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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 (229g) Recipe makes 8 servings The following items or measurements are not included below: 1 bunch fresh swiss chard
Calories 152
Calories from Fat 63		(41%)
Amount Per Serving		%DV
	Total Fat 7.0g	10%
	Saturated Fat 1.0g	4%
	Monounsaturated Fat 5.0g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 79mg		3%
Potassium 258mg		7%
Total Carbohydrate 16.7g		5%
	Dietary Fiber 7.4g	29%
	Sugars 0.8g
Protein 6.5g		12%
detailed view... how is this calculated?

Lebanese Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup

Recipe #186145 | 45 min | 15 min prep | add private note

⁽⁸⁾ RATE IT NOW Print Recipe

By: Elmotoo
Sep 13, 2006

A simple, fairly quick recipe to enjoy as the nights grow cooler. And as NA*ME Tag gets busier!

SERVES 8 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

1 cup large green lentil
1 bunch fresh swiss chard
7 cups water
10 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 lemons, juice of, to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1
Spread the lentils on a platter and pick them clean of any impurities. Rinse & drain.
2
Put the lentils and water in a large saucepan and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and boil gently for 30 - 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
3
While the lentils are cooking, wash the swiss chard, trim the dirty bottom ends of the stalks, if any, and chop into thin strips about 1/2-inch wide. Add to the lentils & simmer another 5-10 minutes until the chard has softened.
4
Peel the garlic cloves, chop them coarsely, and put them in a mortar. Add a generous pinch of salt to absorb the juices released from the crushed garlic and pound with a pestle until you have a smooth paste. You could squeeze the garlic with a garlic crusher but the texture and taste of pounded garlic is nicer.
5
Slowly incorporate the lemon juice into the garlic paste, then the olive oil.
6
When the lentils and chard are done, stir the garlic mixture into the soup. Season with salt to taste and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
7
Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary and serve at room temperature.

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Featured Reviews for This Recipe

From: Maito

On Nov 1, 2009

I added a bunch of spices and more lemon to this and it was good. I really like the addition of the swiss chard in it. I think I would use broth next time to give it more flavor. I couldn't believe you could barely taste all that raw garlic! Fed 4 as an entree.

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From: Chef #770583

On Jul 29, 2008

I made this soup, and it was absolutely delicious!! I did add two potatoes to make it a little more hearty since I was serving it as an entree. Both my husband and my two year old loved it as well. Thank you so much for the recipe, Elmotoo.

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From: Chef #875585

On Jun 28, 2008

It was very garlicy!! and I love garlic so it was delicious. I could have probably added potatoes etc. For people who do not like garlic, I would add half the amount.

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From: Mirj

On Jan 15, 2007

I love a recipe that calls for using a mortar and pestle! I used to have a Lebanese neighbor who made yummy savory lemony foods and this tasted just as authentic as her soups. The only changes I made to the recipe was to use a local green which is something like beet greens, as Swiss chard really isn't available in this country. I also added a bit of the zest from the lemons and used more than 1/4 teaspoon of salt, although I couldn't tell you how much, I never measure these things. We had this with fresh challah and a bowl of olive oil and zaatar for dipping. It was the perfect start to our Friday night dinner, thanks!

4 people found this review helpful

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