1-Preparation Steps: Before cooking, take a moment to prep your ingredients. Peel and dice your sweet potatoes into uniform, bite-sized pieces to ensure even cooking. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, slice the carrots thinly, and chop the kale. Having everything ready before you turn on the heat makes the cooking process smooth and enjoyable.

2-Brown the Sausage: In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground Italian sausage to the pot and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sausage is nicely browned and cooked through, which should take about 5-7 minutes. Once browned, transfer the sausage to a plate using a slotted spoon, leaving the flavorful drippings in the pot. We’ll set aside about half of this cooked sausage to use as a topping later this keeps the sausage flavorful and prevents it from becoming overcooked in the soup.

3-Sauté the Vegetables: Return the pot to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until it becomes translucent and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until you can smell the wonderful aroma, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

4-Simmer the Soup: Now it’s time to build our soup base! Pour in the vegetable broth, then add the fresh sage leaves, sliced carrots, diced sweet potatoes, smoked paprika, and half of the cooked sausage (reserving the other half for garnish). Stir everything together to combine the flavors. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let it cook gently for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

5-Finish the Soup: Once the sweet potatoes are tender, stir in the can of coconut milk and the chopped kale. The kale will wilt quickly and add beautiful color and nutrients to the soup. Remove the sage leaves at this point, as they’ve done their job infusing flavor and can be a bit tough to eat. Season the soup with salt and freshly-cracked black pepper to your taste. I recommend starting with about 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper, then adjusting from there.

6-Serve the Soup: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top each serving with the remaining crumbled sausage. For an extra special touch, add any or all of the optional toppings: a sprinkle of pepitas for crunch, some delicate microgreens for freshness, or a few fried sage leaves for an elevated presentation and flavor.