Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
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How many Portuguese dishes have you had in your life?
As most of you know, I am Brazilian. I was born and raised in São Paulo and my family is still down there so I visit often (or as often as I can afford the expensive plane tickets). Everyday I get asked where I’m from (because people notice my accent) and I always get that flabbergasted look of surprise: “oh, but you are so white!”.
What most people don’t seem to know is that Brazil is a multiracial country, like the US. We were colonized by the Portuguese, but we have huge Italian, Lebanese and Japanese communities in São Paulo, a huge German community in the south, and many others around the big country that is Brazil. So you can only imagine how much these cultures contributed to the Brazilian culture and people.
The Portuguese obviously were the main influencers, in lots of aspects, but especially in the food department. God, I couldn’t possibly list all the delicious Portuguese or Portuguese-descendant dishes we have down there. Amazing sea food dishes, bacalhau, roasts, stews, breads, decadent pastries and desserts and many others. The Portuguese definitely know how to eat!
One of my favorite Portuguese dishes, especially in this insane NYC weather, is the Caldo Verde. It is the ultimate healthy comfort food to warm you up on a freezing day. I almost want the next winter to come faster so I can make more of this! (Relax, I said “almost”!)
Caldo Verde is a Portuguese soup made with potatoes, collard greens, sliced chouriço or linguiça (smoked Portuguese sausage) and olive oil. It originated in northern Portugal, but nowadays it is a national favorite. Some people even say it’s the national dish but I disagree! (Hello? Bacalhau?!?) It is also so popular in Brazil that most Brazilians don’t even know that it is originally a Portuguese soup.
This soup is great served as an appetizer or as a light course for a late supper, for example. I find it to be very satisfying, because of the sausage and potatoes, so I’m usually good with a bowl of this soup and a slice of bread for dinner! Maybe accompanied by some Rosemary Focaccia? Yum!
However, as much as I love the sausage in this for its portion of protein and smokey flavor, you can just omit it (and the bacon) to make it vegan/vegetarian.
Ok, and so since I mentioned the bacon, I have to warn you, before any native Portuguese gets mad at me, that the traditional Caldo Verde doesn’t call for bacon. But come onnnnnn! How could I not? Bacon makes everything so delicious!
A few considerations about this recipe:
– The creaminess of this soup varies according to taste. I don’t like mine too creamy, after all it is a “caldo” and not a “creme”. But if you like yours creamier, just add more potatoes. You can add as much as you’d like and just use water to thin it out if it gets too thick.
– You have to (HAVE TO!) cut the collard greens into strips instead of chopping it. It is the traditional way. If you don’t cut it into strips, it is not Caldo Verde. I don’t care if you’re worried your date will see you struggling to look classy! [Sorry, I just got bossy here. (**hides in the corner, embarassed**)]
– As I said before, omit the bacon and the sausage for a vegan/vegetarian version. :)
– The next day the leftovers will be a tad thicker than when you first made it (which is great if you love creamier soup), so add some water if you want to thin it out.
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
Yield:
6
Cook Time:
40 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1lbs sausage (chorizo, linguiça or kielbasa), thinly sliced
- 1 bunch collard greens, thoroughly washed
- 4 slices bacon, roughly chopped
- 8 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth, low sodium
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Notes
P.S. Add 1lbs more potatoes if you like your soup creamier.
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43 Comments on “Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)”
I don’t think I have ever had a Portuguese dish in my life. I really enjoyed the Brazilian history lesson though! This soup looks delish and I love that you used your focaccia too!
This soup looks perfect for this chilly weather! I love how potatoes make the soup creamy. And plus bacon? Yes please! Pinning!
I think the last time I had Caldo Verde was in my childhood, a loooong time ago! It is great you posted this recipe because now I will remember to cook it! Winter is around the corner here in Tasmania and it will be a good excuse to have that!
I’ve never had Portuguese food! This needs to change, ASAP. This soup looks flavorful, bright, and hearty. Love!
I looooove caldo verde! Mu Gosh I don’t know why I’ve never post caldo verde recipe on my blog too ;-) And like you, I’m usually good with a bowl of this soup and a slice of bread for dinner! This is my favourite type of dinner! Have a great weekend ;-)
this soup looks so comforting! Especially, I love that recipe is so simple! When it comes to soups for dinner, I love such creamy yet no-cream, and hearty bowl of soups! and I agree, a slice of focaccia is all it needs! pinned!
One of my closest friends and recipe tester is Brazilian- I’m going to surprise her and make this, it looks so satisfying :)
Oh, I hope she likes it! :)
i grew up in S.E.mass.with a large azores portuguese
population and they also added kidney beans but it’s always delicious on a cold day.
This is so delicious and so easy to make. I don’t eat pork so I couldn’t partake in the bacon but was able to use turkey smoked sausage. I had to scoop up a bowl of this as soon as it was done. Smells wonderful and tastes even better.
There are large Jewish and Muslim populations in Brazil, so I’m sure they also omit the pork sausage and substitute something else. Brazil is very multicultural!
I’m getting back to this – making a riff on Caldo Verde, with smoked turkey instead of chouriço. It won’t be true Caldo Verde though, as I’m using “Leafy Greens”, a frozen mix of collards, kale and spinach from a supermarket chain here – handy in the depths of winter. I have good homemade stock, so I’m sure it will be fine anyway. It is minus 15c here in Montréal.
Lots of Portuguese people and Portuguese foods here; unfortunately not so many Brazilians. Most Brazilians up here are professionals and don’t start up restaurants.
Hmmm, Collards only cook for 15 mins. That doesn’t seem long enough. I have a big pot of collards I cooked nearly to death. I’m going to try this with them.
Olivia, this was great! Typing from Sao Paulo here, and am making caldo verde right now. Just a tip – a nice squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving really adds a nice touch to the flavor, but don’t overdo it, half a squeezed lemon (not lime!) is perfect. Thanks again !
Hi John,
What a great tip. I’ll definitely try this next time I make Caldo Verde, which should be soon cause the weather is getting nice and crisp! :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Made this tonight and it was sooooo good. Even my 3 7 year old loved it. Only thing I did different was use half spinach and a few extra garlic cloves. Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Ambre. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note. :)
I’m Portuguese and I have to say I love Caldo Verde, it’s one of my favourite soups.It’s so good when the chorizo gives the soup its flavour!
I can suggest other very typical and very good recipes: “Bacalhau com Natas” and “Bacalhau à Brás” , both very delicious codfish recipes.
Great suggestions, Carla. In Brazil, Bacalhau is a must for Good Friday! :)
Why does everything good have to have bacon or sausage? A perfectly healthy dish gone bad. Are there any suggestions for making this soup meatless. Please help cause as a person who doesn’t eat red meat, I still love good food.
Lol what a stupid comment
I agree just leave out the meat and realize some of us still eat meat vit.b12 for mental health.
Well, you could use vegetable broth, a couple of chilies in adobo mashed with some garlic and add some white beans. You would probably end up with a slightly smoky, spicy veg soup.
Ummmm, Ras…………..You Hoooooooo !!! How about going back and reading the author’s entire article……….Which just happens to include multiple references for Vegetarian or Vegan options.
As for your question “Why does everything good have to have bacon or sausage? ” while probably a rhetorical question I’m going to treat it as a legitimate query. The answer to this meaning of life question is: Simply because Sausage and especially BACON make everything that is merely good and makes it Great.
As for the recipe itself this recipe is spot on and the addition of bacon is quite welcome by us. Nothing goes with Collard Greens quite like smoked ham-hocks, trotters, heirloom country ham and especially BACON :-)))))
You don’t need to introduce any meat or sausage into the soup, I gave it regukarly without any meat as a vegan. Tastes fantastic!!! Enjoy
Hi, I love caldo verde and I have a vegetarian child so I am going to use vegetarian chorizo which is made out of soy and it should be just as good and use vegetable stock instead of chicken this is very adaptable and tastes great.
Incredible!! Used to eat this as a child growing up in Portugal. Tastes so close! And the bacon is a great addition.
Yay! Something different to do with the collards just won’t quit growing in my backyard… I love linguica too. Mashing up the taters sounds like a good idea. It seems to fall somewhere between the Celtic idea of colcannon and the Spanish chorizo and taters w/greens that leaves the taters intact. Can’t wait to try making this tomorrow.
Hi! One tiny problem, my soup is coming out creamy rather than clear like in your photos. Is that correct? After mashing and then blending the potatoes it is all cream colored.
I love every recipe on your blog that I have tried! My husband is Brazilian and we both live in Japan, so I’m trying to give him some tastes from home. Super excited to try this one (even though it’s not winter…). Obrigada! :)
Hi Shawna, you can add more water or broth if you’d like it less creamy! And I’m so glad you like my recipes. You have to tell me more about your life in Japan! :) Best, Olivia
On Google search your 4th under “caldo verde” , I first googled “cal verde” (because of my poor Portuguese – I do not know why but I hated going twice a week to Portuguese school at the Catholic church) and you came in 2nd. Gonna try a modified version of your recipe now in South Africa; I am replacing the potatoes with cucumber and gem-squash and the chourico with smoked pork chops. I think potatoes are fattening so I am always testing alternatives. The cucumbers are for silica because I want to see if extra silica in my diet will help stop my balding. Thanks.
My fiance is from the Açores and I try to make dishes from his childhood. I’m so glad I came across this website as this is one his all-time favourites!! Adding the bacon was a modern touch that he LOVED. He was so pleased to come home to the nostalgic smell of Caldo Verde simmering on the stove. We ate as myself and our children listened to stories of his childhood. My children loved it. This is more than just a recipe. Thank you so much! <3
Hi Candice, oh I’m so glad! Thank you so much for telling me that. You’ve made my day! This is the reason this blog exists: for people to make my recipes and gather around the table, sharing joy and memories. :)
Can I substitute the Collards for black kale or normal kale? I can’t find it in Scotland
Yes, that would work fine!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I’ve never tried Portuguese food before but saw Caldo Verde as a recommended idea for Brussel Sprout tops and, on searching for a recipe, good old Google gave me this as a suggestion. Yukon Gold aren’t common in the UK so I substituted with a variety called Elfe (described as “creamy skin and bright yellow flesh that has a creamy texture and delicious sweet, buttery taste”) and the brussel tops replaced the Collards. I haven’t added bacon or sausage as was trying to keep the saturated fats down but add a teaspoon of smoked sweet paprika for a bit of that Chorizo-style flavour. It’s very delicious. I think I did make one mistake though by adding all the greens to the pot as this amount of soup will last the two of us a few days, so I think I should have just added them when reheating the soup so as not to overcook them
Alma, that sounds a lot like our Canadian Yukon Golds.
Hi, thanks for this recipe! The last itme I had authentic caldo verde was in Macao in the mid 1990’s! One question – is there any reason you don’t quarter or dice the potatoes before cooking in the chicken broth? Is there a negative effect to cutting the potatoes before cooking?
I love this recipe 💕.. This is the second time I’ve made it … It’s easy to make and the taste is amazing 👍😊.
This is a staple in my New Bedford, MA community. Although I’ve never heard of using collards (we use kale) or bacon, I’ll bet it’s delicious and can’t wait to try this version!
I lived in Campinas for 4 years. When I left, I thought it would be for only 1 year and that I was returning but it did not work out that way. All the wonderful recipes were left behind. Since I’m used to the Paulista version of Brazilian food, sometimes when looking on line, the recipes just weren’t right. Thank you so much for providing these! The versions of Brazilian food that I know and love!
Abraços,
Rebecca
What are you supposed to do with the extra olive oil? Dip bread into it ?
Hi Gary, in Brazil people like to drizzle a little more olive oil on the soup when serving! Totally optional!