By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 3, 2026
Serves 4
600 cal · 45 min
Sweet Potato, Kale, and Sausage Bake with White Cheese Sauce
Recipe GLPR181b104c2568f4
A hearty one-dish bake combining savory Italian sausage and tender sweet potatoes with fresh kale, all topped with a creamy white Gruyere cheese sauce. The sausage and vegetables are seared to develop golden, caramelized edges before baking until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts into a rich, comforting dish.
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Ingredients
16 ounces Italian pork or chicken sausage, cut into small rounds
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped kale
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup milk
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage rounds and seared them, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown on the exterior, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the cubed sweet potatoes to the skillet with the sausage. Shake and stir to coat them in the oil. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop a golden-brown exterior, then gently shake the pan and stir to turn the pieces. Repeat this process until both the sausage and sweet potatoes are well-browned on multiple sides, about 10-12 minutes total.
Toss the chopped kale with the browned sausage and sweet potatoes, then transfer everything to the prepared baking dish.
In a saucepan, combine the chicken broth and ½ cup of the milk, then bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and the remaining ¼ cup milk until you form a smooth, thick paste.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the simmering broth while whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue whisking for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in ¼ cup of the shredded Gruyere cheese until completely melted and smooth.
Pour the cheese sauce over the sausage, sweet potato, and kale mixture in the baking dish, stirring gently to distribute it evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of Gruyere cheese over the top.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the cheese on top is melted and beginning to golden. Serve immediately while hot.
Comments
This recipe leans heavily on ingredients that thrive in Charlotte: sweet potatoes and kale are abundant and cheap at every major chain, the sausage and gruyere are standard stock items, and the whole thing reads as honest weeknight cooking. The real issue is that 45 minutes is optimistic—you need at least 10 minutes for peeling and dicing the sweet potato, plus the braise itself, so expect closer to 55 minutes start-to-table. Cost per serving lands around $3.50 to $4.00 driven mainly by the gruyere, which is reasonable for a four-person braise that reheats beautifully. It's unfussy, requires minimal active attention once everything hits the pan, and is exactly the kind of dish that tastes better the next day.
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