Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard

I’ve been trying to work more lentils into my diet for the fiber factor, so I’m on the hunt for more ways to cook them. I have a favorite lentil soup recipe that I make quite often, but in an effort to not burn myself out on it, I’m on the search for alternatives. Enter, Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard for today’s mid-day culinary adventure.

I found some lovely, organic rainbow swiss chard at the local farmer’s market this morning, so I quickly snapped up a bunch for this soup. Since I haven’t worked with chard much, I did a little research since I wasn’t sure if the stems should be included or not. You know how stems can be…some are tasty while others are so tough I’m not even sure horses could chew through them! In searching, I quickly found out that they are in fact very edible and are said to taste like a cross between celery and broccoli. Sounds like fun! They’re supposed to work well when stir fried. Had I known that early enough, I would have chopped them up and sautéed them with the onions and carrots. Oh well, maybe next time!

Whether you decide to use the stems in this soup or not, in order to prep the leaves, you will need to cut them out. It’s pretty easy to fold the chard in half long ways and cut the bulk of the stem out. Make sure you give the leaves a good soak to get all the dirt out. You don’t want that kind of crunchiness in the soup! They will also crisp up a bit while they soak in water, which makes chopping them much easier. Once they’re good and clean, coarsely chop them to a size that you like.

The rest of the recipe is pretty straight forward. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

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Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard

Hearty barley and lentil soup packed with veggies.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings 8

Author Vegetariant

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onions chopped
• 1 1/2 cups peeled carrots chopped
• 3 cloves large garlic minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 10 cups low-salt chicken or vegetable broth or more
• 2/3 cup pearl barley
• 1 14 1/2- ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2/3 cup dried lentils
• 4 cups Swiss chard coarsely chopped, packed, about 1/2 large bunch
• 2 Tbs crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Chop onions, carrots and mince garlic.
2. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add onions and carrots; sauté about 10 minutes until onions are golden brown.
4. Add garlic and stir 1 minute.
5. Stir in cumin, about 30 seconds until veggies are coated.
6. Add 10 cups broth and barley; bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes.
8. While simmering, be sure to clean, stem, and coursely chop swiss chard.
9. Stir in tomatoes with juice and lentils; cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until barley and lentils are tender.
10. Add chard to soup; cover and simmer about 5 minutes until chard is tender.
11. Add the crushed red pepper flakes.
12. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve in bowls.

Recipe Notes

The original recipe called for dill, but I used crushed red pepper flakes instead since I like a little spice.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

If you make this Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard, let me know if you go for the spicy option or not. Snap a pic of your creation and share on social with #vegetariant.

Enjoy!