This one came out surprisingly well. I say surprisingly because the ingredients had me convinced it would be watery and relatively tasteless. Instead, it was a very well-balanced and hearty vegan soup, perfect for Meatless Monday!
The thanks for this one goes out to Gwyneth Paltrow, whose recipe book “It’s All Good” enlightened me to this use of chard. While I don’t subscribe to Paltrow’s diet, I can definitely appreciate the deliciousness one can create from these simple and fresh ingredients!
My last bag of leek hearts from the chest freezer were just waiting for this recipe. The great thing is, if no leeks are available, substitute it with an onion and it’ll still be a great soup!
Stir up all the onion, garlic and leeks until softened but not browned.
The only thing I changed in this recipe is not discarding the swiss chard ribs as directed. Personally, the ribs are my favorite part! Save them for this favorite recipe!
Adding in your stock and beans. Homemade veggie broth is good because it adds a whole new dimension to the soup. The flavors will change depending on what seasonal scraps you’ve cooked up! Plus, it’s free!
The thing that adds to the heartiness of this soup is that half of it is pureed before it’s returned to the pot.
Pouring the puree back into the soup. See the difference?
And this is once it’s all stirred together. Now THIS is a soup!
The last step is to add the chard to the pot. It looks like it won’t fit!
It fit into the pot, but is overtaking the soup! Let’s stir it and see what happens.
This is the chard in the soup after a few minutes of stirring. Like most greens, the amount can look overwhelming until you actually wilt it.
The final product was really good. It had a buttery quality to it and really made the chard shine as the star ingredient. This would work with other greens, too (kale I’m talking to you). I will definitely be making this again.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 2 leeks, thoroughly washed and finely chopped (You can add an extra medium onion and leave out the leeks entirely if you don’t have leeks available)
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 – 2 bay leaves
- Coarse sea salt
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- A 14-ounce can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (You can use prepped Baers Best beans if you like, sometimes available at the farm stand. Any white bean will do, really.)
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed thoroughly, leaves roughly chopped and set aside the ribs for another recipe (such as this one)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add your leeks, garlic and onion along with the bay leaf and a generous pinch of salt. Cook stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes until things are softened (but not browned).
Add your veggie stock and your beans to the pot. Raise the heat a bit and bring to a boil followed by a simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes. Remove your bay leaf.
Very carefully, puree about 2 cups of the soup in a blender before returning it to the pot. Stir and return to a gentle bubble before adding in the swiss chard leaves. Stir in the leaves carefully until they wilt, this takes only a few minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve!