Caldo Verde
Caldo Verde is a traditional Portuguese soup that is made with Collard greens, potatoes, and Chorizo sausage. This soup is delicious, inexpensive, simple, hearty, and filling, and it is perfect for any day.
I found this amazing, delicious yet so simple to make soup in my teen years eating at friends’ homes or going to weddings this soup was a staple for the Portuguese community and it ended up being one of my favorite soups to make. My husband’s grandmother makes the best Caldo Verde, and I have never been able to replicate her recipe.
Every chef’s hands are different; the same dish made by two different people never come out the same. However, I did not stop until I made this soup my own.
This soup is not difficult to make, but it does take some time. I like to make a big pot of Caldo Verde and then freeze the leftovers in individual portions. This way, I can have a delicious and healthy meal anytime I want!
Tools:
- Hand wand mixer
- You could also use a blender, ninja, or potato masher
Ingredients:
- 8 – 10 small to medium Potato
- 2 cups of shredded collard greens
- 1 onion
- 1 tbs of garlic
- 1 package of chorizo sweet or hot
- water
- salt to taste (optional)
- pepper to taste (optional)
- 1 package of Knorr’s chicken noodle or potato soup
Instructions:
Step 1:
Prepare your ingredients: Wash and peel the potatoes then cut them in half; finely chop the onion and garlic; wash and soak the collard greens repeat until the water is clear and not green from the leaves of the vegetable, then shred them (as thin as possible). Rinse the chorizo under cold water and cut it in half set it all aside.
Step 2:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened, about 4 min set aside.
Step 3:
Add the potato halves and chorizo to a pot of water and cook until potatoes are fully cooked. (the chorizo will be done before the potatoes)
Step 4:
Remove chorizo from the pot after 20 – 40 minutes of cooking and place have of the chorizo in a blender or ninja to mince the other half slice into rounds. Set aside.
Step 5:
Once you remove the chorizo add the collard greens to the pot of potatoes and cook until done.
Step 6:
Once potatoes are cooked and tender bring the water to a rolling boil and add the package of Knorrs chicken noodle package and stir till contents are dissolved. Add a little salt and pepper to taste if you prefer.
Step 7:
Turn heat to low and with a wand puree the potatoes if you are using a blender ladle the soup into the blender and purée. Return the soup into the saucepan and add the chorizo. then simmer, uncovered, 3 to 5 min. Adjust the seasoning. Ladle the soup into bowls, then serve.
This hearty soup is perfect for a cold winter day! Chorizo sausage is a smoked pork sausage that is popular in Portugal. If you can’t find Chorizo sausage, you can substitute it with another smoked pork sausage. This soup is also traditionally made with Collard greens, but you can use any type of green leafy vegetable.
I hope you enjoy this delicious soup! If you try it, let me know how it turned out in the comments below. Bon appetit!
Tips:
- The more potatoes you add the thicker the soup will be. If that happens and you want to lessen the thickness you can add water little bits at a time until you get the consistency you desire.
- When chorizo is cooking and you see it swollen take a fork and continuously pierce it so that the juices of the chorizo escape into the soup to add that intense flavor.
- I use either potato or chicken Knorr packs sometimes both I love the way they complement each other and the soup but if you choose not to you can use one or the other.
Notes*
The soup keeps up to 7 days in the refrigerator or up to 4 months in the freezer.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you try it by leaving a comment below.
Happy Cooking!
-Lana 🙂