Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup) Recipe
Caldo Verde is a traditional Portuguese green soup known for its comforting blend of pureed potatoes, collard greens, and flavorful linguiça sausage. This hearty and rustic dish combines sautéed onions and garlic with potatoes puréed to a creamy texture, then simmered with chopped greens and sausage for a warm, savory soup perfect for cozy meals.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients
Greens
- ½ pound whole collard greens or 2 cups chopped/shredded
Soup Base
- 2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic crushed or minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 bouillon cubes, large
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Meat
- ½ pound linguiça or chouriço sliced thinly
Seasonings
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Greens: Place the collard greens in a large bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to remove any grit. Rinse thoroughly and repeat if needed. Pat dry with paper towels. Remove the stems, roll the leaves, and slice into very thin strips.
- Prepare the Potatoes: Peel all potatoes. Set aside 2 whole potatoes to dice later. Cut the remaining potatoes into quarters and keep them ready.
- Sauté Aromatics: In a 4.5-quart soup pot, sauté the diced onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and bay leaf, cooking for an additional minute until the garlic starts to sizzle.
- Cook Potatoes: Add the quartered potatoes to the pot. Pour in just enough water (about 2 cups) to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Puree Potatoes: Transfer the cooked potatoes along with one ladle of the cooking water into a food processor. Puree on high speed for 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and resembles mashed potatoes.
- Prepare the Broth: Return the pureed potatoes to the soup pot. Set heat to medium-low and gradually add 6-7 cups of water while stirring constantly until the broth is smooth. Add bouillon cubes, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add Greens and Simmer: Stir in the sliced collard greens. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer over low heat for 30 minutes to soften the greens.
- Cook Remaining Ingredients: While the soup simmers, dice the reserved whole potatoes. Add the diced potatoes and sliced linguiça to the pot. Re-cover and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Final Seasoning and Rest: Turn off the heat. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cover and let the soup rest for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
Notes
- Using russet or Yukon gold potatoes helps achieve the creamy texture for the soup base.
- Linguiça or chouriço adds authentic smoky, spicy flavor but can be substituted with smoked sausage if unavailable.
- Be sure to remove the bay leaf before pureeing the potatoes to avoid bitterness.
- You can substitute collard greens with kale if preferred.
- Adjust water quantity to achieve desired soup consistency.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the sausage and use vegetable bouillon cubes.
