5.0 from 51 votes
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup, Portuguese Green Soup)
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!
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 320 kcal
Course:
Side Dish , Main Course , Appetizer , Soup
Cuisine:
Portuguese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or cooking oil of choice)
- 1 cup onion (finely diced)
- 4 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 5 cups potatoes (cubed into ¾-1 inch pieces, see notes below)
- 1 - 2 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 4 cups kale (tough stems removed, leaves chopped or thinly sliced)
- 2 cups Chouriço (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!
Cup of Yum
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 ½ 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
- Potato Notes
- Chouriço (Portuguese Smoked Sausage) Notes
- Chouriço (Portuguese Smoked Sausage) Notes
- houriço
- Vegetarian/Vegan Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)
- Vegetarian/Vegan Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)
- ç
- 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.
- 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
- Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth
- Swap the chouriço for a plant based smoked sausage.
Nutrition Information
Calories
320kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
40g
(13%)
Protein
14g
(28%)
Fat
12g
(18%)
Saturated Fat
4g
(20%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
2g
Cholesterol
24mg
(8%)
Sodium
5115mg
(213%)
Potassium
1272mg
(36%)
Fiber
5g
(20%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
4609IU
(92%)
Vitamin C
114mg
(127%)
Calcium
126mg
(13%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 320
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 320kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 40g | 13% |
| Protein | 14g | 28% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 24mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 5115mg | 213% |
| Potassium | 1272mg | 27% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 4609IU | 92% |
| Vitamin C | 114mg | 127% |
| Calcium | 126mg | 13% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.