Caldo Verde is one of the most iconic soups in Portugal — and honestly, there isn’t a single Portuguese person who hasn’t had it at least once. For me, Caldo Verde means celebration. It means the Santo António festival in June, warm summer nights with the smell of soup drifting through the streets. But most of all, it means home. It’s the kind of recipe that wraps you up from the inside, that takes you straight back to childhood with just one spoonful. Pure comfort food, completely and unapologetically Portuguese.
Simple, comforting and full of flavour — it’s one of those recipes that warms the soul on any day.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 chouriço (Portuguese smoked sausage)
- 200g kale, thinly sliced
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- Olive oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Water as needed
Instructions
Peel and chop the potatoes into pieces. In a large pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion turns translucent.
Add the potatoes and cover with water. Season with salt and cook until the potatoes are very tender — about 20 minutes.
Once the potatoes are cooked, blend everything with a hand blender until smooth. Add the thinly sliced kale and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve with slices of chouriço on top and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Tips
- The thinner you slice the kale, the better the soup will be
- You can use chicken chouriço for a lighter version
- This soup freezes very well — make a bigger batch and save some!
- Buy the kale in advance, blanch it and freeze it. When you need it, just add it directly to the soup — it tastes even better!