In our recent wild weeds class, we made the Green Goodness Soup (linked below), salsa verde and salad. Here is a recipe for another heartier soup featuring wild edibles and seasonal greens with lentils; a short video and links to green goodness soup and salsa verde. Happy foraging!

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Wild Greens and Lentil Soup

You can use any greens in this recipe from the milder spinach to heartier kale or chard, however when the wild edibles come in season, I’m all about chickweed, dandelion, dead nettle, henbit, evening primrose leaves, oxalis or sorrel, violet leaves and wild onions or garlic. Be sure to wash the greens well with a little vinegar in the water to remove grit or critters.

Serves 6 to 8

5 to 6 cups loosely-packed, rough chopped wild weeds and seasonal greens
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound lentils
3 bay leaves
8 to 10 cups warm vegetable stock or water
6 cloves garlic or 10 garlic scapes, minced
2 to 3 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
Few pinches cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Lemon juice or sumac, optional

Wash the greens, remove the stems if big or tough, stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into chiffonade (wide shreds) or rough chop wild weeds. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lentils and bay leaves and stir for a minute. Carefully add 1 cup of stock and stir, then add another 7 cups of stock. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic, oregano, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper, stir to combine and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes until lentils are tender. Add the heartier greens like kale, dandelion, primrose, henbit at this time as they take longer to cook than spinach or chickweed leaves; they will need a good 15 minutes. Or, add the milder shredded greens, stir, cover and cook 5 minutes more.

Taste for seasoning and adjust with more salt, pepper, or cayenne. Add another cup or two of stock if need be. Just before serving, add a generous squeeze of lemon or about 1/2 teaspoon of sumac, if desired. Serve hot; the soup can be made ahead and gently reheated. Garnish with grated parmesan if desired; or sometimes I stir in a spoonful of Greek yogurt.