Menu

  • White Bean Soup with Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash and Farro

    Ingredients

    Yield: 6 servings

    • Ingredients
      Amount
    • Dry white kidney (cannellini) beans
      1 cup
    • Water
      as needed

    • Ingredients
      Amount
    • Swiss chard, green
      1 bunch
    • Leek, sliced thinly, white part
      1 cup
    • Garlic, minced
      1 Tbsp
    • Farro
      1/2 cup
    • Vegetable broth, or water
      2 quarts
    • Salt
      2 Tbsp
    • Fresh ground pepper
      1/2 tsp
    • Bouquet garnis: Parsley stems, bay leaf, thyme sprig wrapped in leek leaf with twine
      1 each
    • Butternut squash, peeled, small dice
      2 cups
    • Lemon juice
      1 Tbsp
    • Extra virgin olive oil
      1/4 cup

    Method

    1. Soak beans overnight, refrigerated. Drain.
    2. Strip the Swiss chard leaves from their stems and chop the stems into ½-inch pieces.
    3. Roll up the leaves and slice into ¼-inch strips.
    4. Place the chard stems, beans, leeks, garlic, farro, broth, salt, pepper and bouquet garnis in a pressure cooker, crock pot or heavy bottom soup pot.
    5. Bring to a simmer, and gently cook on low, covered until the beans are slightly underdone and the farro is fully cooked. The time will vary: pressure cooker will take about 15 minutes, and stovetop will take about 45 minutes.
    6. Remove the bouquet garni.
    7. Add the butternut squash and the chard leaves and cook until beans, squash and leaves are fully tender, about 10 more minutes on stovetop, and 5 more minutes for pressure cooker.
    8. Stir in lemon juice, and adjust seasoning to taste.
    9. To serve, garnish bowls of soup with extra virgin olive oil.
     Recipe by Chef Rebecca Peizer. Note: White kidney beans and cannellini beans are the same type of bean.