Caldo verde soup

Caldo verde soup

Debbie Major’s cabbage soup is based on a traditional Portuguese recipe – caldo verde – which translates as ‘green soup.’

Caldo verde soup

  • Serves icon Serves 6
  • Time icon Takes 20 minutes to make, 1 hour 35 minutes to cook, plus soaking overnight

Debbie Major’s cabbage soup is based on a traditional Portuguese recipe – caldo verde – which translates as ‘green soup.’

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
422kcals
Fat
20.2g (4.5g saturated)
Protein
17.8g
Carbohydrates
42g carbs (8.1g sugars)
Fibre
14.6g
Salt
0.5g

Ingredients

  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 225g dried white beans, such as haricot, soaked overnight (or see tip)
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 150g spicy cooking chorizo, skinned and sliced
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 medium-hot green chilli, stalk and seeds removed, thinly sliced
  • 650g floury potatoes, such as king edward, cut into small chunks
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • 1 medium (about 700g) winter cabbage
  • Extra-virgin olive oil to serve
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Method

  1. Heat 4 tbsp of the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sliced onion and chilli flakes, cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft but not browned. Scoop half the onions into a small bowl and set aside. Drain the beans, then add them to the pan with 1 litre fresh cold water.
  2. Bring to a simmer, part-cover and cook gently for up to 1 hour until the beans are tender. Add 1 tsp salt, simmer for a further 5 minutes, then tip the beans into a colander set over a bowl to collect the liquid. Measure the cooking liquid and top it up to 600ml with water if necessary. If there’s more than 600ml cooking liquid, return it to the pan and boil until it has reduced to the required amount. Set to one side with the reserved onions.
  3. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a clean large pan. Add the sliced chorizo and fry for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned. Add the crushed garlic and sliced green chilli, then fry gently for another minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t brown.
  4. Stir in the reserved fried onions, the potatoes, ½ tsp salt and some black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid from the beans and the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are almost soft.
  5. Meanwhile, break the cabbage into leaves, discarding any damaged ones and cutting away the core. Strip the leaves away from the large central stems, discard the stems, pile up the leaves and slice them across into 2.5cm wide strips. You should be left with about 500g or so.
  6. Stir the cabbage into the soup, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover, stir in the cooked beans and simmer for another 2-3 minutes until the cabbage is tender, the beans have heated through and the potatoes are beginning to break apart. Season with salt and ground black pepper, ladle into warmed bowls and serve drizzled with some extra-virgin olive oil.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
422kcals
Fat
20.2g (4.5g saturated)
Protein
17.8g
Carbohydrates
42g carbs (8.1g sugars)
Fibre
14.6g
Salt
0.5g

delicious. tips

  1. Make this soup vegetarian by omitting the chorizo.

    If you’re short of time, use 500g tinned haricot beans (drained and rinsed) instead of dried. Cook the onion as in step 1, set aside half, then skip to the start of step 2. You’ll need to use 600ml stock or water instead of the cooking liquid from the dried beans in step 2.

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Recipe By:

Debbie Major

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