Mission Eat More Greens has been well underway for a month and a half. I’ve had plenty of fresh greens in salads, but I figured it’s time to try something outside of the raw box.
Soup is a favorite meal of mine. It’s warm, relatively quick, easy to clean (let’s be real, that’s always a major plus), and most of all, the possibilities are ENDLESS. It can be pureed vegetables, a clear broth with some vegetables, you can easily add protein, give the soup an ethnic flare…
With the endless possibilities, soup can be the perfect meal to pack full of greens and feel filling at the same time. The key to making a greens soup is to use greens that are hearty enough to be cooked in broth. Go for the thicker greens, like collards, chard, kale, and cabbage. Thinner skinned greens like spinach are better for a pureed soup.
My Chard Collard Carrot Soup with brown rice has those robust greens, as well carrots and some brown rice to make it a meal rather than a side. Feel free to swap out or add more vegetables to make it your own greens soup.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 2-3 small to medium-sized carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 bunch of collards, destemmed and chopped into bite size pieces
- 1/2 bunch of chard, leaves rough chopped and stems chopped
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1/3 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt, to taste
- 2 1/4 cup water
- 1 quart low sodium vegetable stock
Instructions
Heat a stockpot over medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions, chard stems, garlic and cook until translucent.
Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and then add the carrots and greens.
Let the greens wilt down a little bit, then add the spices. Stir to combine.
Add rice, water and stock.
Bring soup to a boil, then cook on medium low for 30 minutes or until your rice is cooked. If you're using white rice, check at about 25 minutes. Brown rice cooks slower than white.
Once rice is done, salt to taste, then serve.