + bouillon cubes or Better than Bouillon paste (I love the chicken, chicken-less, seasoned vegetable, and sautéed onion flavors for this soup). Just watch the salt content and don't add more than recommended (no more than 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon per 1 cup of water).
→ Don't have a can of diced tomatoes? Use a tablespoon or two of tomato paste and add a little extra liquid. Want the soup more tomato-ey? Use a larger can of canned tomatoes, or use both the 14-oz can of diced tomatoes and the tomato paste.
→ If you have an open can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling) in your fridge, you can stir in a scoop of that into the soup. It makes for a richer, more flavorful broth! (Try this savory pumpkin and chicken stew to see how good pumpkin is in savory recipes and stews.)
→ This soup is AWESOME with a can of cooked chickpeas stirred in with the sweet potatoes. Make sure to drain the chickpeas first. The chickpeas will add bulk to the soup so you might need 4 cups of broth or maybe even a little more. It's a great budget-friendly way to add bulk to the soup.
→ A can of black beans should also work well, though I haven't tried it. I know it works great in my sweet potato chicken soup, so you can't go wrong with it here!
→ Thicken the broth with a tablespoon of flour: simply combine the flour with about ½ cup of the broth in a small bowl and whisk together with a fork until no lumps remain. Stir that into the soup pot and let it thicken the broth as the sweet potatoes cook.
→ Use any fresh herbs you like instead of cilantro, such as parsley, fresh basil, fresh dill.
Related recipe: Sausage Stuffed Eggplant
What to serve with sweet potato sausage soup
This soup is hearty enough to be a meal on its own. We serve it with crackers on top or with garlic bread, which I typically make using whole what bread (see my whole wheat garlic bread). This soup recipe makes about 4 hearty meal-sized servings.
If you don't want to make the soup a meal, then serve it as a starter to your favorite meal, or pair it with a salad. This recipe would make about 6 smaller appetizer servings.
More Fall vegetable & sausage recipes: Italian Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Sweet Potato Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion - finely diced (red, white, or yellow onion)
- 3-4 stalks celery - diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves - finely minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage - (sweet, mild, or spicy—I used sweet), removed from casing, see notes for a budget tip
- 1 lb sweet potatoes - (about 5 small sweet potatoes) scrubbed or peeled and diced to ½-inch bite-sized pieces
- 14 oz canned diced tomato - with the juices
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth - (I use Better than Bouillon + water), use enough to just cover the sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves - roughly chopped
Special equipment
- Large soup pot with a heavy bottom such as a Dutch oven (I like using a 5-quart to prevent splatters and splashes, but you can use a smaller one)
- Optional: kitchen shears for slicing ground sausage into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- Preheat a large soup pot. Add the olive oil, diced onion and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes over medium or medium-low heat until the onion and celery softens. Don't let the onion burn.1 onion, 3-4 stalks celery, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute, stirring to mix in the garlic.3-4 garlic cloves
- Use a spatula to move the onion mixture to the outsides of the soup pot and clear the center. Place the ground Italian sausage (removed from casing) in the center and let it brown on the bottom, untouched for about 2 minutes.1 lb Italian sausage
- Use a wooden spatula to break up the sausage into smaller pieces and stir together with the onion mixture. Tip: If this is hard for you to do, you can use clean kitchen shears to snip the sausage into bite-sized pieces, taking care not to scratch the bottom of the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sausage is mostly fully cooked. Take care not to let the onion burn.
- Add the next 5 ingredients (diced sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, broth, dried oregano, basil) and stir together.1 teaspoon dry oregano, 1 teaspoon dry basil, 14 oz canned diced tomato, 1 lb sweet potatoes, 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork. Try not to overcook them.
- Remove from heat and stir in the fresh cilantro leaves. Adjust the flavor with salt, if needed (I never need it if using Better than Bouillon or salted broth). Serve warm.¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Notes
Recipe tips and ideas:
→ Budget-friendly tip: Use 12 oz or even 8 oz of sausage, and save the rest for another meal. It still makes a very flavorful soup! → Try this soup with regular potatoes (1 lb) and diced carrots (2-3 medium carrots). Add the carrots in to sauté with the onion and celery, and follow the same recipe and just sub the potatoes for sweet potatoes. → Try adding: canned drained chickpeas or black beans, or a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach at the very end and stirring until it's wilted. → Don't have a can of diced tomatoes? Use a tablespoon or two of tomato paste and add a little extra liquid. Want the soup more tomato-ey? Use a larger can of canned tomatoes, or use both the 14-oz can of diced tomatoes and the tomato paste. → If you have an open can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling) in your fridge, you can stir in a scoop of that into the soup. It makes for a richer, more flavorful broth! → Thicken the broth with a tablespoon of flour: whisk the flour + ½ cup broth in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Stir that into the soup and let it thicken the broth as the sweet potatoes cook. → Use any fresh herbs you like instead of cilantro, such as parsley, fresh basil, fresh dill. The nutrition facts are estimated for 6 appetizer-sized servings. This soup can be served as the main course, it would make about 4 servings.Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
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Saturday 30th of March 2024
This was excellent!