Red lentil and chard soup

December 6, 2011  •  Category:

 

This soup is so easy to put together and delivers the kind of homey flavor that is the hallmark of a great winter soup.


The ingredients are thrown in the pot and left to simmer slowly; right before serving, a burst of flavor is added (garlic, olive oil and fresh lemon juice).

Done!

Recipe courtesy of Mireille H. Doniguian La Cuisine du Moyen-Orient (adapted)

INGREDIENTS:  8 servings

  • 2 cups of red lentils
  • 4 large carrots
  • 1 1/2 pound of swiss chard
  • 1 tbsp of mashed garlic (chop the garlic and mash in a mortar with salt till pasty)
  • 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large lemons, juiced

METHOD:

  1. Place the lentils in a bowl and rinse under running tap water for a few seconds until clean. Transfer to a large pot, add 6 cups of water and bring to a simmer.
  2. Peel the carrots and slice; add to the lentils. Cook the lentils and carrots for 40 minutes or so. Meanwhile, wash the chard and separate the stalks from the leaves. Stack the leaves and slice them into 1/4 inch ribbons and throw them in the soup pot. Simmer the soup another 20 minutes until the chard is cooked.
  3. Right before serving, start heating the soup;  juice the lemons and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet, add the mashed garlic and stir-fry briefly for a few seconds without letting the garlic change color. Pour the garlic and olive oil in the soup and add the lemon juice.  Serve.

Comments

26 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Mary says:

    I unequivocally love this soup. It sounds warm and delicious and it is perfect for an Oregon winter day. Ihope you enjoy the evening. Blessings…Mary

  2. meriem says:

    J’adore cette soupe et encore plus son contenant! Superbe.

  3. Lyndsey@TheTinySkill says:

    What a lovely, simple, healthy soup…what more could you ask for? I need to use my red lentils up.

  4. Priya says:

    Wat a beautiful serving bowl,soup looks absolutely comforting.

  5. Rachana says:

    The Soup looks so delicious and healthy!

  6. Belinda @zomppa says:

    Beautiful soup! That bowl is STUNNING! I can’t take my eyes off of it.

  7. culinaire amoula says:

    tu es d origine d un payer que j aime beaucoup.j aime sa beauté et sa cuisine.une très belle soupe.

  8. A Canadian Foodie says:

    Wherever do you get such gorgeous table settings? The citrus must add such sparkle to the soup. I have to remember to use it more often with my soups and stews as I always love it when I do! I do not like lentils or chard, yet you have wooed me, here. I appreciate the nutritional value of both – and usually grind lentils into a flour to add to my soups as a thickner and nutrient… but the garlic and lemon combination in this soup has me puckering for a taste. YUMMY!
    🙂
    V

  9. Magic of Spice says:

    This looks fantastic and so warming! And I am in love with your bowl…gorgeous presentation and shot 🙂

  10. Erica says:

    I am a huge lentil fan….I can eat them every day…What a delicious and comforting soup!

  11. Anita says:

    Love this soup. Simple, elegant and delicious.

  12. domi says:

    Ail, ail, ail comme elle à l”air bonne cette soupe et on n’a même pas à mettre des lentilles pour le voir….

  13. Claudia says:

    You just aimed an arrow at my legume-loving heart. Soup will be on the agenda later this week – and now I know which one!

  14. Lebanese Kitchen says:

    One of my favorites! We tend to cook this whenever someone has a cold, it seems like it helps in a quicker recovery.

  15. Banana Wonder says:

    Mmmm love the ingredients in here, and your presentation makes it look super fancy. Perfect soup for winter!

  16. Katerina says:

    There is nothing better than a homemade soup in a cold winter night! I love the vessel in which you present it!

  17. Angie's Recipes says:

    I adore the soupy stew…this looks really homey and warming.

  18. Nicole says:

    Yum, talk about simple and delicious, this looks like it would cure any ailment, physical or emotional 🙂

  19. samir says:

    nice..love this one..we make it and call it adas bil hamoud..usually with brown lentils..we also saute an onion with olive oil and the garlic then add swiss chard and cilantro leaves till all wilts then add this saute to the simmering soup along with the lemon

    • Joumana says:

      @Samir: I have a post on this soup, adas bel -hamoud is my favorite winter soup; here the soup is from an Armenian kitchen and the technique is a bit different as well as the ingredients; they don’t use the cilantro pesto.

  20. samir says:

    ps we also call it adas bi silq…and i forgot the cilantro is chopped..

  21. samir says:

    love it too……I have to try this as well it looks delicious…

  22. weirdcombos says:

    I love red lentils this reminds me Indian dals. Easier to make though because it requires less spices. Yumm!
    Congrats on the good looking metal bowl.
    Cheers,
    Heguiberto

  23. Vanessa says:

    I was just craving this soup and its 3am. It is delicious.

  24. samir says:

    finally got around to making this..yes mid august heat…but I had all ingredients on hand and wanted some different kind of shorba adas..it was delicious and so simple to make and so healthy.. I did add a touch of turmeric for added health benefits and bright color,,..ty again for posting these great recipes..

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