Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)

My Caldo Verde is a delicious and comforting soup out of Portugal, made with a savory potato based broth, shredded greens, and flavorful sausage.

Considered by many locals to be one of the pinnacles of Portuguese cuisine, this is just the kind of dish GypsyPlate was created to bring you.

I’ve had Caldo Verde on my radar for some time now. I knew it was hugely popular in its home country, but there are just so many things to cook and so little time!

Finally I got around to making it for the first time a couple of months ago, and let me tell you, the Portuguese love it for good reason. It’s one of those dishes that seems so simple and basic when you glance at the ingredient list, but comes together so beautifully in the end.

Though there are some minor variations out there, it’s such a perfect soup that it really doesn’t require a lot of playing around with and tweaking.

One thing that I do a little differently in my recipe is reserving some of the potatoes before blending, then adding them back in later. Don’t get me wrong, the soup is great completely smooth, but I love having a few chunks floating around in there. Your choice.

I also brown the sausage, whereas many boil it directly with the potatoes. Trust me, that caramelization adds a lot of flavor to the soup. And I add a little bit of diced collard green stalks in with the potatoes for an extra little flavor boost.

Ingredient Needed

• Potatoes – I prefer Yukon gold. They are a nice balance of starchy and waxy. They blend smooth, but still hold up well if keeping some chunks. They also give a nice color to the soup.
• Portuguese sausage – Linguiça (which I am using today) or chouriço. You should be able to find these Portuguese sausages in a well stocked supermarket. They are cured and typically do not require refrigeration. I found mine near the deli section.
• Greens – The traditional green is a Portuguese variety called couve-galega. Collard greens are the closest you will find here in the States, but kale also works very well. Whichever variety you use, the greens should be very thinly sliced.

Caldo Verde Recipe

I start by heating 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then, I add the sliced sausage and brown it on both sides. Once it’s nicely browned, I remove the sausage and set it aside on a plate.

Next, I add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot along with the sliced onion. I sauté it for about 5 minutes until it softens, then toss in the garlic and cook for another minute.

After that, I add the diced potatoes and chopped collard green stems to the pot, giving everything a good mix. I let it sauté for about 5 minutes to start softening the veggies and get those flavors going.

Next, I pour in the chicken stock or broth, toss in the bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper. I bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. I cover the pot and let it cook until the potatoes are nice and soft, which takes about 15 minutes.

I remove about 1.5 cups of the potatoes and set them aside, then take out the bay leaves and discard them. Using an immersion blender, I blend the soup until it reaches a smooth consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can blend the soup in a regular blender in batches. (If using the latter method, you may wish to allow the soup to cool a bit before blending)

I bring the soup back to a boil and then add the reserved potatoes, about two-thirds of the browned sausage, and the collard greens. I let it cook for about 4-5 minutes, just until the collard greens soften. Finally, I taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.

To finish, I serve the soup with the remaining browned sausage on top and drizzle a little extra EVOO.

Such a delicious soup made out of simple ingredients. It’s no wonder that this is one of the most beloved comfort foods for an entire country,

If you try my Caldo Verde recipe, please leave a star rating and comment, I love to hear from you.

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Caldo Verde, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great soups!
Portuguese Bean Soup
Chicken Pastina Soup
Finnish Salmon Soup
Caldo de Res
Birria Ramen
Yakamein
Sancocho

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Caldo Verde is a delicious and comforting soup out of Portugal, featuring a savory potato based broth, shredded greens, and flavorful sausage.

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Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 10oz linguiça or chouriço sausage, sliced (see note 1)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 collard green stems, finely chopped
• 4 cups very thinly sliced collard greens
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced sausage, and brown on both sides. Note that it is already cooked, so this step isn't strictly necessary, but I feel it adds a lot of flavor to the end result. Once browned, remove to a plate.
2. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil along with sliced onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, then add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add in diced potatoes and chopped collard green stems, mix well. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken stock or broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove 1.5 cups of the potatoes and set aside. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup to a smooth consistency. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can blend the soup in a regular blender in batches. (If using the latter method, you may wish to allow the soup to cool a bit before blending)
6. Bring the soup back to a boil, then add back in the reserved potatoes, about ⅔ of the browned sausage, and the collard greens. Cook until collard greens are soft, about 4-5 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
7. Serve garnished with remaining sausage and drizzled with more EVOO.

Notes

1. You should be able to find these Portuguese sausages in a well stocked supermarket. They are cured and typically do not require refrigeration. I found mine near the deli section.
2. Many recipes for caldo verde do not call for removing some of the potatoes before blending. Personally, I like having some bites in my soup, but if you prefer it completely smooth, go ahead and blend all the potatoes.
3. Collard greens are the closest we have here to the native Portuguese greens traditionally used. You can also use kale.
4. Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days in an airtight container. I recommend reheating in a pan on stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 436Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 35mgSodium 1754mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 9gSugar 5gProtein 15g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.