It’s been cold around these parts… and by cold, I mean it’s hovering around 60°F.

I know, I know. I’m a SoCal girl through and through.

But when the weather starts to turn and I start to second-guess going out of the house in flip-flops, I think of soup. Rich, hearty, steamy soup.

This is one of those lazy-day recipes when I want a big bowl of soup but don’t want to work too hard at it. It’s the easiest thing in the world to whip up (short of pouring one out of a can) and it’s absolutely delicious. You get a nice dose of green in your diet and you still feel satisfyingly full.

Even though I like to sabotage it with some fatty strips of bacon (my weakness!) this recipe can easily be turned into a vegan meal with vegetable broth and perhaps a chipotle chile or smoked saffron for flavor.

Pureed Swiss Chard Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 strips bacon

1/2 large onion, chopped

3 ribs celery with leaves, chopped

6 baby potatoes, chopped

1 large bunch swiss chard, leaves and stems chopped separately

8 cups chicken broth

Black pepper to taste

Method

In a large pot over high heat, fry the bacon until crisp.

Drain the bacon on paper towels and leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pot, discarding the rest.

Lower the heat to medium-high. Add the onion, celery, potatoes, and chard stems to the pot, stirring to combine.

Pour in the chicken broth and bring everything to a boil. When the pot has reached a full boil, add the chard leaves and lower the heat to medium.

Simmer on the stove for about 30 minutes, or until all the potatoes have softened.

Meanwhile, chop up your bacon into little bits.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender, then stir in the bacon bits.

For a light lunch, crack some fresh black pepper to taste and serve with some warm crusty bread!