Easy Vegan Caldo Verde Recipe
Inspired by my grandma’s recipe, this easy vegan caldo verde - green soup in Portuguese - is a deeply comforting and nourishing soup ready in 45 minutes, made from curly kale and waxy Yukon gold potatoes.
Equipment
- immersion blender or you could use a regular blender or bullet!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil don't skimp here! see note in blog
- 2 medium yellow onions diced
- 1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes unpeeled, cut into 1 cm (½ in) cubes
- 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 8 cups water
- 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon vegetarian chicken concentrate or 2 gluten free bouillon cubes, if needed
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 bunches curly or Portuguese kale about 1/2 pound, finely chopped
- freshly cracked pepper
Optional, for garnish or to boost protein
- 1 link vegan sausage use 2-3 links if you want more protein
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Turn heat down if onion browning, you don't want that.
- Add garlic and potatoes and stir constantly, for one minute. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Pour in water, add bouillon, salt and bay leaf and bring to a boil on high. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes just fork tender, about 8-12 minutes.
- Remove from heat, remove bay leaf and puree about one-third of the soup using an immersion blender. Return to heat, add kale and simmer for 5 minute, until kale is softened. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
- Traditionally, caldo verde is served with a few pieces of fried sausage. To do this, slice a vegan sausage into ½ inch (1 cm) slices on the diagonal. Fry in a drizzle of oil until both sides are browned, about 2-3 minutes a side.
- Soup will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container or up to a month in the freezer.