Potatoes, collard greens and kidney beans make this vegan caldo verde hearty and nourishing. Serve this delicious soup with rye bread for a satisfying dinner.
The perfect soup should be hearty, nourishing and incredibly delicious, like this garlicky white bean soup or vegan potato soup. Now here’s one more soup to fall in love with: a vegan caldo verde.
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What is caldo verde?
Caldo verde is a popular Portuguese soup made with potatoes and greens. The greens used are typically a local cruciferous leafy green called couve galega. It is a variety of kale that looks and tastes a lot like collard greens. You can make caldo verde with other greens, like kale and spinach.
Despite its promising name (which translates to “green broth” or “green soup” in Portuguese), caldo verde is not vegan: a fact I discovered the old-fashioned way on a ride back from the headily beautiful city of Porto. We stopped in the beach town of Nazaré, known for its 100-foot waves, late at night, and stumbled into the only restaurant that was open. It was a lovely little place filled with locals and the most beautifully tiled bathrooms I’ve ever seen. But there was nothing vegetarian on the seafood-rich menu.
Except, as we gleaned through our attempts to communicate with the helpful waitress, a caldo verde.
So the caldo verde arrived, smelling divine. I dipped my hopeful spoon in it and fished out a piece of sausage! As I learned, sausages like chouriço or linguiça are a pretty standard ingredient in caldo verde, putting it in the category of “definitely not vegan”.
Veganizing a caldo verde isn’t difficult, but one has to add plenty of umami-rich ingredients to substitute for the meats, which add flavor to this otherwise simple soup.
Why you will love this caldo verde recipe
- Loaded with flavor and umami. This vegan caldo verde may be meatless but it is in no way lacking in flavor. Mushroom broth, sage, lots of garlic and optional soy sauce make this a soup to savor and love.
- Simple recipe. The soup is easy to make and one-pot if you have an immersion blender. If you don’t you can use a regular blender.
- Healthy soup. Kidney beans add healthy protein to this already-healthy soup loaded with greens and potatoes.
- Nut-free, gluten-free and can be soy-free.
Ingredients
- Vegetables: onions, potatoes and collard greens
- Herbs: garlic, bay leaves and sage
- Red kidney beans. You can use pinto beans instead.
- Mushroom stock. The stock adds lots of delicious umami so try and use it.
- Optional ingredients (recommended): red pepper flakes and soy sauce.
How to make vegan caldo verde
Place olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Saute until onions are translucent.
Add the diced potatoes to the pot and saute for a minute.
Add three cups of mushroom stock along with sage and bay leaves. Add red pepper flakes, if using.
Bring the stock to a boil, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to blend the soup a bit (don’t make it too smooth, you want chunks of potato in there). Alternatively, remove half the soup to a blender jar and blend carefully until smooth. Add the blended soup back to the pot.
Add the collard greens to the pot and mix them in. You can add in up to two more cups of broth to the soup to thin it out to your liking.
Stir in the soy sauce, if using…
…Followed by the kidney beans. Mix well, bring to a boil, cover and let the soup simmer for five more minutes or until the collards are very tender. Check salt and add more as needed. Serve hot.
Top tips
- To speed up cooking, use a quick-cooking green, like spinach. Keep in mind, though, that collard greens will give you a more authentic flavor.
- For a green hue to the soup, blend up some of the collard greens with the potatoes.
Serving suggestions
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Caldo verde can be refrigerated for up to five days in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze the soup in a freezer-safe container for up to four months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add more broth as needed to thin out. Always check for salt after adding more liquid to the soup.
More cozy vegan soups
Vegan Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
Potatoes, collard greens and kidney beans make this vegan caldo verde hearty and nourishing. Serve up this delicious soup with rye bread for a satisfying dinner.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 159kcal
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Instructions
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Place olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Saute until onions are translucent.
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Add the diced potatoes to the pot and saute for a minute. Then add three cups of mushroom stock along with sage and bay leaves. Add red pepper flakes, if using.
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Bring the stock to a boil, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
-
Use an immersion blender to blend the soup (don’t make it too smooth, you want chunks of potato in there). Alternatively, remove half the soup to a blender jar and blend carefully until smooth. Add the blended soup back to the pot.
-
Add the collard greens to the pot and mix them in. You can add in up to two more cups of broth to the soup to thin it out to your liking.
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Stir in the soy sauce, if using followed by the kidney beans. Mix well, bring to a boil, cover and let the caldo verde simmer for five more minutes or until the collards are very tender. Check salt and add more as needed. Serve hot.
Recipe notes
- If cooking kidney beans from scratch, start with ½ cup dried beans.
- For a green hue to the soup, blend some of the collard greens with the potatoes.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
