This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This Italian sausage and sweet potato soup recipe is hearty and so simple to make! It has melt-in-your-mouth vegetables, flavorful sausage, and an irresistible broth.

You may also like my Creamy Sweet Potato Soup or this Turkey Sweet Potato Chili.

a bowl of italian sausage sweet potato soup with a spoon

Why you’ll love it

This Italian sausage soup is really easy to throw together with very few ingredients. We’ve got a garlic-infused broth with bell peppers and celery, and the tender sweet potatoes are just what I crave on a chilly day. It’s ready in under an hour and always hits the spot!

This soup makes yummy leftovers, and it’s the kind of meal that works great as something you’d take to work for lunch. It’s just really satisfying! Most of the cooking time is hands off, so a piping hot bowl of this sausage soup with sweet potatoes is on the table fast.

What you’ll need

  • Italian sausage – I chose mild
  • Onion and garlic – I like sweet (Vidalia) onions
  • Chicken broth – for another layer of savory taste
  • Vegetables – I chose the trio of sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, and celery for color, texture, and plenty of flavor
ingredients for sausage sweet potato soup in prep bowls

Pro tip

The quantity of Italian sausage or sweet potatoes listed doesn’t have to be exactly adhered to. Anything in the general ballpark works in this versatile soup!

How to make sausage sweet potato soup

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

sauteing italian sausage in a soup pot and adding in onion and garlic

In a soup pot, sauté the Italian sausage, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, until browned. Add in the garlic and onion, and continue cooking until softened. Drain out any excess fat.

a pot of italian sausage sweet potato soup before and after simmering

Stir in the broth, water, bell pepper, celery, and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover with the lid slightly open and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft. Taste and season with salt & pepper.

Tools for this recipe

Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!

  • I really like this sturdy ladle. It spills less than others I’ve tried.
  • This is the Dutch oven I use for many of my soup recipes.
  • A sharp chef’s knife comes in handy for chopping the sweet potatoes.

Substitutions and variations

  • This soup is very forgiving — you can definitely add more veggies or swap out ones you don’t like. I love the combo of sausage and bell peppers, though, so I’d definitely keep those in. Adding a bit of spinach or kale towards the end would be delicious too.
  • Want to add some spice to this soup? Use hot Italian sausage and/or add some red pepper flakes to spice it up.
  • You could sub for another kind of sausage if you don’t like Italian. Even something like turkey sausage or kielbasa (Polish smoked sausage) would work.

What to serve with this soup

  • This soup eats like a meal, but you could definitely kick it up a notch by serving it with some Garlic Bread or a nice crusty sourdough!
  • For a salad pairing, try spring mix and fresh vegetables with my bright Creamy Pesto Dressing.

Leftovers and storage

  • Store leftovers of this soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
  • Reheat on the stove or microwave until warmed through.
  • You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
closeup of a soup pot with sausage and sweet potato soup with a ladle

If you made this sweet potato sausage soup, please leave a star rating and review below! I hope you like it as much as I do. Tag me on Instagram with your S&L creations.

a bowl of italian sausage sweet potato soup with a spoon
4.98 from 34 votes

Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup

This Italian sausage and sweet potato soup recipe is hearty and so simple to make! It has melt-in-your-mouth vegetables, flavorful sausage, and an irresistible broth.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 16 ounces Italian sausage
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped
  • 1.5 pounds sweet potatoes peeled & diced
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • In a soup pot, cook the sausage meat over medium-high heat, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, for 5-6 minutes.
  • Add the onion and garlic to the pot and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
  • Stir in the broth, water, red bell pepper, celery, and sweet potatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.
  • Once it's boiling, reduce the heat so it's simmering, and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have softened.
  • Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Anything in the 16 oz/1 pound ballpark will work for the sausage. Here in Canada, I buy a 5-pack of Johnsonville’s mild Italian sausages that’s 500g/17.6 oz and take the meat out of the casings.
  • I used 3 smallish sweet potatoes. Since sweet potato sizes vary so much and are so subjective, it’s easiest to just use the scales at the grocery store and weigh them.

Nutrition

Calories: 376kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 1211mg, Potassium: 654mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 16156IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

Leave a star rating and comment below!

This recipe was originally published on December 1, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!


Hi! Iโ€™m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

The Salt & Lavender cookbook is here! Order Now

4.98 from 34 votes (8 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Please leave a recipe rating!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

113 Comments

  1. Bea says:

    Can I use 6 cups of broth instead of using 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water?

    1. Natasha says:

      Sure!

  2. Wendy B says:

    Could this be made in a slow cooker? If you think it could be, what adjustments to the recipe might you suggest, and what do you think the cook time should be? Thanks in advance.

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi Wendy! I’d do the usual 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Sear the sausage, onions, and celery in a skillet on the stove first then transfer to the slow cooker.

  3. Bea says:

    What can I use instead of red bell pepper? I have everything else!

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi! You could skip it or replace with another veggie that’s in your fridge/freezer. Frozen corn would work!

  4. Jay says:

    5 stars
    Love your recipes. Was looking for something healthy and made this soup today. Tastes so good thank you

    1. Natasha says:

      You’re very welcome!

  5. Brittney says:

    5 stars
    This soup was delicious!! The broth was so flavorful. The sausage is what made it so tasty, I think. Note: if youโ€™re a beginner cook like me, itโ€™ll take a lot longer than the recipe says due to all the chopping. It took me closer to 2 hours because Iโ€™m still working on my knife skills. But I would happily make it again!!

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Brittney! Yes – I wish I could accurately show prep time for every person but we all go at our own paces. You will definitely get faster the more you practice. Not that going slower is a bad thing, though. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for your review!

  6. Beverlee Williams says:

    Love your recipes. I use your site a few times aweek. Just wondering when your cook book is going to be available. Would love to buy a copy. I live in Waterloo Ontario. Will you be shipping this far.

    1. Natasha says:

      Thank you so much!! Re: the cookbook, I don’t have an exact release date yet, but we will have a pre-sale period, likely starting in early April. So keep an eye out (I will be posting updates via Instagram, my email newsletter, and there will be a blog post here once the pre-sale is open). It will be sold directly through my website, and yes indeed we will be shipping to Canada! ๐Ÿ˜€ Thank you for your support, Beverlee!! I can’t wait til you get your copy!! XOXO