PCOS-Friendly Caldo Verde Soup

This version of caldo verde soup (Portuguese potato soup) is higher in protein with a lower glycemic index and glycemic load, making it more PCOS-friendly than the traditional version. It’s also packed with vitamins and minerals!

Ingredients

1 tbsp Ghee
1.25 lbs Chicken or Turkey Sausage, casing removed (I prefer hot Italian sausage for this soup)
1 Red Onion, diced
5 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 lbs Sweet Potato, cubed into 1” chunks
4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 bunch Collard Greens, stems removed, leaves thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Heat ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, break apart into small chunks, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 - 7 minutes.

  2. Remove sausage and add the red onion. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute.

  3. Add chicken broth, sweet potatoes, and about 1/4 of the sausage. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

  4. Using an immersion blender, blend some of the soup, until desired consistency of soup is reached. I like to blend about 1/3 because I like more solid chunks. You could blend it entirely if you wanted! (Alternatively, remove 1/3 to 1/2 of soup to puree in a food processor or blender. Return pureed soup to the pot.)

  5. After blending, add collard greens to the soup. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until greens are softened.

  6. Return remaining sausage to the pot and simmer for a minute or two to reheat sausage.

  7. Ladle soup into bowls and enjoy!

Serves 5

Notes - This soup was inspired by a recipe from Simone Miller of Zenbelly, found in her Paleo Soups and Stews Cookbook. First, this cookbook is amazing! You need it in your life! Second, the caldo verdo recipe in it is also amazing! But it’s just a little less blood sugar friendly than I want to be eating on a regular basis. I’ve swapped a higher protein/lower fat sausage, sweet potatoes for white potatoes (see my post on sweet vs. white potatoes and the magic of boiling sweet potatoes!), and adjusted the amount of broth to account for the lower starch content of sweet potatoes.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 467
Total Fat: 20g
Carbohydrates: 52g
Protein: 24g
Fiber: 6g
Notable vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin A: 533%
Niacin: 31%
Vitamin B6: 18%
Folate: 9%
Riboflavin: 23%
Vitamin B12: 83%
Vitamin C: 16%
Vitamin K: 78%
Calcium: 22%
Iron: 50%
Potassium: 11%
Selenium: 44%
Zinc: 27%