Cold winter days always leave me wanting to eat soup. As a child, I remember my mom making Portuguese Kale Soup in our crock pot during the winter months. It would cook all day leaving our house smelling delicious. Of course, when I crave Portuguese Kale Soup it’s usually on a day where I don’t have the ingredients!
Saturday was the perfect day to make it. In the morning, before the snowstorm hit, I went to the grocery store and picked up all of the ingredients. When I got home, I called my mother for some guidance on how long to cook it on the stove top. Much to my surprise, this soup can be pulled together in about an hour! Hooray!
Portuguese Kale Soup is a hearty soup traditionally made using a ham bone to add flavor, Linguica {a Portuguese Pork sausage}, and white potatoes. We don’t eat pork in our home, so I made some adjustments to the recipe – and hopefully made it healthier in the process!
I dusted off our heavy chili pot and put it on the stove, setting the heat to medium. I added extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, and a medium diced onion. Cook the onion and garlic for about five minutes, until the onions are opaque. While that is working, dice a small bag of baby red potatoes and chopped a few handfuls of baby carrots. I also sliced about three-quarters of a pound of turkey linguica. Add those to the pot, along with one can of drained Cannellini beans, one carton of Organic, low-sodium chicken stock, and two cups of water..
Cover and cook for about 50 minutes. While it was cooking, I watched the nasty weather unfold.
Add Kale, reduce temperature to low and cook for 10 minutes. I used frozen Kale this time because Trader Joe’s was sold out of the fresh. It still tasted great.
Serve with a nice crusty baguette and a hearty red wine.
To freeze uneaten portion, let soup cool and ladle into labeled plastic freezer bags. Lie bags flat on baking sheet and place in freezer overnight. Storing leftover soup flat, saves space in your freezer.
What foods remind you of your childhood?
Ingredients
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 pound baby red potatoes, cubed
- 10 baby carrots, chopped
- 3/4 pound Turkey Linguica, sliced into coins
- 1 can Cannellini beans, drained not rinsed
- 1 pound frozen Kale or 1 large bunch fresh Kale, cleaned coarsely chopped
- 1 carton Organic, Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In medium, heavy bottomed soup pot, saute onion and garlic until translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Add potatoes, carrots, Cannellini beans, turkey Linguica, chicken broth, and water to pot. Cover and cook for 50 minutes.
- Add Kale.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 - 10 minutes.
- Serve with crusty bread and red wine, if desired.
Notes
If Linguica is not available in your area, substitute chorizo or another sausage.
Okay, this sounds and looks amazing. There is nothing like a good warm soup on a cold, snowy kind of day.
It was delicious! I’m looking forward to breaking out the leftovers from the freezer in a few days, too.
This is such perfect timing! My husband and I were talking this past weekend about trying more recipes with kale, and then here is this soup. I’m going to pin it so we can try it soon 🙂 Thanks!
Enjoy it! It makes enough to freeze, too. I love recipes that keep on giving!
Looks hearty!!
It is hearty and delicious! I’m excited for the next cold day when I whip out my secret stash of extra soup from the freezer, too.