This Caldo Verde recipe is so comforting and warming. It’s a creamy potato and greens soup that hails from Portugal loaded with collard greens and smoked sausage. Vegetarian-adaptable!
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.
W.B. Yeats
Here’s our chef’s perfected caldo verde recipe (also known as Portuguese green soup)! Cozy and warming, it’s comfort food in a bowl- perfect for chilly weeknights. This smoky potato soup is loaded up with nutrient-dense collard greens with smoky goodness from smoked sausage. And yes! You can use plant-based sausage!
The best part? We’ve simplified this recipe using accessible ingredients- easy to make and your whole family will love it!
What is Caldo Verde?
Caldo Verde is a traditional Portuguese soup from Northern Portugal that dates back to the 15th century. It means “green soup” referring to the finely shredded Portuguese greens called couve galega, a close relative to collard greens (which is what we use here). It is now a country-wide staple, typically served for special celebrations and loved in many parts of the world.
Love potato soup? Try our popular Potato Leek Soup!
Table of Contents
We use simple ingredeints in this caldo verde recipe: good olive oil, organic tender potatoes and flavorful broth, will make all the difference here!
Caldo VerDE Recipe Ingredients
- Potatoes– yellow potatoes such as Yukon gold potatoes. Thin-skinned is nice, leave the peel on for all the extra nutrients.
- Greens– collard, kale or mustard greens. The traditional greens used are Portuguese cabbage or couve galega which is similar to collard greens.
- Sausage– paio, chouriço, or linguiça are traditional smoked and cured sausages used in Caldo Verde. However, they may not be readily available at common markets. Kielbasa, pork sausage, turkey sausage or a cured Spanish chorizo (not Mexican chorizo!) are good substitutes. Vegan sausage, like Field Roast, would be great too, or sub-white beans!
- Broth– chicken stock or veggie broth. Make sure it is flavorful!
- Extra-Virgin Olive oil– a good quality oil is a must for this recipe.
- Salt and black pepper
*See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Caldo Verde Recipe
Step 1: Cut the stems out of the collard greens, then cut in strips by staking about 3 leaves and rolling up in “cigars” then slicing thin into ribbons. Set aside.
Step 2: Chop the veggies, set them aside.
Step 3: Saute the sausage over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or stock pot. Set aside.
TIP: If you prefer not to fry the sausage, you can boil them whole with the potatoes and broth. Remove the sausages before blending. Cut in slices and set aside.
Step 4: In the same pot, without cleaning, add onion and garlic, sauteeing until tender. Add broth, potatoes, and salt and simmer over medium-low heat until tender.
Step 5: Add about 1/3 of the sausage into the soup. Use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth.
Step 6: Add the greens, and simmer until greens are tender about 10 minutes.
Step 7: Add the remaining sausage and warm for a few minutes. Add more broth for the desired consistency.
Step 8: Adjust salt, pepper and lemon if using.
Serving Suggestions
Divide among bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, and an optional pinch of Aleppo pepper. To richen it up you can also add a bit of cream to each dish.
Serve it on its own as a delicious one-pot meal, or serve with a leafy green salad, crusty bread, rolls or savory scones.
Storage And Make-Ahead
Caldo Verde will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, or can be frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Recipe FAQS
Portuguese green soup. Made of potatoes, greens and smoked meat.
It depends on the type of potato. When the skins are thin like on a Yukon gold, it is great to leave them on both for ease and for the nutritional value of the skin. Russet potatoes tend to have thicker skin also the older the potato the thicker the skin and it can add unwanted texture.
They both come from the brassica family and are high in nutrients and vitamins K, A and C. Kale has more protein and iron. Collard greens have more manganese and tend to be more mild in flavor than kale. Both kale and collard greens sweeten up in the garden with a hit of frost.
More recipes You May Enjoy
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
Caldo Verde video
Caldo Verde Recipe (Portuguese Green Soup)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Portugese
Description
This Portuguese soup called Caldo Verde has a luscious creamy potato base, with collard green ribbons, and smoked sausage. A delicious one-pot meal that is vegan-adaptable!
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked cured sausage such as calabresa, paio, chouiço, linguiça, paio, Spanish chorizo, Kielbasa or plant-based sausage, cut into half moon pieces. (Do not use raw Mexican chorizo)
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 8 cups chicken stock or veggie broth
- 2 pounds yellow potatoes, cut in chunks
- 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste- start with 1 teaspoon and add more as needed)
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups collard greens or kale, cut into thin ribbons
- Optional: 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice and zest of a lemon
Instructions
- Cut the stems out of the collard greens then cut in strips by stacking about 3 leaves and rolling up into “cigars” then slicing them thin into ribbons. Set aside.
- Saute the sausage in a heavy bottom stock pot. Set aside. (see notes)
- In the same pot, without cleaning, add onion and garlic, sauteeing until tender. Add broth, potatoes, and salt cook, until tender. Add about 1/3 of the sausage slices into the soup. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup just until mostly smooth or to desired consistency. Try not to over blend, this can cause some potatoes to become gummy.
- Add the greens, simmer until greens are tender about 10 minutes.
- Add the sausage and warm for a few minutes. Add more broth for desired consistancy.
- Adjust salt, pepper and lemon if using.
- Drizzle individual bowls with olive oil, and optional pinch of Aleppo pepper. To richen it up you can also add a bit of cream to each dish.
Notes
If you prefer not to fry the sausage, you can boil them whole with the potatoes and broth. Remove the sausages before blending. Cut in slices and set aside.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 357
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 1422.4 mg
- Fat: 14.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.8 g
- Fiber: 5.6 g
- Protein: 15.2 g
- Cholesterol: 40.1 mg
Love this, thank you! I’ve been so bored lately with meal choices and this was a perfect fit to try something new that was quick and easy! I love the flavor! I did add a roasted poblano into the soup base as I wanted the pepper flavor profile and a little heat in not on as a topper. I appreciate you sharing!
Sounds good with the poblano!
Excellent, quick soup. Thank you! Absolutely needs ALL the optional ingredients, esp. lemon and olive oil. I subbed 1 lb. loose sweet Italian sausage, 2 large unpeeled russet potatoes, green cabbage, yogurt and Maras pepper.
Glad you enjoyed and played around with it!
Thank you for this recipe and all the wonderful recipes you share. I know I can always rely on finding some good recipes I want to try here. Your photos and info are always helpful, such as “Cut the stems out of the collard greens”, with a photo showing how to do so – Very helpful. Thank you.
So glad you found it helpful!
This is such a simple soup and so delicious! I used regular smoked sausage so it wasn’t so garlic-y. And I added the lemon juice and zest. I was surprised how much better I liked this soup with the lemon. It brightens the flavors and makes it seem lighter. thanks you for another easy, flavorful recipe.
Glad you enjoyed this one Mert!
This is easy and deicious. Don’t skip the lemon!
Thanks Sandie!
I just made this and while I am enjoying it, I feel like the flavor of the sausage is overpowering. I used kielbasa from Teton Waters Ranch. I’m wondering what alternate sausage would be better? I agree the lemon was a great lift to the flavor. I think the recipe itself has potential but I think I used the wrong meat.
Hmm… that’s too bad. So Paio, chouiço, or linguiça are traditional smoked and cured sausages used in Caldo Verde. Cured Spanish chorizo (not Mexican chorizo!) are good substitutes.
Decided to try this because I love caldo verde and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing
Great to hear Janice!
This was delicious! I used breakfast sausage bc that’s what I had in the freezer from a half pig I’d bought, but added some paprika for spice. I loved the potato base with the greens, it was actually perfect on St. Patrick’s Day with some rosemary brown butter soda bread. Got me out of a boring soup funk 🙂
Sounds so good Shannon, so glad it got you inspired!
I forgot to mention— the lemon at the end was pretty magic. I wasn’t sure about it but it really adds a special touch and recommend not skipping if you can…
I tried this out last night, with silver beets (Swiss chard), and Italian salsiccia. A surprisingly simple, but highly recommended dish. Thanks for sharing.
Nice Kahukura, thanks for letting us know!
Made it tonight and it was so good! I used smoked chicken apple sausage and kale, and a couple of big squirts of lemon. I forgot the olive oil drizzle in the bowls. A hearty, simple soup with a deep flavor. “It’s a winner!” said suspicious of new food hubby. Thanks for the always appealing recipes.
So great to hear Julie!
Comfort food at its best! The potato base with linguica and collard greens was so delicious. The lemon at the end just livens it all, though it was tasty without too.
Thank you.
So happy you enjoyed this Joan 🙂
This was delicious! And easy too. I just found the recipe and knew I had everything. That never happens. Thank you so much!
Great to hear Alene! It was meant to be 🙂
I make soups often,and this one looks great, but we are vegetarian. What do you recommend to adapt to vegetarian?
Hi Bernie, You can use vegetable broth and a plant based sausage.