Our purpose

Our family loves cooking. We live through cooking. We cook normal stuff and want to share it with all of you.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup

I have cooked chard three times in the past week. Maybe it's some kind of pregnancy craving or maybe it's that I've been thinking a lot about Arizona. (We always had chard from our garden this time of year and so it just happens to remind me of home... )

Anyways, tonight's version (sorry this was written almost a week ago) was definitely my favorite. I tried a new recipe and was pleasantly surprised. Not only super healthy but it tasted wonderful! And was very filling as well. I am usually a "bottomless bowl" kinda gal when it comes to soups but was full after my first bowl and now I am feeling a little stretched out from trying to fit in that second bowl (but I couldn't help myself, it tasted so good). From Martha Stewart. The changes I made are in bold.


Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup
Serves 4 (Really could serve 6-8 with some nice hearty bread)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
  • 2 bunches (about 1 1/2 pounds total) Swiss chard, stalks cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (keep stalks and leaves separate) I used only one bunch.
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper 1/8 tsp pepper was a little too much. Just ended up on the spicy side.
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Bread, for serving (optional)
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Stir in lemon juice; ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve with bread, if desired. Ran out of Olive Oil so I didn't use as much as this recipe calls for, just enough to cook the onion.