The red soup with Swiss chard, onion, and lentils is a creamy legume soup rich in vegetables, dominated by earth red color.
Since increasing my weekly legume consumption, I’ve also taken inspiration from colors to vary legumes and proposals.
The red lentil soup is enveloping and tasty and is delicious with whole grain pasta, whole grain rice, or whole grain bread.
For my red soup I used:
• Pantelleria lentils or red lentils, half with skin and half hulled;
• Swiss chard or red chard;
• Tropea red onion;
• a handful of frozen porcini mushrooms.
Lentils
I prepare multiple portions to have a small and practical stock in the freezer:
• cook digestible and light lentils;
• cook digestible and light hulled red lentils.
By doing so, you just need to defrost them in time, and in a few minutes, the soup will be ready, avoiding using canned legumes.
Otherwise, remember that dried lentils require soaking [12-24 hours].
If you have doubts about the quantities to prepare, I have noted the weight variations of legumes from raw to cooked: lentils raw and cooked weight.
Preparation times
They vary depending on whether you use dried lentils or pre-cooked lentils.
In the case of brothy first courses, to avoid glycemic spikes, it is advisable to cook the pasta separately, then rinse it and add it to the prepared broth; this way, the starch released by the pasta in the cooking water is eliminated.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
You can use 1 serving and 1 serving or a single type of lentils.
- red lentils (cooked or pre-cooked packaged for 1 person)
- hulled red lentils (cooked or pre-cooked packaged for 1 person)
- to taste red chard (stems and leaves)
- to taste celery (stems and leaves)
- to taste Tropea red onion
- 7 oz water
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube (homemade)
- 2.8 oz porcini mushrooms (frozen)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil (raw)
Suggested Tools
- 1 Pan
Preparation
You can use 1 serving and 1 serving [2 total servings] or cook the two types of lentils together.
Prepare the lentils by following the procedure described in:
• cook digestible and light lentils;
• cook digestible and light hulled red lentils;
or, if you already have them ready in the freezer, defrost one portion of each type.
Alternatively, use pre-cooked packaged lentils.Clean and wash the vegetables thoroughly:
• Swiss chard or red chard stems and leaves;
• celery stems and leaves;
• Tropea red onion.Cut the chard or Swiss chard stems into chunks and separate the leaves.
Cut the celery stems into chunks and separate the leaves.
Cut the Tropea red onion in half or quarters.In a pan, pour 200 ml of water and add:
• the Swiss chard or red chard;
• the celery;
• the Tropea red onion;
and bring to a boil.
Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
With the flame off, add a homemade vegetable bouillon cube to further enhance the flavor [optional].Pour the lentils into the vegetable broth and incorporate them by stirring with a silicone spatula.
Pour the still frozen porcini mushrooms into the pan and mix until they are completely defrosted, just a few minutes.Adjust the salt and grind the pepper.
Let it simmer on low heat until the red soup reaches the desired consistency.Plate it.
Add a drizzle of raw oil and grind a little more pepper.Your red soup with Swiss chard, onion, and lentils is ready.
Enjoy your meal!
The red lentil soup is enveloping and tasty and is delicious with whole grain pasta, whole grain rice, or whole grain bread.
In the case of brothy first courses, to avoid glycemic spikes, it is advisable to cook the pasta separately, then rinse it and add it to the prepared broth; this way, the starch released by the pasta in the cooking water is eliminated.
The combination with pasta, rice, or other grains allows for better absorption of the proteins from legumes.
The grains included in these dishes, in fact, compensate for the amino acids missing in legumes, allowing for a complete amino acid pool.
Choose grains preferably whole grain.
For more information: how to combine legumes in the diet.
Notes
Hyperglycemia, prediabetes and diabetes.
Here you find dedicated recipes.
Remember:
• start the meal with a generous portion of vegetables [raw or cooked];
• a balanced meal must contain all nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats & fibers;
• always prepare it in respect of the proportions and combinations indicated in your dietary plan.
***
DO NOT COPY AND PASTE MATERIAL FROM THE BLOG in general and especially on SOCIAL PROFILES AND GROUPS [photos, ingredients, procedure – NOT EVEN IN SUMMARY FORM]: it is correct to share your photos of the recipes made by linking the blog where the full recipe can be read.
FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS AND ALSO FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK BEHIND IT.
Thank you.
