Super Foods Blog

Super Foods Soup: Barley-Lentil with Swiss Chard

Barley-Lentil soup with Swiss Chard Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound turkey sausage (99%lean)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 cup diced pumpkin
3 large garlic cloves, minced
10 cups (or more) low-salt chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup pearl barley
2/3 cup dried lentils, all one color or mix all three, red, green and brown
1/2 cup brown rice

2 cups (packed) coarsely chopped Swiss chard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon sage

Preparation:
Heat oil in heavy large enamel pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onions and carrots; cook until sausage is completely cooked, 15 minutes. Add garlic and pumpkin and stir 1 minute. Add broth and barley; bring to boil. Reduce heat; partially cover and simmer 25 minutes. Stir in lentils; cover and simmer until barley and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
Add chard to soup; cover and simmer until chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in dill and sage. Season soup with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth, if desired.

Benefits:
The use of barley, brown rice, and lentils confer the benefits of whole grains and beans to the diet. Pumpkin is an excellent fiber source and should be added to nearly every soup recipe, either whole or as 1 cup of pumpkin puree.  Pumpkin is an anti-aging powerhouse. Swiss Chard gives the wonderful benefits of the leafy greens. This healthy soup has six Superfoods as major ingredients, making it the most delicious vitamin pill ever.

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