As spring unfolds in the Evergreen State, you’ll start seeing more greens like chard and collard greens at farmers markets and in grocery stores. These plants offer plenty of vitamins and minerals on their own, but blending them into a savory soup increases the nutritional value in a fresh and flavorful way.

Collard greens, long a staple in southern cuisine, offer high levels of vitamin K, which is good for the bones. Cooking Swiss chard brings out its natural sweetness, and adds antioxidants. And the blue-green leaves of kale provide high amounts of vitamin A, calcium, and potassium.

Here’s a recipe for soup that includes these health-giving greens:

Spring Green Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large Yukon gold potato (or 2 small), peeled and diced

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 pinch red pepper flakes

6 to 7 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 bunch collard greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1 bunch green chard, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1 small bunch kale (any variety is fine), stemmed and coarsely chopped

1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a soup pot.
2. Add the onion, potato and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and sauté about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for another 30 seconds.
4. Pour in 1/2 cup of the broth, stirring to loosen any bits stuck to the pot, and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the collard greens, chard, kale, and another 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Stir well to combine so that the greens begin to wilt.
6. Add the remaining broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. In a blender, puree the soup in batches until very smooth, each time adding the cooking liquid first and then the greens mixture. (Or, use a hand blender if you prefer.) Blend the parsley into the last batch.
8. Pour the soup back into the pot, heat gently, and stir in the lemon zest and juice, as well as the lime juice. Taste and serve.

Nutrition information (per serving)

Servings: 6. Calories: 154. Carbohydrates: 15 grams. Dietary fiber: 3 grams. Sugar: 2 grams | Added sugar: 0 grams | Total fat: 9 grams | Saturated fat: 1 gram | Cholesterol: 0 grams | Protein: 7 grams | Potassium: 618 milligrams | Sodium: 307 milligrams