While grocery shopping the other day, I saw some swiss chard. Not many people know what this vegetable is and what it can be used for. But I immediately remembered a soup my mom used to make when we were young. It was a lentil swiss chard soup that she learned from her Lebanese friends. I picked it up right away and decided I was going to make the same soup for my kids who both had colds.
Swiss chard is filled with so many beneficial vitamins, especially Vitamin K. That combined the fiber you get from lentils along with the many benefits of garlic make this soup so nutritious. I thought my kids wouldn’t even eat it because of the swiss chard floating around. But they LOVED it! And we all know when your kids actually eat something, it means it’s good!
My favorite way to have this soup is warm with goldfish or cheddar crackers crushed on top. It also tastes good at room temperature. You can blend it up or keep the vegetables whole, it’s your choice!
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups good quality vegetable stock
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 bunch swiss chard
- 1 potato, cut in small pieces
- 3 TB olive oil
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Rinse lentils and place in a stock pot with water, vegetable stock, and 1 tsp salt. Boil on medium heat.
- Meanwhile, remove the hard ribs from the swiss chard and finely chop it.
- Heat olive oil in a fry pan. Add onions and cook until lightly browned. Then add the garlic and cilantro and cook for a minute. Add the swiss chard and cook until wilted.
- Add this swiss chard/onion mixture to the lentils. Add the small pieces of potato. Simmer for about 20 minutes and then add the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Once the potatoes are soft and the lentils are cooked, the soup is ready! You may wish to add more lemon juice depending on your preference.
I LOVE this soup!!! Its so easy to make and so comforting to eat. This is my third time making it and this is now my go to soup!