About this Dish
Portugal's most comforting soup — a simple broth of potato and kale with slices of chourico sausage, finished with olive oil. The kale (couve galega) is cut into the finest possible ribbons — a specific technique essential to the texture. Served at celebrations, festivals and as an everyday family meal throughout Portugal.
IngredientsServes 4
🥔Floury potatoes, 800g peeled and roughly chopped
🥬Couve galega or curly kale, 300g very finely shredded into thin ribbons
🌭Chouriço sausage, 200g sliced into rounds
🧅White onion, 1 large roughly chopped
🧄Garlic cloves, 3 peeled and crushed
🫒Good quality extra virgin olive oil, 5 tablespoons plus extra to serve
💧Water or light chicken stock, 1.5 litres
🧂Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 8 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally — do not let them brown.2
Add the chopped potatoes and pour in the water or stock. Season generously with salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and starting to fall apart.3
Use a hand blender or potato masher to blend or mash the soup until completely smooth and creamy. This thick potato base is the heart of caldo verde — it should coat the back of a spoon.4
To prepare the kale, stack the leaves, roll them tightly into a cigar shape and slice as finely as possible into hair-thin ribbons. This is the essential technique that gives caldo verde its signature silky texture.5
Bring the blended soup back to a gentle boil and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shredded kale ribbons and cook for just 3 to 4 minutes — they should stay bright green and have a slight bite.6
In a separate frying pan, fry the chouriço slices over medium-high heat for 2 minutes each side until lightly caramelised, then stir most of them into the soup, reserving a few slices to garnish each bowl.7
Ladle into deep bowls, top with reserved chouriço slices, and finish each bowl with a generous drizzle of your best olive oil and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately with crusty bread.User Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first!
Sign in to leave a review
Members can create lists, save favourites and get recommendations.
Find the Best Caldo Verde Near Me
AI-powered — Google, TripAdvisor and food blogs
🔥 Viral Recipes
How the world's most famous chefs — and creators — make this dish
Food Wishes
687.0K views
🌍 Food Vlogs
Food vloggers eating and cooking it at the source
🌍
No videos yet
What To Eat
The World's Food Guide
© 2025 What To Eat · hello@whattoeat.world