My mother, Christina L. Pacheco, makes the tastiest Portuguese soup.
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 6 hrs 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 8 hrs |
| Servings: | 10 |
| Yield: | 10 servings |
Ingredients
- ½ pound dried white pea beans
- ½ pound chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 pound beef soup bones
- 1 quart water
- 1 medium head cabbage, chopped
- 2 bunches kale – rinsed, dried and chopped
- 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 quart hot water or as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak beans in twice their volume of water 8 hours or overnight.
- In a large pot, place drained beans, chorizo, soup bones and 1 quart water (or more as needed to cover). Cook over medium heat until beans are just beginning to be tender, 1 hour.
- Stir in cabbage, kale, potatoes and enough hot water to cover. Cook until potatoes are tender, 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 302 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 42 g |
| Cholesterol | 20 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 321 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 9 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I never liked kale before, but I do now! Made it following the recipe exactly as written and was not disappointed. I cannot think of any changes needed.
I made changes, but that is not why I am giving 4 stars: we just couldn’t get past the spicyness of the sausage. You have to like spicy! Hubby and I liked, kids didn’t. I will make again, but with less spicy sausage. My changes: It turned more into zuppa tuscana because I sautéed an onion with browning the sausage. I prefer browned taste not boiled. Added some pressed garlic. Added thyme & coriander. Added qt chicken broth. We like FLAVOR and as written, the flavor would have come only from the sausage. That said- it wasn’t too hard to make, I never would have put kale and cabbage together into a soup. But I like the recipe as a jumping off point. Glad it was posted!
The easiest most traditional Portuguese koves soup.
I thought this was ok as written but it was only 3 stars. YES we did taste it as written but the finished product was a little bland. So I added some cumin and smoked paprika and let it simmer for 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes I tasted it and it went up a star. I would make this recipe again but I will probably switch up the bean to see how it comes out.
I’m from RI and my great-grand parents were originally from Lisbon Portugal. Their Kale soup included only Fava beans, fresh soaked the night prior to making the soup. They started off by boiling the beef shank bone(s) in 8-12 cups of water depending on the amount of soup desired, for about 40 minutes. Then they would add large hunks (not sliced) of hot chourico and mild linguica, and simmer for another 40 minutes to an hour. Wash the kale thoroughly and add to the soup. Next came the Fava beans, and whatever veggies you like. My grandparents used only carrots and onion. Next, add big chunks of (halved) potatoes only near the end, about 20-30 minutes before the soup is ready to eat. Otherwise they will disintegrate. Timing each addition according to cook time is key here! This way is simple and delicious! And I believe very accurate, as my great-grandparents attested to.
John, thank you for this recipe! I couldn’t find the one I had from my mother-in-law who came from the Azores. This is great! The only change that our family does is use split peas and ham as the base. The peas are soaked overnight and cooked the next day with a ham bone or small bits of ham, much like split pea soup only much thinner. Try it sometime, it’s delicious. Sometimes I’ll cheat and use Anderson’s split pea soup watered down for the base. I appreciate everyone who contributed information on where to get authentic linguica. Hubby’s family always used linguica and not chouriso, but if I can find a good source, I may try that too. Now to make some massa!
It was ok, but I changed the next batch, with ingredients to my taste but staying true to the recipe..
Will certainly make much more and share it with my daughter. Thanks
I will definitely make this again! My husband and i both enjoyed this. We tag teamed and made it together using the crock pot. I cooked the chorizo and added it to the water, beans and soup bone in the morning. Then chopped the carrots, cabbage, kale, & potatoes which my husband added when he got home from work. I made a pan of corn bread to accompany the meal. It was great!
This is a family dinner favorite now, but only after following the changes that the most critical reviewer, Anabela, suggested. It has a lot of distinct falvors in it and is quite impressive. Make sure that you follow the cooking times on each ingredient and be patient though. Otherwise, you won’t pull the flavors out, and it won’t be as good.
Added spinach, onion & garlic. Used beef broth and canned beans. Was awesome!
I thought it was a great and will make it again and I rated it as written. Afterwards I read through the other reviews and the one written and reviewed by NrsJan4 was a completely different recipe. Why do these people do this. Make it as written and rate it. Then make your own, send it in and we will rate yours.
Tried this recipe and read reviews first. Anabela’s changes–Yikes waaaaay tooo much salt (8 bullion cubes!). I found home made (no salt added) chicken broth added plenty of flavor. Letting it soak with the linguica made a difference as well.
My grocer had awful linguica (spell?) but this recipe was a great start. The next time I used a nice smokey kielbasa and the soup was much nicer. Even better the next day.
This has become the favourite soup in our home. My Husband and Son told me of all the homemade soups I make; this is by far the best. There is so much flavour from so little ingredients…so quick to put together. I just use beef stock instead of water and it’s still as good, I don’t go to the trouble of use the bones to make my stock.
My husband loved it, even though I substituted beef broth and used turkey kielbasa. I did add some garlic and bay leaf. He wants the recipe so he can make it himself. Hmmm…okay, so 5 stars from my husband.
Was okay.
This is a good, easy, healthy soup and a perfect way to introduce children to important green veggies! I did not have beef soup bones so I used a combination of low sodium canned beef broth, low sodium canned chicken broth, and beef consommé. Because I love the buttery sweetness of cabbage after a long simmer I added the cabbage midway through the cooking of the beans. Don’t let not planning ahead send you scampering for a can of beans for this recipe. Dried beans are healthier, tastier, and have a better texture than canned. If you can’t soak the beans overnight just bring them to a boil for two minutes and then let them soak for one hour before draining, rinsing, and proceeding with the recipe.
Does not disappoint! Have made it as is, and then with chicken sausage & chicken broth, both times were delicious and hearty. Will certainly pull this one out over the winter!
This recipe was spot on.the person who made this has a Portuguese name so I assume they are.it is made with no canned items or bullion which I think changes the recipe from being authentic.excellent!I am Portuguese and originally come from RI.This is excellent!
Very good. The second day is even better and I added cream to it the second day.