Okay, so I when I posted about Shorabat ‘Addas on my Instagram a few months back, Sami Tamimi (THE Sami Tamimi of JERUSALEM) commented on my post about how he enjoys shorabat ‘Addas with swiss chard. 

To put it lightly, I was flippin’ excited to see that he had commented. This man knows his food. I mean, I’ve definitely caught myself drooling while looking at his Instagram page. Sooo, I knew I needed to give his suggestion a try.

I finally got around to trying out this soup with swiss chard and I LOVED it! It’s honestly super easy and such a wonderful way to get some greens into your diet!

Ingredients: 

2 cups red lentils
1 onion (I love onion, sometimes I’ll even add an extra 1/2 onion)
1 bunch Swiss Chard (Rainbow Chard, Red Chard)
3/4-1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1-1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
7+ cups water *If you’ve got a water boiler and can boil ahead of time, it always makes things go a little faster. 

Step 1: Finely dice onion and set aside. Remove the stem of the swiss chard (like you’d do for kale) and chop the swiss chard. It’s going to look like A LOT of chard, but really it’s going to shrink in size once you place it in the pot.

Step 2: Place dry red lentils into a stainer and rinse under warm water for about a minute or two. Set aside.

Step 3: Add olive oil into a large soup pot. Toss in the onions and sauté until golden brown over medium-high heat. Then add the swiss chard and stir until the chard has reduced significantly in size.

Step 4: Add the lentils to the mix and stir. Pour 5 cups of water over the lentils and onions. Next add the salt and bring to a boil. NOTE: Don’t worry if it tastes a little too salty for your liking…because you’ll be adding more cups of water as the soup continues to cook. 

Step 5: Once the soup has come to a boil. Add an additional 2 cups of water. Add cumin and pepper. Stir and cover soup with lid. Then decrease to Medium-Low heat.

Step 6: Continue to check on your soup approximately every 10-15 minutes over 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Each time you check the soup, you may add 1/2 – 1 cup more water and cover it up again with the lid.

NOTE: The consistency of the soup is purely based on preference. Some people like a chunky soup, while others love their lentil soup with a light and thinner consistency. I prefer to have a thinner consistency, so I tend to add a little more water each time I check on the soup. 

Sahtain!