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Caldo Verde is a Portuguese soup extravaganza of puréed potatoes with simmered kale, spiked with garlic and made hearty with red beans. In Portugal, caldo verde is typically consumed during Portuguese celebrations, such as weddings, birthdays, and popular celebrations—but I find this to be a hearty soup recipe that can be made and enjoyed year round.

This Caldo Verde recipe and other 30-minute meals are also available in our convenient iPhone app and newly released Android app.

By Jason Wyrick,

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • ½ yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 medium potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
  • 1 bunch kale, sliced
  • 1 cup cooked, rinsed red beans

Instructions

  • Bring the water to a simmer.
  • Add the onion, potatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, and crushed red pepper, if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
  • Blend the ingredients with an immersion blender (or in a standard blender and then return to the pot).
  • Return the soup to a simmer. Add the kale to the simmering soup, cooking it for about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat, then immediately stir in the red beans.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (½ of recipe): 511 calories, 108 g carbohydrates, 21 g protein, 1.9 g total fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 331 mg sodium, 19 g fiber, 7.8 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (7)

(5 from 6 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Genie

This soup is good, but anyone who wasn’t already a cook might have problems with it as the measurements are very subjective. As one other reviewer put it, weights would be more useful or at least measures. In my onion basket I have one onion that weighs 4 3/4 oz and one that weighs one pound, 3 oz. How much is 1/2 a yellow onion? I used a cup of chopped onion. Also bunches of kale range from about 10 leaves from the supermarket to the bunch I bought at the Farmers Market which has 20 leaves. Also the leaf size varies a lot. It’s spring, the leaves are smaller than later when they have had more time to grow.c And 4 medium potatoes? Size is very often subjective. Saying something like 1 pound of Yukon Golds would be much more useful. I used a pound and a quarter.

Sarah

I make this soup every couple months. So hearty, healthy, and delicious! I skip the salt and instead add some vegetable or chicken bouillon for a little extra flavor.

Sarah

Absolutely love this soup! Simple and so delicious. I get a crazing for it every month.

SueB

Simple, fast and delicious! I added Harissa paste for spice, thinking of adding cabbage next time.

Areya

Really loved this recipe. Was comforting, creamy and filling, without any guilt. And.. all of the ingredients were inexpensive and easy to find. Great winter soup.

JoAnna

This was so delicious! My meat loving husband even went back for seconds. My only complaint is that in the app, it says “4 potatoes,” and here it says “4 medium potatoes.” Weights would be so much more useful. I ended up using about 24 oz or 2 large Yukon gold potatoes.

Yanka Petera

favourite!

About the Author

Headshot of Jason Wyrick

About the Author

Jason Wyrick

Chef Jason Wyrick is the executive chef and publisher of The Vegan Taste. In 2001, Wyrick reversed his diabetes by switching to a low-fat vegan diet. He is a New York Times bestselling author; has catered for companies such as Google, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and Farm Sanctuary; and has been a guest instructor in the Le Cordon Bleu program at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Find him on Instagram and Facebook.
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