One of the best things about the cooler days of Fall, is the return of soup to the menu. I think this is a perfect Fall soup, as fresh, local swiss chard is still available and it’s a bit lighter soup than the heavier cream-based or stew-like soups of winter.
This soup is chock full of beautiful swiss chard (which is a great source of fibre, iron and vitamins C, E and K!), together with some potatoes for texture and some spicy chorizo sausage to liven things up. If you can find authentic Portuguese or Spanish chorizo sausage, it is perfect for this soup. Otherwise, whatever chorizo you can find will do. (If chorizo is no where to be found, hot Italian or kielbasa sausage would work).
This soup comes together fairly quickly and doesn’t require a long simmering time, so it’s a perfect for a rushed day. Serve it with a hearty bread for a great lunch or dinner, or try these lovely Parmesan and Herb Popovers like I did, spotted recently at Jane’s Sweets (and shown in picture below.)
Recipe: Caldo Verde Portuguese Greens Soup
Summary: This is a hearty, quick and easy soup. If you can find authentic Portuguese or Spanish Chorizo sausage, it is perfect for this soup. Alternately, hot Italian or kielbasa sausage would work in the soup.
Ingredients
- Olive or vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. hot pepper flakes
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (or sliced)
- 8 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
- 4 cups (8 ounces) of Swiss Chard (Kale or Collard greens), chopped fairly fine (1/2-3/4-inch dice)
- Juice from half a lemon (or lime)
Instructions
- Heat oil In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat. Saute the onions until soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (just a minute). Add hot pepper flakes and heat briefly. Add chicken stock and potatoes, a bit of salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and cooked. While the soup is simmering, cut up the chorizo and greens.
- When the potatoes are soft, mash them up slightly (not completely) in the pot with a potato masher to give the soup a chunky texture.
- In a frying pan, cook the chorizo on medium heat until brown. Once browned, about 3-5 minutes, add a bit of the soup broth to the pan to deglaze and add the sausage and the liquid from the pan into the soup . Simmer for 5 minutes. Add your greens and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, or until greens are softened. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed, to taste. Add in the juice of half a lemon.
- Served with a hearty bread and a sprinkle of Parmesan on top, if you like. Enjoy!
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Number of servings (yield): 4
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This looks just right for a chilly fall or winter day. I always like to make a big pot of soup on the weekend when the weather gets cooler. (I’m hoping it will get cooler soon!)This looks delicious!
Thanks Betty. For you (soup) sake, I hope you see cooler soon, too. It’s already cooler here. In fact, there are flurries in the forecast for the weekend. Yikes!
What a delicious healthy looking soup.
That captures it exactly, Lisa. It was delicious and a pretty good way to eat my greens!