Italian lentil soup with chard
Autumn arrives – with cold, rain, and gray skies. And right now, this warming Italian lentil soup with Swiss chard is just what you need: packed with nutrients, protein, and flavor! Just one bowl will prepare you for the changing seasons, even though you really can't make a small portion of this soup.
Ingredients · Servings 4
- 200 g mountain lentils
- 400 g Mangold
- 200g carrot
- 200 g celery stalks
- 1 onion (yellow)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 10 g Thymian
- 100 g Butter
- 400 ml Stage
- 2 cans of canned tomatoes (peeled)
- 600 ml vegetable broth
- 15 g parsley
- 30 g Parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon
- Salt
- Pfeffer
Method · 50 min
- Rinse the lentils in a sieve. Finely dice the carrot, celery, and onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic, or press it through a garlic press. Roughly chop the Swiss chard, keeping the tougher stalks separate from the leaves.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and sauté the soffritto of carrot, celery, and onion along with the thyme sprigs for about 2–3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally. Add the lentils and chard stalks and sauté for another 2 minutes, until the stalks begin to soften.
- Add the butter to the pot and let it melt, then immediately add the cream and simmer for about 5–8 minutes, until it lightly caramelizes around the edges of the pot. Add the canned tomatoes and roughly crush them with a spatula. Add about ¾ of the vegetable stock and the chard leaves, then cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20–25 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley and stir it into the soup, reserving some for garnish. Grate the Parmesan cheese and finely zest the lemon. Adjust the consistency of the soup with the remaining broth as needed and season with salt and pepper. Top with parsley, Parmesan, and lemon zest, and serve with lemon wedges.
