Portuguese Kale Soup Recipe

When it comes to making a satisfying mid-day meal, sandwiches can get the job done, but some days, you just want a hot lunch. If you don't have time to whip up an elaborate meal from scratch, please put down that can of chicken noodle soup and give this Portuguese kale soup recipe from photographer and recipe developer Susan Olayinka a try. In only 35 minutes, you can make a delicious, healthy soup that is a complete meal with carbohydrates, protein, and a green vegetable.

Olayinka says that her favorite thing about this recipe is "the simplicity and ease achieved for great bold flavors." This recipe is extremely simple, and if you're not in the mood to spend hours over a pot of soup, this is a great recipe for you to try out. It's also bold, delicious, and requires only a few easy to find, inexpensive ingredients. Let's get started!

For this recipe, you'll need whole cloves of garlic, white potatoes, and vegetable oil. You'll also need some kale. There are several varieties and sub-varieties of kale. There's curly-leafed Kale, red kale, and even purple kale. You can use any kind of kale in this soup, though any standard, green kale will probably work best.
You'll also need chicken broth, salt, and black pepper. And last but not least, you'll need some chorizo. This recipe uses Spanish-style chorizo, which, according to Epicurious, is not interchangeable with Mexican-style chorizo. You want a type of chorizo that is sausage-like, not the type that crumbles.

Now that you have all of your ingredients ready to go, you can dive right into this recipe. As with many recipes, you'll want to start this one out with some chopping and prepping. First, peel the garlic and chop it into thin slices, and then peel and dice the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. You don't have to be exact with chopping the potatoes, but the more uniform they are, the more even they'll cook. Finally, chop the chorizo into coin-like shapes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, chopped potatoes, kale, and sliced chorizo and stir until combined. Sauté for five minutes, and then add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the soup for 25 minutes. Stir the soup after 12 minutes. After 25 minutes are up, stir the soup together one final time. Although this is a very simple recipe, Olayinka warns that it is possible to overcook this soup and recommends setting a timer.

And that's it! Your soup is done and ready to be served. According to Olayinka, this soup is a complete meal in and of itself, but if you'd like to serve something along with it, she suggests a side salad. When it comes to storing leftovers, Olayinka says "it would last 3-4 days in the fridge," and notes that you could freeze the soup, too. Whether you're an old hand at making soup or an intimidated beginner more comfortable reaching for a can of Spaghetti-O's, this simple, delicious recipe is something that you will definitely enjoy.