I came across the recipe for Cado Verde via Kitchen Chick and liked how it sounded. Garlic, greens, and potatoes… It seemed simple and tasty, so when I went to Ludgate Farms the other day, I picked up a bag of their homegrown kale with this recipe in mind.

Indeed it is one of the easier soup recipes I have made (not that many are difficult). I used Yukon Gold potatoes (also purchase at Ludgate) and also increased the kale up to four cups, as that was exactly how much I had. More greens = better, right? It didn’t seem to hurt things here. Soup is very forgiving.

I simmered everything for about an hour and then tasted it and it was super yummy, much better than I expected. But I felt like something was missing. I felt that the soup was calling for a smokiness, much like a ham hock in split pea soup. The answer here: CUMIN! I didn’t really measure how much I added, but it probably came to a half tablespoon or so. That sent the soup over the top for me into the realm of crave-inducing.

This recipe is also exceedingly good for you, coming in at under 200 calories for a 12 oz serving and very little fat (3g - most of it comes from the olive oil, which you can regulate). It’s a great way to use a lot of greens at once if you’ve overbought at the farmer’s market - and a good reason to overbuy in the first place! Thanks Madhur Jaffrey and KitchenChick!