A warming winter staple is this Italian sausage soup.
| Prep Time: | 35 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 35 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 ¼ cups grated sharp white Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, or to taste
- 2 ¾ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
- Place bread crumbs in a mixing bowl and pour melted butter over top. Add salt, cayenne, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and mix until evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup Cheddar cheese over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Leave the oven on.
- Place sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, and melted butter; toss until evenly coated. Immediately transfer sweet potatoes into a buttered baking dish.
- Bake in the center of the oven until potatoes are very tender, about 1 hour.
- Break up the crispy, cheesy bread crumbs into very small pieces and scatter evenly over the potatoes. Gently press them into the potatoes and sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Cheddar over top.
- Return to the oven and bake until browned, 15 to 20 more minutes.
- Sprinkle with chives before serving.
- When making your bread crumbs, make sure you remove all the crust first. Cut large, coarse bread crumbs or smaller cubes, 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch in size.
- You can use a lime instead of a lemon, if preferred, and feel free to try different cheeses, such as Pecorino or Gruyere.