I once read that caldo verde soup is commonly served during celebrations that are held in Portugal. So, this delicious soup might be served at birthday parties, weddings or other types of important gatherings in Europe’s oldest country. However, there are often so many things vying for a parent’s time and attention that simply finding a way to prepare a tasty and healthy meal for one’s family is reason enough to celebrate!
If you’ve been following along since I started sharing my cultural foods recipe hacks last fall, you’ve probably noticed that I try to keep the number of ingredients–and the amount of time–needed for my recipes at a minimum. I am very intentional about keeping them as simple as possible so parents will feel comfortable attempting to make them…even at the conclusion of a busy day. And, I had this goal in mind when I created the recipe for my 15-Minute Caldo Verde Soup. Containing simple ingredients that I often have on hand anyway–such as chicken sausage, chicken broth and mirepoix, to name a few–it actually may be the easiest one I’ve shared to date!
As I’ve often done, I purchased many of my ingredients for this dish at a Whole Foods grocery store. But, if you don’t have one of these stores near you–or can’t find the suggested ingredients at your local Whole Foods store–you should be able to find good substitutions at any supermarket. In addition, you could also purchase some of the items on Amazon using the links I included in the ingredients list. (If you decide to make a purchase using any of the links, I will earn a small commission from qualifying purchases that will help me to continue to produce helpful content like this on my site.)
If you think you might like to make this soup for your family, take a moment now to save the recipe to your Pinterest board using the below pin if you’re a pinner. If you’re not on Pinterest, feel free to print out a PDF of the recipe using the black oval button that appears near the top of this post.
What You’ll Need To Make 15-Minute Portuguese Caldo Verde Soup (Six servings)
*2-3 Large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (approximately 3 cups)
*3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
*1.25 Cups (or 10 ounces) of Mirepoix (Onion, Carrot and Celery Blend), thawed
*4-5 Chicken (Dinner) Sausage Links, sliced into discs approximately 1/4″ to 1/3″ thick. (I used bun-length, mild Italian chicken sausages.)
*1 Cup of Frozen Kale, thawed
*3.5 Cups of Chicken Broth
*2 Teaspoons of Unsalted Butter
*1 Teaspoon of Smoked Paprika
*1 Teaspoon of Salt
15-Minute Portuguese Caldo Verde Soup
1. Place the potato cubes on a microwaveable plate. Drizzle them with water and microwave them for about 4 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, pour the oil into a large pan and heat it over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, sautee the mirepoix mix until the vegetables begin to soften (approximately 4 minutes).
3. Increase the heat of the pan to high heat and add the potatoes. Continue cooking the vegetables for 1 more minute.
4. Add the sausage to the pan and then stir it to distribute the pieces throughout the pan.
5. Next, add in the kale, chicken broth, butter, smoked paprika and salt. Stir all the ingredients well so that they are evenly spread out in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and then cover the pan. Cook the soup on high for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Taste the soup after it has been cooking for 10 minutes. If it needs more salt, this would be the time to sprinkle in a bit more to taste. (Be careful to not add too much.)
7. When the soup is ready, you can use a ladle to pour it into soup bowls and enjoy your easy, comforting dinner!
Possible Substitutions:
1. Many versions of the soup include collard greens instead of kale. So, you could use that vegetable instead if you want to.
2. If you can’t find mirepoix, you could use a seasoning blend like this one (which contains onion, celery, red- and green bell peppers, and parsley) when you make the soup.
