Caldo verde, a sausage, potato, and kale soup from northern Portugal, has a devoted following for a reason: it's ridiculously simple to make and it's delicious! The triumph of this one-pot wonder comes from its minimal, and simple, list of ingredients and it will immediately become your new favourite to make, especially on rainy or chilly nights.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Servings: 4- 6
Ingredients
8-12ouncescured Portuguese choriço sausage or other cured, garlicky sausage such as Spanish chorizo
2tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil, dividedplus more for drizzling
1large Spanish onion, or two yellow onions diced
3garlic clovesthinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2poundsRusset or Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 medium)peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (I use Russet)
8cupswater or low-sodium chicken stock (*see notes)
1large bunch collard greens, or kaletough stems removed, leaves thinly cut into small strips
Instructions
Cut the sausage into 1/4 inch slices, leaving a 2-inch piece whole.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed, soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the choriço slices until lightly browned, about 1 minute a side. Remove the slices and set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the onions and garlic and sauté until just starting to soften, but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, the 2-inch piece of sausage, and water (or broth) to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are very soft, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the chunk of sausage and set aside to cool.
Using an immersion blender, or a blender, blend the soup until smooth (**see notes if you prefer to leave the soup unblended). Roughly chop the chunk of choriço and place back in the pot with the blended potatoes. Add the collard greens, or kale, to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until greens have completely softened. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little more salt and pepper, if necessary. Note: Caldo verde can be a little bland if you don't add enough seasoning. Be sure to add enough salt until it tastes right to you.
Serve the soup warm, topped with reserved choriço slices and a generous drizzle of good olive oil. Enjoy with crusty bread, if desired.
Leftovers keep well in the fridfge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Dragon's Kitchen*Water or Chicken Broth: This soup, in its glorious original form, was created to accommodate a simple meal using very humble ingredients. Nowadays, we have the convenience of store-bought broths and I always have them in my pantry. In my humble opinion, most soups taste better when made with broth, or a mix of water and broth, as opposed to just water. Having said that, I have tried caldo verde using exclusively water, and though I prefer it with chicken broth, the difference is not significant enough to warrant a trip to the grocery store. Use it if you have it, otherwise go ahead and use only water. **Most recipes for authentic caldo verde will call for the soup to be blended and that is how I enjoy it. But if you prefer to leave it unblended, cut the potato pieces smaller. Alternatively, you could scoop out just a few cupfuls of potatoes to blend, then place the blended mixture back in the pot.