Caldo Verde Portuguese Green Soup

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. And be sure to stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Pinterest!