A recipe for Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)! This comforting potato soup is packed with thinly sliced greens and Chouriço.
Caldo Verde is a Portuguese soup (or broth) originally from the northern province of Minho and now popular throughout Portugal. It comes together all in one pot with minimal prep and a handful of ingredients.
Potatoes are simmered in water with onions and garlic until tender, then pureed into a thick soup. Thinly sliced greens (I went with kale) are added during the last few minutes of cooking.
Serve warm with slices of chouriço. I also paired the Caldo Verde with Broa (Portuguese Cornbread).
Notable Ingredients
Traditionally, the soup is made with Couve Galega, a type of dark green cabbage. Since that is not readily available in the United States, it can be substituted with kale or collard greens.
Chouriço is a type of sausage made from pork seasoned with wine, paprika, and salt. It can be found in markets with Portuguese ingredients and some specialty deli/cheese shops.
For those in the DC area, I was able to find it at European Foods Imports Exports in Arlington, Virginia.
Other types of sausage may be used such as Linguiça.
A Few Tips
Boil the potatoes until completely tender before blending the soup.
Traditionally, only one slice of Chouriço is added to each bowl of soup with the remaining sausage on the side. Some recipes simmer the Chouriço in the soup.
For a vegetarian option, omit the Chouriço.
The water can be swapped for vegetable stock or chicken stock if desired. Adjust the salt and white pepper to taste.
Slice the kale as thinly as possible. I removed the thick middle stems, stacked the leaves on top of one another, wrapped up, and thinly sliced. Eight ounces (227 grams) was about 1 small bunch of kale.
If the soup thickens too much, add a little more water.
Once cooled to room temperature, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Looking for more soup recipes?
Try my:
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup) Recipe
Adapted from Leite’s Culinaria
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) olive oil
- 6 ounces (170 grams) Chouriço sliced into 1/4 inch (6 millimeter) thick rounds
- 1 large onion peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 1 pound (450 grams) Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced
- Salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- 6 cups (1.4 liters) water
- 8 ounces (227 grams) kale or collard greens thick stems removed and thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large pot, drizzle the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the Chouriço slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3-5 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage to a plate and set aside, keeping all the drippings in the pot.
- Add the diced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the diced potatoes and cover with the 6 cups (1.4 liters) water. Season with salt and white pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then decrease heat to medium low.
- Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to a blender) to puree the soup.
- Bring the soup back to a boil, stir in the kale (some recipes add the reserved Chouriço at this point), reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the kale is completely tender and vibrant, about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Serve immediately with the Chouriço (if traditional- with one slice of Chouriço on top and the remaining chouriço on the side).
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