Here’s a tasty way to use my new favorite vegetable: chard. Tear off a chunk of rustic bread to help soak up the broth.
Chard Soup with Gnocchi
serves 4-6
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
pinch red pepper flakes
8-10 good-sized chard leaves, stems finely chopped, leaves coarsely chopped
1 1/2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup chopped cooked chicken, optional–for a vegetarian version you can substitute white beans
1 batch gnocchi, I used this recipe or 1 package fresh or frozen premade
1 diced tomato
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil
If you are making your own gnocchi, prepare gnocchi up to the point before it is cooked. Set aside. Bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil for the gnocchi while you prepare the soup as follows.
In a large pan or dutch oven, saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, red pepper flakes and chard stems in oil until soft. Add chard leaves and cook briefly until the leaves are wilted.
Add stock and chicken and bring to a simmer.
At this point, add the gnocchi in batches to the boiling salted water, lifting them out with a slotted spoon as they rise to the top of the water and add them to the simmering soup. If using prepared gnocchi, cook according to package instructions.
(I usually don’t add all the gnocchi to the soup, reserving some for a snack later with a little marinara. Just add as many gnocchi to the soup as you feel fit in there without overwhelming it.)
Add the chopped tomato and simmer a couple more minutes.
Adjust salt and pepper.
Garnish with parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil.
T.L.
That’s almost like chicken and (slip) dumplings! I like this recipe because we grow our own potatoes but not wheat so except for the cheese, we can pretty much make this dish from all the things in our own garden (including the chicken meat and broth!). 🙂
Self sufficiency like that is so rare. I am so impressed.
Thanks! It’s what dh and I strive for…although we can’t seem to keep it up for everything. :}
I am so excited that chard is your new favorite vegetable as it has recently become one of my most favorite veggies as well! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Sounds delish. Chard is so versatile. Try it in a frittata (sp?), too. Yummm.
I will have to frittata it, too, Brooke, very yummy. I have a chard pie recipe coming down the pike. My favorite so far. Oh, and crepes. . .
I tried this recipe. It is delicious!!!!
Yay, doodlelove! Thanks for letting me know!