Lentil Soup With Swiss Chard & Lemon

The Lentil Soup is a hearty meal with flavour from the Middle East. It is packed with great nutrients including Swiss Chard, Lentils, Carrots and Lemons. It is a healthy meal often made on cold winter nights offering warmth and energy for the whole family.

Lentils are delicious seeds from the legume family packed with nutrients including B vitamins, iron, zinc, potassium and, magnesium. They are a source of protein making them a great choice for vegetarian and vegan diets. Needless to say, Lentils are versatile, quick and easy to cook. It’s my favourite type of legume to eat and my boys, who are meat lovers, enjoy the taste and texture of Lentil soup in winter.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion (yellow or red) diced
• 1 cup green lentils (this kind)
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup pre-cooked orzo (pasta that looks like rice)
• 1 medium carrot diced
• 2 cups chopped Swiss Chard
• 1 teaspoon Cumin (I use this one)
• Juice of one or 2 lemons
• Salt
• Pepper

Direction

1. Sautee onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil until transparent (or pink for red onion).
2. Add medium carrots and sautee for 1 minute.
3. Mix in lentils and stir continuously for 30 seconds.
4. Add 1 teaspoon cumin.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Pour in vegetable or chicken broth and let boil.
7. Reduce heat, cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes (until lentils are soft.
8. Add the pre-cooked orzo after simmering the soup for 10 minutes.
9. Mix in Swiss Chard and let it cook for 3 to 5 min until leaves are soft. You don’t want to overcook the leaves to avoid losing the nutritious values in Swiss Chard.
10. Pour in lemon juice according to your taste. I personally love the tangy lemon flavor in food but not everyone feels the same.
11. Serve!

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