Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup, Portuguese Green Soup)
4.94 from 16 votes
Caldo Verde, the most famous soup of Portugal. A creamy potato based soup with Portuguese spicy chouriço and tender kale! Perfect healthy 30 minute meal. A traditional Portuguese soup that’s so hearty and comforting you’ll forget how good it is for you. It’s perfect for dark rainy days or cold winters with its spicy smoked sausage, creamy potatoes, hearty kale and healthy chicken broth. It’s a one pot meal that’s ready to serve in 30 minutes!
4cupskale, tough stems removed, leaves chopped or thinly sliced
2cupsChouriço (Portuguese smoked sausage), sliced ¼ inch thin, for swaps see notes below
Instructions
In a large Dutch oven or large pot over medium add olive oil. Sauté the onions and garlic, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary to keep the mixture loose and moist.
Add in broth, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender.
Once potatoes are cooked, mash or purée them until you reach your desired consistency. If the soup is too thick, add in more broth or water to reach desired consistency. Soup will continue to thick slightly during the rest of the cooking process.
Add kale and sliced sausage. Stir to combine. On medium heat, continue cooking until the kale is tender.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh crusty bread or Portuguese buns (papo secos) and enjoy!
Notes
Authentic caldo verde calls for the soup to be blended and that’s how I enjoy it. If you prefer to leave it unblended, cut the potato pieces into smaller bite sized pieces about 1/2 inch instead. Follow the recipe as usual but do not mash or blend the soup. Or, you could scoop out a few ladles of potatoes to blend and then add it back to the soup to have a mix of chunky potatoes and puréed potatoes.Potato Notes
Russet potatoes give the soup a thick, creamy texture when puréed.
Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape better to give you nice chunks if you don’t plan on pureeing or fully mashing.
Chouriço (Portuguese Smoked Sausage) Notes
Swap for Spanish or Mexican chorizo if you cannot find chouriço
If you don't eat pork, swap for a smoked chicken or turkey sausage
Vegetarian/Vegan - see notes below
Vegetarian/Vegan Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)
Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth
Swap the chouriço for a plant based smoked sausage.