Sweet potato, sausage and white bean stew

I try to use almost everything I have in the pantry and refrigerator before I head to the store. I do it partly for the challenge, and partly because I don’t always feel like going to the store. This process has turned out all kinds of food combinations I wouldn’t ordinarily mix, but it also keeps me from churning out the same old dishes all the time.

Yesterday I found myself with one sweet potato (lots of nutritious bang for your buck – they should have a label that reads, “eat me”), a package of light Hillshire Farm (Go meat!) sausage, and white northern beans. Also on hand (because I always need them) was onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, and, of course, a plethora of seasonings. Since I’m writing about it, you have already guessed that the result was delicious.

A few notes about this dish before we get to the recipe:

• Don’t add salt. Between the sausage and the canned beans and tomatoes, you don’t need it.
• Don’t serve it over rice or pasta. You wouldn’t serve mashed potatoes that way, so don’t serve sweet potato stew that way.
• You could also make this in the slow cooker.
• I don’t have a photo because we were really hungry from smelling it, and we ate too fast for my shutter.

Sweet potato, sausage and white bean stew

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 pkg. light smoked sausage
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil (or a handful of the fresh stuff if you’ve got it handy)
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped (1 inch chunks work)
• 1 can of whole tomatoes
• 1 can white great northern/cannellini beans (drained)
• 2/3 cup chicken broth

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion, cook for 3 minutes, then add sausage and garlic. Cook another 3 minutes and add potato and seasonings. Cook 3 minutes, stirring well, then add tomatoes and stir/smash to blend. Finally, add beans. Cover and cook for 20-30 mins, adding chicken broth as needed too keep it from getting to thick and sticking to the skillet.

Enjoy!