Sausage, Tomato, and Sweet Potato Stoup

We are all just holding on, hanging on, counting down the end of winter. Spring is coming... we tell ourselves. And I am just too much the eternal optimist not to believe it. But, well, it is not here quite yet. So what do we do while we wait? Celebrate the end of this long and cold and snowy (but beautiful and quiet and cozy) season with a steamy, hot bowl of stoup.

Stoup?

It's a Rachael Ray word. I stole it. It fits so perfectly for this recipe. Too thick to be called soup and not thick enough to be called stew, alas, it's stoup. (Isn't Rachael so clever? I just love the gal.)

This stoup is the ultimate in comfort food. When I created this recipe, I was craving, craving, craving something with tomatoes (tomato dishes always seem to make the most amazing comfort food- think spaghetti and meatballs, classic tomato soup, bruschetta... you get the idea). I had ton of leftovers in the fridge and the practical side of me told me I should eat them, but I just knew I would not really be satisfied. And this recipe satisfies. (I think my mouth is watering as I write, seriously.) I did however use up some leftovers in this recipe: mashed sweet potatoes from the other night. If you don't have any, just use regular ole sweet potatoes, cooked until soft, and mashed with a potato masher or fork. The chunkiness of the mashed sweet potatoes is what gives this stoup its amazing depth.

This recipe is a part of Seasonal Sundays @ Real Sustenance...


Sausage, Tomato, and Sweet Potato Stoup

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 pound sweet italian chicken sausage, casing removed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 14 oz. cans chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon oregano
salt, pepper

Heat oil in a large soup pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken sausage, onion, garlic, and celery and cook for 5-8 minutes, until sausage is browned, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon as you go.

Add chicken stock, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes and stir to combine.

Next add chile and curry powders, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir again.

Bring stoup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add more salt and pepper as needed.

Ladle into bowls and serve piping hot.

Serves 4.