Portuguese Bean and Collard Green Soup
Everyone knows sopa season is every season in a Portuguese home. 😂🇵🇹 But there’s something about the cooler weather that makes a big pot of homemade Portuguese soup taste even better.
This Sopa de Feijão com Couves is exactly the kind of soup I grew up with. It’s hearty, rustic, filling and made with simple ingredients that somehow turn into the coziest bowl of food.
And like most Portuguese recipes, every household makes their sopa a little differently. That’s one of my favourite things about Portuguese cooking. There isn’t always one exact way your avó, your tia and your neighbour all made the same dish. You use what you have, you taste as you go, and somehow it always comes together. ❤️
For my version, I used both white and red feijão, potatoes, massa, plenty of couves and, of course, chouriço. I also used both sweet and hot pimenta for a little extra flavour, but the hot is completely optional.
The beans make this soup especially hearty and give the broth that thicker, almost creamy, rustic texture as everything cooks together. They’re also a great source of fibre, and between the feijão and all those couves, this is one of those meals that feels comforting and satisfying at the same time.
This is Portuguese home cooking at its best. Nothing fancy. Just a big pot of sopa for the family. 🇵🇹🥣
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Why You’ll Love This Portuguese Soup ❤️
This is one of those recipes I love because it really is a complete meal in a bowl. You have the feijão, vegetables, potatoes, massa and couves, with the chouriço flavouring that beautiful broth.
It’s also very forgiving. If you like your sopa thick and rustic, let the beans and massa absorb more of the broth. If you’re like me and sometimes look at the pot and think, this needs more caldo, just add some more water. 😂
Portuguese avó cooking was never about making things complicated. It was about making something hearty, delicious and enough to feed everyone.
A Note About the Broth 🥣
I used 3 cups chicken broth and 4 cups water.
As the soup cooks, the beans, potatoes and especially the massa will absorb quite a bit of liquid. The beans also begin to break down slightly, which gives the soup that beautiful thick, rustic consistency.
If that’s how you like your sopa, leave it exactly like that.
If you prefer a soup with more caldo, simply add additional water as it cooks until you reach the consistency you like. I recommend adding it about ½ cup at a time so you don’t accidentally make the broth too thin.
Remember to taste again after adding water and adjust the salt if necessary.
Sweet or Hot Pimenta? 🌶️
I used 2 tablespoons sweet pimenta and 1 tablespoon hot pimenta moída.
The hot pimenta is completely optional. If your family doesn’t like spice, use only the sweet version.
Between the pimenta, paprika and chouriço, the broth gets that beautiful Portuguese colour and flavour without needing a tomato-heavy base.
What is pimenta moída?
Pimenta moída is a Portuguese ground red pepper paste that adds that unmistakable pepper flavour to so many of our dishes. Depending on the variety, it can be sweet or spicy, and it can also be quite salty, so I always recommend tasting your sopa before adding additional salt. Portuguese pepper pastes vary by region and family, which is why you’ll see slightly different versions and names. Traditional massa de pimentão, for example, is made from ripe red peppers and salt.
Can’t find pimenta moída? No problem!
For the 2 tablespoons sweet pimenta, substitute 2 tablespoons mild Portuguese red pepper paste or massa de pimentão doce. If you can’t find either, use 2 tablespoons roasted red pepper paste and add a little sweet paprika to taste. For the 1 tablespoon hot pimenta moída, use a little piri piri sauce or your favourite chilli paste, starting with less and adding more to taste. You can also simply leave the hot version out for a mild sopa.
Sopa de Feijão com Couves Recipe
Ingredients
● 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
● 1 package Portuguese chouriço, sliced
● 1 medium onion, chopped
● 3–4 garlic cloves, chopped
● 2 carrots, sliced
● 1 bay leaf
● 1 tablespoon tomato paste
● 2 tablespoons sweet pimenta
● 1 tablespoon hot pimenta moída, optional
● ½ teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
● ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
● 3 - 4 cups chicken broth
● 4 cups water, plus more as needed
● Salt, to taste
● 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
● 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
● 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
● ¾ cup small massa
● Approximately 5 cups chopped couves
For Serving
● Crusty bread or pão de milho/broa de milho
Instructions
- Brown the chouriço
Heat 1–2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Add the sliced chouriço and cook for approximately 3–4 minutes, allowing it to warm through, lightly brown and release its flavourful oils into the pot.
- Add the onion
Add the chopped onion directly to the chouriço and stir everything together.
Cook until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent.
- Add the garlic and carrots
Add the chopped garlic and sliced carrots.
Stir and cook briefly until the garlic becomes fragrant, being careful not to let it burn.
- Build the flavour
Add the bay leaf, followed by:
● 1 tablespoon tomato paste
● 2 tablespoons sweet pimenta
● 1 tablespoon hot pimenta moída, optional
● ½ teaspoon white pepper
● ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
Stir everything together so the vegetables and chouriço are well coated.
Allow the tomato paste and seasonings to cook briefly in the pot to develop their flavour.
- Add the broth and water
Pour in 3-4 cups chicken broth followed by 4 cups water.
Stir well, scraping up any flavour from the bottom of the pot.
Season lightly with salt to taste, remembering that both the chouriço and chicken broth can already contain quite a bit of salt.
Bring the soup to a gentle boil.
- Add the beans and potatoes
Add the drained and rinsed white beans, drained and rinsed red kidney beans and cubed potatoes.
Stir everything together.
Reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the potatoes are nearly fork-tender, approximately 15–20 minutes, depending on the size of your potato cubes.
As the soup cooks, the beans will begin absorbing some of the liquid and thickening the broth.
If you prefer a more brothy sopa, add additional water as needed. Start with about ½ cup at a time and continue until you reach your preferred consistency.
- Remove the bay leaf
Once the potatoes are nearly tender and the broth has had time to develop, remove and discard the bay leaf.
Don’t forget her in there. 😂
- Add the massa
Add ¾ cup small massa directly to the soup.
Stir well so the pasta doesn’t settle or stick together.
Allow it to cook according to the package directions, stirring occasionally.
Keep an eye on the liquid at this point because the massa will continue absorbing broth as it cooks. Add more water if necessary.
- Add the couves
Toward the end of the massa’s cooking time, add approximately 5 cups chopped couves.
It may look like a lot when you first add it, but the couves will wilt considerably as they cook.
Stir the couves into the soup and continue cooking until the greens are tender and the massa is completely cooked.
- Taste and adjust
Taste the soup and adjust the salt and white pepper if needed.
If the soup has become thicker than you like, add a little more water and allow it to come back to a simmer.
If you love that thick, rustic Portuguese sopa consistency, leave it exactly as it is. 🇵🇹
- Serve
Ladle the Sopa de Feijão com Couves into big bowls and serve hot.
Serve with crusty bread or pão de milho/broa de milho on the side for dipping into all that beautiful caldo. ❤️
Avó Tip 👵🇵🇹
Don’t panic when your sopa thickens!
Between the feijão, potatoes and massa, this soup will naturally continue to absorb liquid, especially as it sits. That’s part of what gives it that hearty, rustic consistency.
If you’re reheating leftovers the next day, you’ll probably need to add another splash of water because the massa will continue soaking up the broth overnight.
Substitutions & Notes
Hot pimenta: Completely optional. Leave it out if you’re cooking for anyone who doesn’t like heat.
Couves: Use a generous amount. They wilt down significantly once they hit the hot broth.
Massa: Use a small pasta suitable for soup. Keep in mind that pasta continues absorbing liquid even after cooking.
Broth consistency: Seven cups of liquid worked for this pot, but sopa isn’t something you need to be precious about. If it becomes too thick for your preference, add more water.
Bread: A good crusty bread works beautifully, but pão de milho or broa de milho makes this extra Portuguese. 🇵🇹
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The soup will become considerably thicker as it sits because the beans and massa continue absorbing the broth.
When reheating, add a splash of water until you get the consistency you like, then warm gently on the stovetop. Taste and adjust the seasoning again before serving.
The Kind of Sopa That Feels Like Home ❤️
There are some foods that immediately bring you back to a Portuguese kitchen, and for me, sopa will always be one of them.
A pot bubbling away on the stove, chouriço flavouring the broth, couves piled into the pot and enough sopa made to somehow feed everyone who walks through the door. 😂
Every Portuguese household might make theirs a little differently, and that’s exactly how it should be.
Simple ingredients. A big pot. Something warm for the family.
That’s the Portuguese way. 🇵🇹❤️
Sopa de Feijão com Couves 🇵🇹🥣
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Chouriço, sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon pimenta moída
- 2 tablespoon sweet pimenta or massa de pimentão
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 3-4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water add more if needed
- salt to taste
- 1 can white beans
- 1 can red beans
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- ¾ cup small massa (passtina)
- 4-5 cups chopped couves (collard greens)
- crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add sliced chouriço and cook for 3–4 minutes to lightly brown and release its oils.
- 2. Add the chopped onion and cook until it begins to soften.
- 3. Add the garlic and carrots and cook briefly until fragrant.
- 4. Add the bay leaf, tomato paste, sweet pimenta, optional hot pimenta moída, white pepper and paprika. Stir and cook briefly to develop the flavours.
- 5. Pour in 3-4 cups chicken broth and 4 cups water. Season lightly with salt and bring to a gentle boil.
- 6. Add the drained white beans, drained red kidney beans and cubed potatoes.
- 7. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 15–20 minutes, or until the potatoes are nearly fork-tender. Add additional water if you prefer more broth.
- 8. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- 9. Add ¾ cup massa (passtina) and cook according to the package directions, stirring occasionally. Add more water if the soup becomes too thick.
- 10. Toward the end of the pasta’s cooking time, add the chopped couves.
- 11. Continue cooking until the couves are tender and the massa is cooked through.
- 12. Taste and adjust salt and white pepper as needed. Add additional water for a more brothy consistency, if desired.
- 13. Serve hot with crusty bread or pão de milho/broa de milho.
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