I can’t believe it, but here is the final recipe of Souptember 2023. Chickpea and Farro Soup with Fennel and Chard is a delicately flavored, Mediterranean-style option we’ll be returning to in the cold months to come. If you’re on the fence about fennel or have never tried it, I suggest giving it a shot here. The licorice flavor it is famous for does not come through in this recipe; rather, the fennel lends a slight sweetness and just a little something extra to the soup.

We’ll be using the fennel and Swiss chard in two different ways. Many recipes have you use the bulb of the fennel and nothing else. That’s a bit wasteful, so we’ll be using the fronds as well. They are the frilly, dill-like leaves of the stalk.

You can use fennel fronds like fresh herbs, so they will garnish the soup prior to serving. We’ll also use the crunchy stems of the chard. They’ll be chopped up and cooked along with the onion and fennel bulb. Once the soup is done cooking, stir in the chard leaves for a hit of leafy green goodness.

This is another soup that freezes well, so keep it in mind for meal prep purposes or stick the leftovers in the freezer for easy lunches down the road.

Let’s go over the brain-health benefits of Chickpea and Farro Soup with Fennel and Chard:

• Swiss chard is a double-whammy brain-boosting vegetable because it’s a leafy green and a member of the beet family. Like beets, chard also has cardiovascular benefits; it has been shown to lower blood pressure. Swiss chard is also an excellent source of vitamin K, which is a nutrient that helps with the building and survival of brain cells.
• Farro is an ancient whole grain that is a good source of fiber, antioxidants, and B vitamins. The benefits of fiber and antioxidants are compounded when whole grains are consumed because the fiber “carries” these beneficial molecules through the digestive tract. This allows for greater absorption. B vitamins are essential for neurological and brain health.
• Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a legume, one of the keystone MIND Diet foods. They are also a good source of fiber and B vitamins. Remember that Beans = B vitamins = Brain health.
• Nutritional yeast is optional in this recipe, but I recommend adding it if possible because it adds umami and nutrition to the dish. Nutritional yeast is the cooked and inactivated form of baker’s yeast; it is commonly used as a plant-based cheese substitute. It is high in protein and B vitamins (look for a version fortified with B vitamins). Nutritional yeast also contains an important antioxidant called glutathione.

And thus Chickpea and Farro Soup with Fennel and Chard concludes the inaugural MIND Diet Living Souptember series. I can’t wait to spend the next few months cozying up to a warm bowl of brain-boosting soup – I hope you will too.

Chickpea and Farro Soup with Fennel and Chard

Chickpea and Farro Soup with Fennel and Chard is a delicately flavored, Mediterranean-style option that is loaded with brain-health benefits.

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Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Soup

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4

Notes

Try substituting barley for farro if desired. Farro is a type of wheat and therefore contains gluten. Use brown rice if a gluten-free substitute is needed.

Ingredients

  

• 1 fennel bulb stalks and fronds attached if possible
• 1 bunch Swiss chard any color
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
• 1 onion chopped
• Kosher salt
• 6 garlic cloves minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more for garnish
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pearled or semi-pearled farro rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 15- ounce can low-sodium chickpeas undrained
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional
• 1/2 lemon juiced

Instructions

 

• Remove stalks from fennel bulb and set aside. Halve, core, and chop the bulb.
• Remove the Swiss chard leaves from the stems. Set the leaves aside; chop the stems.
• Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high until shimmering. Add onion, chopped fennel bulb, chopped chard stems, and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in vegetable broth, tomatoes, farro, and bay leaves. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Turn down heat to medium-high and simmer until farro is tender but chewy, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While farro is cooking, remove the fronds (the frilly leaves that resemble dill) from the fennel stalks. Discard stalks; chop the fronds and set aside. Roughly chop the chard leaves; set aside.
• Add chickpeas, chard leaves, and nutritional yeast (if using) to soup and simmer until leaves are wilted and chickpeas are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve, drizzling with olive oil and garnishing with fennel fronds and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

Keyword Black beans, Chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil, Farro, Fennel, Garlic, Leafy greens, Meatless, MIND Diet, Nutritional yeast, Side dish, Soup, Swiss chard, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole grain