Caldo Verde Portuguese soup is a simple recipe made of potatoes, kale, and a little sausage, and it is the perfect heart-warming soup for a cold and rainy day.
If you are wondering if I am Portuguese because I am posting a Portuguese soup, the answer is no. If the ginger hair has not yet given it away, I am a total blend of Scottish, English and Irish, however, that doesn’t mean that I can’t love the Portuguese’s soups! I’ve only had caldo verde Portuguese soup a handful of times in my life, and every time I do I seem to enjoy it more and more. The first time trying this soup was while on a vacation in Portugal, visiting northern and southern Portugal with a friend from the area who was showing us all it had to offer.
As I mentioned in my last post, there is nothing I love more about travelling than experiencing new cultures through their food. I love learning why we got to where we are based on where we came from, and why particular dishes became so popular. I think what I loved most about this dish is how simple and humble it actually was. From the ingredients alone, you can see how inexpensive it is to make, and how it was likely created out of what people had access to at the time; potatoes and greens go a long way when you need them to! Today caldo verde is a traditional dish and served at celebrations like weddings and birthdays, but I’ve decided to celebrate it for the everyday.
This Portuguese soup, also known as caldo verde, is a cheap and cheerful dish that is ready in 30 minutes or less. Make a big pot for a weekend brunch or batch cook it on Sunday for a week of delicious lunches.
Caldo Verde Portuguese Soup
The traditional version of this Portuguese soup would typically call for a linguiça sausage, however, you can really use any type of sausage you have on hand.
-
Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 40 minutes
-
Total Time: 50 minutes
-
Yield: 6 servings 1x
-
Category: Soup
-
Method: Stovetop
-
Cuisine: Portuguese
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 russet potatoes, cubed
- 6 cup chicken stock
- 1 head lacinato or curly kale
- 200g cooked linguiça, chorizo or kielbasa sausages, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium heat, add olive oil and diced onion, season with half of sea salt. Saute for 6-8 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add minced garlic, stir to coat in oil and heat for another 1 minutes until garlic is tender, do not allow to brown.
- Add diced potatoes and chicken stock and cook for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are very tender.
- While the soup is cooking, prepare the kale. Wash the kale leaves, and then using your hands, remove any tough stems from the kale leaves. Working in batches, stack the leaves, roll up the stack like a cigar, and cut crosswise into very, very thin strips. Set aside.
- Once potatoes are cooked, remove 3 cups of the potatoes mixture from the pot, add to a bowl and using a potato masher or fork, mash potatoes. Return mashed potatoes to the pot and stir to combine. This is done to help thicken the soup a little so it is not all broth.
- Slice the sausage into thin 1/4 inch slices and add sausage and diced kale to the pot. Cook for another 5 minutes, until kale is tender and bright green.
- Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 276 calories
- Sugar: 6 grams
- Fat: 14 grams
- Carbohydrates: 27 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Protein: 13 grams
Sorry, this is not caldo verde!!!
Ok, do you have any suggestions as to what might be?
a true caldo verde is made with collard greens, not kale.
no potato pieces more of a potato cream.
This looks so incredible! 🙂
One of my go-to soup recipes for a quick family meal. Paired with a nice fresh loaf of sourdough or whole grain bread (from a local bakery) it’s really satisfying and delicious.
A family fav! I have them eating kale!!!