Swiss Chard Soup Recipes

SWISS CHARD SOUP WITH LENTILS

Steps:

• Wash the chard and with a knife separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems and slice the leaves (but keep leaves and stems separate).
• In a large pot or Dutch oven warm the olive oil, add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, all the spices, give a good stir, and cook for a further 20-30 seconds.
• Add the lentils, the chopped stems and the broth (alternately, warm water will work too). Bring to the boil.
• Reduce to medium heat, cover with a lid and cook until the lentils are soft, it will take about 15-20 minutes.
• Once the lentils are done, blend part of the soup with an immersion blender (alternately, transfer part of the soup into a highspeed blender, but be careful, it's hot and in this case you might want to turn the heat off and wait 5 minutes until it cools down a bit).
• Add the Swiss chard leaves and half of the coriander, push them down with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook for about 3 minutes until the leaves are tender but still bright and green.
• Turn off the heat, taste and adjust the seaoning adding more salt and pepper according to your taste. You might want to adjust the consinstency too, feel free to add a bit of warm water if you wish to thin out the soup.
• Serve with extra chili flakes if you like, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice (about a quarter of lemon per serving is fine, don't skip it!). Enjoy.

SWISS CHARD BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven , saute the carrot, zucchini, yellow squash and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Add the broth, Swiss chard, beans, tomatoes, thyme, salt, oregano and pepper. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until chard is tender. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese.

SPICY CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• Cut the chard stems into 1/2-inch pieces and the leaves into 1-inch pieces; keep separate. Toast the caraway and cumin seeds in a skillet over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool, then grind in a spice grinder or transfer to a resealable plastic bag and crush with a heavy skillet.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chard stems and onion and cook until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Clear a space in the pan, then add the tomato paste, harissa, garlic and ground spices. Cook 2 minutes, then stir into the vegetables. Add the chard leaves, chicken broth and 1 cup water, bring to a rapid simmer and cook until the chard is tender, about 10 minutes. Squeeze in the juice from 1/2 lemon and season with salt.
• Mix the yogurt, the juice from the remaining 1/2 lemon and a pinch of salt. Divide the soup among bowls. Add the eggs, pita chips and a dollop of the yogurt mixture; drizzle with olive oil.

WHITE BEAN-CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until the vegetables are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the roasted peppers, minced garlic and cilantro and cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chard, cover and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the pot and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toast the bread, then rub with the whole garlic clove. Serve the soup with the bread and lemon wedges, if desired.

SWISS CHARD & POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and swiss chard stems and saute for 2 minutes or until softened.
• Add potatoes, chicken stock and milk and bring to a boil.
• Simmer soup for 5 minutes; add swiss chard leaves (reserving 1/4 cup for garnish) and simmer 5 minutes longer or until potatoes are very soft and chard is wilted.
• Puree soup in a blender or food processor (An immersion blender also works well). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish:.
• Heat oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add Swiss chard (be careful, as it will pop and splatter oil) and fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until crisped.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Garnish soup with crinkled Swiss chard.

SWISS CHARD AND RICE SOUP

Steps:

• Trim the bottoms of the chard stems. If the stems are thin and fibrous, separate the leaves and discard the stems. If they are wide, separate the leaves and cut the stems into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside with the celery and onion. Wash the leaves in 2 changes of water and chop medium-fine.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion, celery and chard stalks. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock or water, bouquet garni and rice. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
• Stir the chard into the soup, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust the salt. Serve with fresh lemon wedges for people to squeeze into their servings if desired and Parmesan for sprinkling.

LENTIL AND SWISS CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan with a lid, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, oregano, and thyme; stir to combine.
• Add lentils, 5 cups water, and tomatoes with their juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes. Add chard stalks and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chard leaves; season with salt and pepper, and cook until lentils and chard are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in lemon juice; ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve with bread, if desired.

TUSCAN CHARD AND CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon, onion, garlic, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and cannellini beans, and bring the mixture to a boil; stir in sun-dried tomatoes and the piece of Parmesan cheese rind. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook while you prepare the chard, about 10 minutes.
• Cut the stems from the chard, and slice the stems into pieces about 3/4-inch long. Cut the chard leaves into 1-inch wide ribbons. Stir the chard stems and pasta into the soup, setting aside the leaves. Reduce heat to a simmer, and gently simmer until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir the chard leaves, sage, and basil into the soup, and simmer just until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

SWISS CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the swiss chard and onion, stirring until softened.
• Add the broth, cannellini beans, and lemon juice.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.

SWISS CHARD AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Place bacon in a heavy 4-quart saucepan. Add 1/3 cup water, and cook over medium heat until water evaporates. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Sauté until lightly browned. Drain, leaving 2 tablespoons fat in pan.
• Add onion and garlic to oil in pan and sauté over low heat until soft and barely golden. Add potatoes and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, season with salt, and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
• If using the eggs, poach them, drain, trim any ragged edges, and set aside.
• Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to a large mixing bowl, and roughly mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Return potatoes to liquid in pot, and stir to dissolve them.
• Add chickpeas, reserved bacon, chard leaves and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bring to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes, until leaves wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to warm soup plates. If using the eggs, add one to each plate. Top with chopped cilantro and a drizzle of the remaining olive oil.

BEAN AND SWISS CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, cook the chard with 1/2 cup (125 ml) water and the salt over medium heat until tender. Drain the chard, reserving any liquid that remains. Coarsely chop the chard.
• Very finely chop anchovies together with the rosemary.
• In a medium saucepan, stir together the oil and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is pale gold, about 10 minutes. Stir in the anchovies and rosemary. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Discard the garlic. Stir in the chard and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to thoroughly coat it with the oil. Stir in the beans. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir in the macaroni. Boil for 6 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
• Pass Parmesan cheese at the table.