This Swiss chard soup recipe is hearty, delicious, and satisfying. Inspired by Zuppa Toscana, it offers the same rich and comforting taste, with a vibrant twist. We'll be adding fresh velvety Swiss chard instead of kale, which can be tough. If you have more Swiss chard, try my Swiss chard dolma!
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One of the joys of gardening is finding creative ways to use your harvest. This was my first year growing Swiss chard, so I had to get a little inventive with how to incorporate it into new recipe ideas.
Using swiss chard leaves to make dolma (similar to using fresh or preserved grape leaves) was the first thing to come to mind, but I had recently prepared grapeleaf dolma. The second idea was to prepare my spicy booshala recipe. Booshala is an Assyrian yogurt soup loaded with veggies, herbs, and Swiss chard. Yet I still wanted to create something new...
I realized I had everything I needed to make Zuppa Toscana, so I decided to make a similar soup and substituted Swiss chard for kale. The Swiss chard came out soft and velvety, unlike kale, which can sometimes stay tough, so in my opinion, it was a definite improvement!
I hope you give my Swiss chard soup recipe a try and let me know what you think!
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Swiss Chard: Use regular Swiss chard or rainbow chard. We'll add both the leaves and the Swiss chard stems so nothing is wasted.
- Potatoes: 1 lb of potatoes. I used 2 large Russet potatoes
- Sausage: Hot Italian sausage. If you prefer mild, you can use mild sausage instead. See my Italian sausage recipe.
- Bacon: You'll need approximately five slices of bacon, which will be used as a garnish.
- Onion & Garlic: Yellow onion and fresh garlic. White onion can be substituted.
- Broth: I added chicken broth; however, you can use vegetable broth or stock.
- Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes
- Cream: Heavy cream, or substitute with ½ and ½.
- Herbs: I added crispy fried sage as a garnish; however, rosemary can be added to the soup.
- Optional: Feel free to add a can of drained chickpeas or white beans, and garnish the soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
🍲 How to Make Swiss Chard Soup
Step 1: Chop bacon and add to an 8-quart Dutch oven. Fry until crisp, about 6 minutes, then remove onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Step 2: Remove bacon grease, then add 1 tablespoon back into the pot to cook Italian sausage. Break it up with a spatula until browned (about 8 min). Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.
Step 3: Add diced onion to the same pot and sauté for five minutes, then add garlic and sauté for a minute longer.
Step 4: Add sliced Swiss chard stems, chopped potatoes, and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, then add water, broth, chicken bouillon powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, over low heat for 8 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Step 5: Stir in chopped Swiss chard, then season with salt and black pepper. Stir in heavy cream and simmer for 5 more minutes.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Fry sage leaves in a tablespoon of bacon grease (or butter), then serve soup in a bowl topped with crispy bacon bits, a few fried sage leaves, and shredded Parmesan cheese (optional). Although this soup is hearty on its own, you can serve it with some crusty bread or sourdough bread for dipping. See my basic sourdough bread recipe.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Both the Swiss chard stems and the leaves are edible.
Swiss chard can be added to soup towards the end of the cooking time since it doesn't take long to cook. However, if adding the stems, add those about 15 minutes before because they need more time to cook.
Yes, Swiss chard can be frozen, but for the best results, it should be blanched first. To blanch, wash first, then separate the leaves from the stems and chop. Blanch the leaves for 1 minute and the stems for 2 minutes. Plunge in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, drain excess liquid, then store in freezer bags.
Yes, Swiss chard can be used in recipes that call for spinach. Their taste and texture are similar enough to make the substitution work.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Don't overcook the Swiss chard leaves; you want them wilted but vibrant.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave one bowl at a time for one to two minutes, depending on how hot you like your soup.
🍛 More Delicious Soups to Try
If you are a soup lover like me, you're probably always looking for new soup recipes to try. If this is you, check out these deliciously unique soup recipes!
🥘 More Soup Recipes
If you enjoy this Swiss chard soup recipe, try these other delicious soups too!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Chop bacon and add to an 8-quart Dutch oven. Fry until crisp, about 6 minutes, then remove onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Remove bacon grease, then add 1 tablespoon back into the pot to cook Italian sausage. Break it up with a spatula until browned (about 8 min). Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.
- Add diced onion to the same pot and sauté for five minutes, then add garlic and sauté for a minute longer.
- Add sliced swiss chard stems, chopped potatoes, and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, then add water, broth, chicken bouillon powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, over low heat for 8 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Stir in chopped swiss chard, then season with salt and black pepper. Stir in heavy cream and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Fry sage leaves in a tablespoon of bacon grease (or butter), then serve soup in a bowl topped with crispy bacon bits, a few fried sage leaves, and shredded parmesan cheese (optional). Although this soup is hearty on its own, you can serve it with some crusty bread or sourdough bread for dipping.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
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- Don't overcook the swiss chard leaves; you want them wilted but vibrant.
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- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
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- Reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave one bowl at a time for one to two minutes, depending on how hot you like your soup.
Francine says
First time I made this recipe. We planted Swiss chard for the first time back in October (we live in Southern Fla) and it grew so large and fast. I started to research recipes that we can use it in. It did take me a bit of time for me to gather and prep the ingredients, but it didn't take long to cook! As we were also hitting a cold spell for a few days -near freezing temps, having a hearty soup just fit the bill. Anyway, this turned out delicious! We used the Italian hot sausage as we liked the spicy kick! I knew it was a keeper when my husband asked for seconds! 🙂 I may make it next time with beans instead of potatoes just for a change up.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Francine, So glad it was enjoyed by you both. I like the idea of adding beans. Stay warm!
Kelly Methey says
Sounds fantastic! I always picked out the kale in the Olive Garden soup because it was too tough. I can’t wait to try this!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly, I know you'll love it!
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you love this soup as much as we do!