Filling, veggie-forward healthy swiss chard soup made hearty or blended to a smooth finish. It's got a balance of texture, creaminess, flavor, and every bite is wholesomely delicious!
Why this chard soup recipe is so great
+ This healthy swiss chard soup is loaded with vegetables, creaminess and a twist of garlicky Italian flavors. It is made with hearty nourishing ingredients that keep you full for hours!
+ It's a vegetarian, vegan, and a dairy-free soup that everyone enjoys! It is creamy using coconut milk (I highly suggest full fat for the best flavor), yet it does not have a "coconut flavor".
+ This soup has so many variations! This is a basic rainbow or swiss chard soup recipe made without beans or meat and can be left chucky or blended. Enjoy it as is - and believe us it is quite filling - or add a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans, cooked bacon, Italian sausage, or turkey meatballs.
Chard soup ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- yellow onion
- carrots
- celery
- garlic cloves - if you really like garlic flavor try adding garlic powder at the end to your taste
- golden Yukon potatoes
- Swiss chard or Rainbow chard
- Vegetable broth (or for non-vegetarian use bone broth or chicken broth)
- full fat coconut milk - full fat gives swiss chard soup the best flavor without the dairy or cream. One can is a little over 1 ½ cups.
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper
SOUP TIP: Saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic first in olive oil. Sauteing the vegetables first in soups is essential to wake up its flavor.
How to make swiss chard vegetable soup
STEP 1: Prepare the vegetables by rinsing them, peeling, and chopping the onion, carrot, celery (just remove the leaves), and garlic. Prepare the chard leaves for soup by slicing down the center with a sharp knife and removing the stem. Chop the leaves and the stems separately. If pureeing the soup you can skip separating the stem from the leaves.
STEP 2: Sautee the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables become fragrant and onion translucent in color. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
STEP 3: Then add the prepared potatoes, swiss chard, broth, coconut milk, bay leaf, and seasonings, and cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Don't forget that Bay Leaf as that is the secret ingredient to making a great chard soup!
Serving variations
When I made this swiss chard soup I could not decide which is better: left as is with thick chunks of potatoes, carrots, swiss chard leaves, or pureed to a creamy consistency. The vote in our household is creamy, plus my kids prefer their soups that way. You can make it either way and also add these variations:
- Add a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans or white kidney beans
- Add in cooked bacon bits or chopped bacon
- Mix in cooked turkey meatballs, Italian meatballs, or cooked ground sausage
- Have leftover meatloaf? Chop it up and add it to swiss chard soup!
What to serve with this soup
Swiss chard soup is filling as is, or enjoy it with a slice of gluten-free bread, butternut squash quickbread, cornbread muffins, vegan banana bread, or even an epic gourmet grilled cheese sandwich!
Storing leftover soup
Store leftover swiss chard soup in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze chard soup, add it to a sealed freezer bag and remove all the air before closing. Lay it flat in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat chard soup, let it thaw first then add it to a saucepan and heat on low heat until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can just rinse and chop the whole leaf, including the stems at once (this is best if pureeing the soup). Or slice down the center of the leaf with a sharp knife and remove the stem. Chop the leaves and the stems separately.
Yes you can eat all parts of swiss chard including both the leaves and stems. The leaves are delicious raw and dipped in olive oil, salt, and pepper. The stems are tougher and best to eat cooked. Stems are delicious sauteed in oil, garlic, salt and pepper or added to soups and stir fry.
More Healthy Recipes
Healthy Creamy Swiss Chard Soup Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups golden Yukon potatoes diced into cubes
- 4 cups Swiss chard chopped including stems (can use rainbow chard)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 13 ounce can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 dry bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste for less sodium
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables by rinsing them, peeling, and chopping the onion, carrot, celery (just remove the leaves), and garlic. Prepare the chard leaves for soup by slicing down the center with a sharp knife and removing the stem. Chop the leaves and the stems separately. If pureeing the soup you can skip separating the stem from the leaves and just chop them whole.
- In a large pot add oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, Swiss Chard, broth, coconut milk, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Let cool slightly and either serve as is, or puree the chard soup with an immersion blender or high powered blender before serving.
Notes
- This chard soup recipe serves 4-6 (about 2 cups each), although nutrition is calculated for 4 servings.
- Store leftover swiss chard soup in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze chard soup, add it to a sealed freezer bag and remove all the air before closing. Lay it flat in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat chard soup, let it thaw first then add it to a saucepan and heat on low heat until warmed through.
- Variations: add a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans, Italian sausage, cooked bacon, or turkey meatballs.
Nutrition
Sheri says
The changes I made to this recipe is I bought a bag of swiss chard, kale and spinach at Trader Joe's and put all that in. I also used Mary's organic ground chicken breast and I like the leaves of celery in my soups. I also used Trader Joe's organic chicken bone broth and unsweetened almond milk (1 cup). I used herbs de provence for the seasoning. I left it chunky and it was delish 😋. Thanks for sharing!
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
You are welcome, and thank you for sharing your variation. Love the chicken in there!