Caldo Verde – Also known as hot greens soup, is a specialty of northern Portugal that is eaten throughout the country. This luscious bright green soup is also one of Portugal’s most recognizable dishes. Created by those with little resources, Caldo Verde is a wonderful example of how something so simple can be so delicious that is served by fancy restaurants around the world.

Caldo Verde – Hot Kale Soup with Sausage

This Portuguese classic takes no more than 15 minutes of prep work. The resulting soup is luxurious and soothing. Sausage may be omitted and chicken broth replaced with vegetable broth for a lighter vegetarian soup. Potatoes may also be omitted for the more carnivorous or those on a low-carb diet. Whichever way you make it, the soup is a "keeper".

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin

Course: Lunch, Soup

Cuisine: Portuguese

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 50

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Large pot or Dutch Oven
Potato masher.

Ingredients

1 bunch Kale, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp Unsalted butter
1 medium Yellow onion
3 cloves Garlic
5 tbsp Olive oil
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes or 2 Russet potatoes
6 cups Chicken stock
12 oz Lingüiça or another garlicy sausage
Kosher salt and black pepper

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Prep – Dice onion. Peel and thinly slice garlic. Peel potatoes and cut into ¼-inch dice. Separate out stems from kale. Roll leaves tightly and slice into thin filaments. Cut sausage in ¼-inch slices.
Cook – Heat butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, add olive oil a tbsp at a time to keep onions loose.
Add potatoes and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes and then mash potatoes until smooth with a potato masher (or inversion blender). Add the kale and simmer another 15-20 minutes until the kale has softened. Stir in sausage and cook an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Notes

Slice the Kale filaments as thin as possible. A Portuguese cook is judged by how thin they can slice the kale and how delicate and green the resulting soup is.