Hearty Portuguese Kale Soup

Bitsie's Note:

This is a very flavorful soup that is a comfort food for my family. The recipe was given to me by my Portuguese mil over 30 yrs ago. Her mother had passed it on to her. This soup is easily stretched to make more servings. The Chorizo gives the broth a good base for adding another can of beans or more pasta or a little water. Soul warming for a cold night, serve with a warm crusty bread. A great next day soup. Freezes well.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb chorizo sausage (fresh not dried)
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 large onion, roughly diced
• 4 large potatoes, cubed
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed washed & chopped (abt. 1 lb.)
• 1 1/2 cups ditalini
• 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans
• fresh ground black pepper
• salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Remove casing from sausage and cut into smaller than bit sized pieces.
2. Heat oil in a heavy soup pot; saute the sausage& onion just until the fat is rendered, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Drain on paper towels.
4. Add other ingredients except kale,& pasta.
5. Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Add kale, and pasta and simmer about 8 minutes until both are tender.
7. Taste for seasoning- depending on how spicy your sausage is, add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve piping hot.

Reviews

[wklonghrtattack]

Delicious! I took some advice from other posters and added the 2 gloves of garlic while sauteing the onions and sausage (the recipe calls for chorizo however, I used linquica). I cut the pasta down to one cup from the one and half the recipe calls for and the potatoes I used were average sized not "large". I also added some red pepper flakes to add a little extra heat! This will certainly be my Kale Soup Recipe for the rest of my life!!! Obrigado

[princess.and.the.pea]

I made this soup during my Dad's last visit. I am half Portuguese on my father's side, but by the time I was born, my Nana had long ago hung up her apron and her desire to cook. This was the first time I had made or tried this rich and hearty meal. Blue and I loved it, but for my dad, it was really a treat. He said it was every bit as good as the one he remembered from his childhood visits to Rhode Island. I served it with crusty buttered rolls and Nana's "Pappish" (Portuguese Sweet Rice). The entire meal was a hit of epic proportions.

[akcow_girl]

Bitsie... Thanks for the recipe! This was a wonderful soup. I did a few modifications like some of the other posters. I used italian sausage and Kielbasa. I think I should have just used the italian sausage (next time!). I added some garlic and some red pepper flakes for extra flavor. I left off the potatoes and beans (I don't generally like beans/potatoes). And I replaced the noodles w/quinoa. The quinoa in it was a FANTASTIC swap! It turned out very salty (I think it was the Kielbasa) but otherwise it was fantastic! :)