Portuguese Kale Soup
Portuguese Kale Soup is so much more than just greens or kale! Portuguese smoked sausages, such as chouriço or linguiça, are used as the meaty base, with beans added as well as potatoes, making for an incredibly hearty and nourishing soup. If you can’t get your hands on Portuguese sausages, you can easily use a Spanish chorizo, Kielbasa, or another smoked sausage of your choice. You'll love the little bit of tangy apple cider vinegar added at the end!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 403kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. linguiça and/or chouriço sliced (if not available, use another smoked sausage, such as Spanish chorizo or kielbasa)
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic diced small
- 8 cups chicken broth and/or water I used half chicken broth, half water
- 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced (about 4 medium potatoes)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more if needed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more if needed
- 30 oz. canned red kidney beans drained and rinsed (or white/cannellini beans)
- 1 bunch kale stems removed, finely chopped (about 1 lb., or other leafy green or combination of choice, see notes)
- apple cider vinegar for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the 1 lb. linguiça and/or chouriço and cook for about 3 minutes, until fat starts to render and they begin to brown. Add the diced 1 large yellow onion and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the minced 4 cloves garlic and stir to coat, sautéing for another 30 seconds - 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant.
- Add the 8 cups chicken broth and/or water, diced 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender when you stick a fork in them, for about 15 minutes. This is a good time to prep the kale and drain and rinse the beans.
- Add the chopped 1 bunch kale and the drained and rinsed 30 oz. canned red kidney beans to the pot. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes or so, until the kale has wilted.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a few drops of apple cider vinegar in each bowl, if using, or stir in 2-3 tablespoons to the whole pot.
Notes
- Instead of kale, or in addition to, you can use other leafy greens, such as spinach, collards, or cabbage. Keep in mind that different greens need different cooking times and will result in different textures and flavors - spinach, for example, will be very mild in flavor and take almost no time to cook, whereas collards take a longer time, and cabbage will add a different flavor to the soup.
- Leftovers may need more water or broth added to them, as the potatoes will continue absorbing the liquid and thicken the soup.
- You can freeze the soup, but potatoes do tend to change texture slightly if frozen. It's never stopped me before, though!
- If you use water instead of chicken broth, you will likely need more salt added to the soup. If you do use all chicken broth, make sure it's low sodium, as the sausage will already have a fair amount of salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 1093mg | Potassium: 1086mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5668IU | Vitamin C: 78mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 4mg