Lentil Soup with Chard

I don't know why lentil recipes call for such long cooking times, as they never need longer than 25-30 minutes and would have gone to mush if I'd let them cook the full amount of time.  That said, this is surprisingly flavorful considering that lentils (or at least the brown/green variety) are typically little "black holes" that suck the flavor out of the rest of the dish, never to be found again.  I was encouraged by all the positive reviews and the inclusion of lots of chard as I was looking for a chard soup recipe that didn't call for potatoes or longer-cooking legumes.  The combination of flavors really adds up so that they actually outpace the lentils' blandness, in addition to smelling wonderful while simmering.  I didn't have enough bulb onion so I subbed a leek to make up for the rest, and I had only 1 tsp. of lemon juice on hand (although I could have squeezed another lemon).  I'm hoping the flavor is even better when I reheat the soup in a few days, but if not I'll add more lemon juice or even some preserved lemon.  And I would make this again.      

We loved it!

This became a staple in our house years ago and I have shared the recipe with countless friends. I'm not a huge fan of chard, so I use spinach instead (both frozen and fresh work fine), and I triple the garlic. Also have had good success substituting all or part of the water with organic low-sodium vegetable broth.

Totally yummy. Doubled the garlic, added a 1/2 tbsp. of sweet paprika, 1 tbsp. of chicken bouillon, and 1/2 c. of leftover ham for a bit more flavor. Removed the ham with the bay leaves and parsley. This was a delicious meal with crusty bread and cheese.

This is my go-to recipe for wintertime! I make a batch on the weekends, and it's a great lunch to pack for work. I skip the yogurt and love to eat this soup with tortilla chips.

Really great soup that needs no doctoring. I've made this with all kinds of greens--chard, spinach, and this week--turnip greens, which works best of all with their tartness cutting the mellow flavor of the lentil. Used no water, all Imagine vegetable stock.

If you like soup, especially lentil, then you are going to want to keep this recipe. It's great on a cold day. I enjoy finishing legume soups with fresh lemon juice, but I substituted lime today because that's what I had on hand and it was fine. The other substitution was using beef broth instead of water and eliminating the salt and pepper. I'll definitely make this soup again.

This recipe is, indeed, quite yummy. I swapped two cups of the water for vegetable boullion, and used extra garlic by sauteing it with the onion. The lemon juice, pepper, and yogurt made all the difference; they were a little tart contrast with this otherwise savory dish.

Lentil soup was one of the dishes my mother made growing up that I remembered fondly and thought no recipe could ever top. And of course, my attempts to copy her recipe always failed to live up to expectations. I decided to stop trying to replicate it and just find a solid recipe. This totally exceeded my expectations. Objectively, this is better than my mother's! The lemon juice and bay leaves are critical, so don't leave them out. My boyfriend doesn't prefer strong onion flavor, so I cut it down to 2 cups to be safe and didn't notice anything lacking. I also used some frozen spinach I had on hand instead of Swiss chard and just eyeballed it - 6 cups seemed like a lot in my opinion. Finally, one of the things I always loved about my mother's lentil soup, and it may sound strange, is that she added diced hot dogs. I can't eat lentil soup without them! So as my homage to my mother's recipe, I added Hebrew National reduced-fat beef franks. Spectacular. (Try it, trust me I'm a food snob!)

This is great!!!!! Awesome flavor, easy and filling!

I love this recipe. The soup is very tasty as is, but I enhance the flavor by adding a bit more thyme and substituting 2 cups of beef broth for 2 cups of the water. I also often use baby spinach instead of Swiss chard. You really can't tell the difference, and using spinach is more convenient (and cheaper) than using chard.

I made this recipe without any variations and it was bland beyond all reason. I love all legumes so I'm far, far from a veggie hater, but this definitely needs something. The lentils seemed a little undercooked so I would increase cooking time. I added a lot of curry powder at the end plus garlic salt and pepper which all made it better. I'm going to look for a different recipe for lentil soup

What a great soup recipe. I've made it several and I admit I make a few changes but its very forgiving that way. We love tomatoes so I add a 28 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes and I use chicken stock in place of at least half the water. I use only 1 tablespoon of butter to brown the onions to cut down on the fat. I generally add 1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped celery to the onions and also saute the garlic instead of throwing it in the pot. If I have fresh herbs I add them in with the lemon at the end. I make a couple of batches every fall with greens from the CSA and its a satisfying lunch on any winter day.

This soup turned out to be very tasty. At first I thought it tasted a little bland, but that was before I added the pepper, lemon juice and yogurt (I used plain greek yogurt). Those three ingredients really make this soup delicious. I would definitely make again!

Seriously: this soup is so delicious. Just the fact that I'm taking the time to write a review says something huge. I'm a 28 year-old stay-at-home mother with barely any cooking experience or talent! This recipe was super easy and very rewarding. My husband and 24 month-old son LOVED it and asked for left-overs the next day! So healthy too!

I also used the Swiss Chard from my CSA. I tore it into pieces about the size I would for a salad. I wish I would have chopped it into smaller bits. Mine turned out to have huge bites of greens and then the next few bites had none. Felt like it lacked flavor. I skipped the fresh lemon juice at the end because I didn't have one on hand, perharps that is what it was missing.

Great soup and so easy to make! I used swiss chard from my CSA and it was a great use of it.

amazing. made no changes, but definitely needs more salt and pepper.

Kind of flat - definitely needs something. Would be better with a squeeze of lemon even.

Yum! We loved this tasty soup and would make it agian and again. I want to try to throw in some kale to see what that tastes like next time. Try this soup with buttered garlic naan and it will be a treat!

this recipe was pretty bland. I even replaced water with chicken broth, added additional spices, and used steamed spinach instead of chard. After spending the time to make the recipe I was disappointed. Don't think I will make it again.

This is probably the most insanely delicious recipe I've made from CL, and I'm no veggie lover. The proportions are perfect and the final product so much more than the sum of its parts. My only change is to sub veggie "Better than Bouillon" for the chicken broth.

Yummy and easy. I used spinach instead of chard, and veggie stock instead of water. I also forgot the cumin, but it'd didn't matter at all. In addition to the lemon and yogurt, I topped off each bowl with a bit of minced fresh garlic and parsley.

This soup was great! A neighbor brought over a huge bunch of chard from her garden. Chard is too bitter for me to saute and eat as a side dish, so I looked for some alternative recipes and found this one. I'm so glad I did! The chard wasn't bitter at all, and I actually could have used more! I didn't change much--I used half water and half chicken broth and added diced Virginia ham. I completed step one the day before serving, stored it in the fridge overnight, and brought it back up to simmering before cooking/adding the onion and chard. The lemon juice and yogurt (I used 2% Greek yogurt) really complement the flavors--don't leave them out! I will be making this again (and may even go beg the neighbor for more chard)!

This was a great soup. My husband typically doesn't care for chard..but ate 2 bowls...greens & all. I used 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups crushed tomato and 2 cups water. I also used only 1/2 teas cumin as I am not a huge fan of that spice. Did add exra chicken broth at end as soup was ery thick. Didn't bother with the lemon or yogurt as was preparing for packed lunches. Very Very Good!!

Excellent soup- I used red lentils and skipped the chard. Still amazing. The lemon really makes it!

I loved the soup but my jaw dropped when my husband took a second helping. He believes every meal should involve a four legged animal. This is definitely a keeper.

I was blown away by this soup. It really is fantastic. I used french lentils because I'm not a huge fan of the way other lentils can break down and become mushy. If you go that route, cook them for anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours. This is definitely a keeper. How soon is to soon to remake it?!

Love this recipe; I will make often. I used red lentils as well, omitted the yogurt, and used chopped frozen spinach, which I cooked down first, instead of chard. I also threwin 3 slices of cooked turkey bacon, broken into small pieces, which added a lot of great flavor. Fabulous!

This is one of my family favorites. I used red lentils because I had them on hand, and will keep using them instead of the green -- the red lentils broke down and created a thick hearty broth that was excellent! This freezes well, too.