Simple, Spectacular Swiss Chard Soup

Let's use the whole vegetable

Soup is always a bit of a thrill for how nourishing, resourceful, and delicious it is, but it’s never more exciting than right now, when there’s a fresh chill in the air. Today’s soup was inspired by a big, beautiful bunch of Swiss chard, one of my favorite leafy greens. Since chard is so closely related to beets, it has a full, deep sweetness, and the leaves are tender but robust.

Long-time readers may remember that I’m also a big fan of the chard stems, which are delicious when trimmed into French-fry lengths and roasted in a hot oven until crispy and salted well. But here, the stems contribute body to the blended soup — after all, chard stems are the basis of some Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dips and have a silky, thick texture that way.

The soup might look too simple, but it doesn’t taste like it. It’s vibrantly green (I mean, look at it!), and thrillingly pure in its flavor, garnished only with a bit of olive oil and black pepper. But perhaps it will inspire you to riff with your favorite spice profile or palette of garnishes. I can imagine that croutons or cubes of pan-fried halloumi or tofu would be delicious, and give it a bit more heartiness.

Other soupy stuff: Cheesy Cabbage and White Bean Soup, Scrap Soup with Beans over Polenta, A Vegetable Broth for Sipping