Sometimes you just need a comforting hot soup that checks all of the boxes for healthy eating. Plant-based foods play the central role in this lentil soup with Swiss chard, with meat used primarily in a supporting role as a source of umami flavor.
Make a big pot of this soup when it's cold or rainy or when you are feeling under the weather yourself. Or make it because it just tastes so darn good and is so good for you!
Adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe for Lentil Soup with Sausage, Swiss Chard and Garlic, I have cut the sausage down drastically from what was originally posted on that site - about a pound of meat - down to 1 link or about 4 ounces of meat. A good quality chicken or pork Italian sausage link with aromatic fennel seeds and other seasonings flavor this pot of soup more than adequately. Of course, you can add additional sausage if you are cooking for folks less interested in a plant-focused diet.
Ingredients for Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard
Just one look at the ingredients for this lentil soup with Swiss chard tells you that you are, in fact, about to prepare a bowl of health. The veggie-to-meat ratio is high.
As much as I love San Marzano tomatoes, my go-to brand of canned tomatoes right now is Bianco DiNapoli, organically grown and harvested in Northern California. With their intense tomato taste, I love their crushed tomatoes.
- onions
- celery
- carrots
- Italian sausage
- fresh garlic
- sea salt
- crushed red pepper flakes
- lentils (brown, red or green)
- bay leaves
- crushed tomatoes
- water
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard
Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden or silicone spoon. Brown for 5 minutes and then add the onion, celery, carrots, 2 of the sliced garlic cloves, a bit of salt and a pinch of hot red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion softens and looks translucent. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, a bit more salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper.
Check the lentils for doneness after about a half hour. When tender, add the Swiss chard and cooks for an additional 3-5 minutes.
While the chard cooks, add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to small pot or skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the garlic hisses, but does not brown. If it burns, start this step over. Your garlic oil will taste bitter.
Portion 1 ½ cups of soup into each bowl. Drizzle with the garlic oil and top with some Romano, allowing guests to add additional cheese at the table.
Hint: To make this a Portion Queen recipe, limit the serving to 1 ½ cups per person. Serve with a salad, such as this simple Citrus Salad with Avocado, Mint and Pistachio, plus maybe a slice of toasted whole grain bread and dinner is served.
Not the right recipe for you? Other delicious one-pot dishes for a rainy or cool night include this fabulous Braised Beef with Dried Figs and Pickled Vegetables and Ciambotta (Italian Vegetable Stew).
Top tip
Yes, I know we should watch our salt intake. But the difference here between an ok bowl of lentil soup with Swiss chard and a great bowl depends on the quality of your ingredients AND proper seasoning. Add salt until the taste is RIGHT.
Recipe
Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard
Ingredients
- ½ cup good quality olive oil, divided
- 4 oz sweet (mild) Italian sausage Remove from casing if links and break into bite size pieces with your fingers.
- 1 medium onion
- 2 celery ribs
- 2 medium carrots peeled, sliced lengthwise and then sliced crosswise into half-moons
- 4 large garlic cloves
- sea salt to taste
- crushed red pepper to taste
- 1 cup brown, green or red lentils (see note)
- 2 bay leaves
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (see note)
- 6 cups water
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 bunch Swiss chard leaves removed from stems, cut crosswise into thin ribbons (should be approximately 4 cups of shredded chard)
- grated Pecorino Romano cheese to serve
Instructions
- Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden or silicone spoon. Brown for 5 minutes and then add the onion, celery, carrots, 2 of the sliced garlic cloves, a bit of salt and a pinch of hot red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion softens and looks translucent. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, a bit more salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper.
- Check the lentils for doneness after about a half hour. When tender, add the Swiss chard and cooks for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- While the chard cooks, add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to small pot or skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the garlic hisses, but does not brown. If it burns, start this step over. Your garlic oil will taste bitter.
- Portion 1 ½ cups of soup into each bowl. Drizzle with the garlic oil and top with some Romano, allowing guests to add additional cheese at the table.
Notes
- The volume of chopped onions, carrots and celery should be roughly equal. You are, essentially making a mirepoix, the classic French flavor base.
- The type of lentils used is up to you. Go with a longer cooking lentil like "whole" green lentils, rather than "split," as you don't want the vegetable to become too soft in the time it takes for the lentils to cook.
- My favorite canned tomatoes right now are Bianco DiNapoli, organically grown in Northern California, intensely flavored and ranked #1 by the NYT in 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/best-canned-tomatoes/
Melissa Zanni
Being a 'picky' eater who doesn't appreciate soups, I was wonderfully surprised by this dish. Health and delicious! I look forward to having it again.