1lbItalian sausage(sweet, mild, or spicy—I used sweet), removed from casing, see notes for a budget tip
1lbsweet potatoes(about 5 small sweet potatoes) scrubbed or peeled and diced to ½-inch bite-sized pieces
14ozcanned diced tomato with the juices
4cupsvegetable or chicken broth(I use Better than Bouillon + water), use enough to just cover the sweet potatoes
1teaspoondry oregano
1teaspoondry basil
¼cupfresh cilantro leavesroughly chopped
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.
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.
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.