Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
Caldo Verde, a traditional Portuguese soup made with potatoes, leafy greens and olive oil. This easy version usees a combo of kale and cavolo nero for a comforting and nourishing soup that the whole family will enjoy. Perfect for the cold season, but also all year round.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 191kcal
Ingredients
- 750 g baby potatoes (1.65 lb)
- 1 regular onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 150 g cavolo nero (5 oz)
- 100 g kale (3 oz)
- 1 litre vegetable stock (4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large pan, add the peeled and chopped onion and fry it until golden.
- Add the peeled and chopped garlic and potatoes, pour over the stock, and cook it until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the tough centre stems from the cavolo nero and kale, and shred them finely into thin ribbons.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, use a hand blender to blend the soup to a smooth texture.
- Add the shredded greens, salt and pepper, and return it to the heat for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Serve hot with extra black pepper and olive oil if you wish.
Notes
- It's very important to shred the greens as finely as you can, to keep an authentic touch. Remove the tough central stems, stack or roll the greens, and use a sharp knife to slice them into very thin ribbons.
- Don't overcook the greens, we want to keep the vibrant colour and a nice texture, so once the potato base is ready, the greens don't need to cook for any longer than a few minutes.
- Don't make the soup too thick, it should be creamy from blending the potatoes, but still have a pourable consistency; if needed, add more stock or water.
- You can also add a generous drizzle of olive oil at the end for a nice finishing touch, the quality of the olive oil is really important and it gives the soup a lovely Mediterranean touch.
Nutrition
Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1086mg | Potassium: 703mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4519IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg