Let’s take a little trip to Europe’s oldest country with these amazing Portuguese soups. They are famous for their food and I want to make these recipes all year round.
You can’t go wrong with veggies in a flavorful broth. These soups are fabulously tasty and healthy. They are loaded with greens and goodness.
Even picky eaters approve!
Forget the old chicken noodle routine and try one of these 10 Portuguese recipes. You won’t be sorry.
1. Sopa da Pedra (Portuguese Stone Soup)
Sopa de Pedra is absolutely packed with goodness like bacon, potatoes, kidney beans, and cured sausages. The story goes that traveling beggars made this soup using actual stones and things you can’t eat.
It is a moral lesson about how important it is to share when times are tough. I say invite your friends over for dinner and share this tasty bowl sans the stones.
2. Portuguese Chicken Soup (Canja)
Is there anything better than a bowl of chicken soup? It is especially good when it has the flavor of Portuguese Canja.
You only need five ingredients to make this happen. Water, chicken, onion, salt, and rice are all you need.
Simple things are often the tastiest. This is definitely the case with this fabulous soup.
It is one of the most popular soups around and works as a home remedy for colds. Eat it up with a splash of fresh lemon juice next time you have the sniffles.
3. Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
This green soup is just the ticket if you are on a post-holiday health kick. You will feel like a million bucks after eating a big bowl.
It is known as green soup for its bright green color. It tastes incredible too.
Caldo Verde is a traditional dish made with potatoes, chouriço sausage, and collard greens or kale.
Chouriço is like chorizo but smoked. You can use chorizo if that is all you have on hand.
4. Portuguese Bread and Garlic Soup
This bread and garlic soup is just what you need if you are feeling under the weather. It is guaranteed to warm you from the inside out. One bowl is enough to lift your spirits.
The key here is a beautiful homemade herbal paste made of cilantro, garlic, Serrano chiles, olive oil, salt, and pepper. You mix half the paste with chicken and beef stock for the best broth imaginable.
Eat the soup with toasted cubes of day-old sourdough bread.
5. Portuguese Bean Soup
Did you know over 16,000 Portuguese immigrants came to Hawaii in the late 1800s? They brought their families and stayed so you find lots of Portuguese foods on the islands. This bean soup is a popular local dish there.
It takes a little extra effort but is totally worth it.
You have to boil ham hocks in water for a few hours first. This develops a delicious meaty broth for the base.
Then you add Portuguese sausage, red kidney beans, veggies, and macaroni noodles. Delish!
6. Low-Carb Portuguese Soup
Sticking to your diet is a breeze with this low-carb soup. It is brimming with lots of cabbage and chorizo. That makes it perfect for a cold winter night.
I crave carbs pretty much all the time if I am honest. This soup always saves the day.
Do you have leftover vegetables? Throw them in the pot to bulk it up. Green beans, turnips, parsnips, and peas all work great.
7. Açorda de Mariscos (Portuguese Bread Soup with Shrimp)
This bread soup has a texture similar to risotto. It is made with shrimp, sausage, tomatoes, onions, and Portuguese cornbread.
It is hearty and full of tasty seafood flavor. It is downright delicious.
Açorda de Mariscos might be the least soupy soup on the list. That does not make it any less tasty though.
8. Portuguese Style Vegetable soup (Sopa de Legumes)
This soup is a brilliant way to get more vegetables into your diet. It is an ideal lunch or starter. You can feel less guilty about eating a decadent main course later.
It is absolutely chock-full of veggies like leeks and turnips to carrots and squash and baby spinach. That is basically the whole garden.
Potatoes and beans add a lovely bit of texture.
9. Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada)
Try this gorgeous fish stew if you are looking for a speedy soup packed with tasty seafood. It is rustic and light. It only takes 30 minutes to make.
You use a firm white fish here so it holds its shape. Firm shellfish like scallops and shrimp work fabulously.
The fish simmers in a fragrant simple saffron broth. Throw in some potatoes and serve this seafood soup with crusty rustic bread.
10. Portuguese Kale Soup
Press pause on your usual soups and sandwiches. This kale soup will transform your lunchtime.
It makes for the perfect hearty and healthy meal. It is ready in around half an hour.
It hits all the bases with kale, potatoes, and chorizo. It is tasty and easy to make and loaded with healthy goodness.
What more could you want? Every bite is so delicious that you will want to lick the bowl clean.