Bring several cups of water to a boil in a large soup pot. If using chard, remove leaves from stems. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt to the water. Cook the greens in the salted water until they’re tender and bright green—just 3-4 minutes, then scoop out of the water, drain, and cool. (Keep the cooking water in the pot to use for the pasta.) Use your hands to squeeze moisture from the greens and chop them coarsely. Set aside.

Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook one minute less than the package instructions note for al dente. Drain in a colander and pour cool water over to stop the cooking. Drain thoroughly. Put the pasta aside with the greens.

Drain the water from the soup pot. Heat the oil in this same pot with the onions over medium high heat. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over onions. Sauté, stirring frequently, until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and fennel, and cook 4-5 minutes more. Stir in the garlic and parsley and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir for another minute. Add the broth (or water), stirring to combine with the vegetable mixture. Next put in the lentils and aromatics, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Taste for salt and season with pepper. If it needs more depth, add mushroom soy sauce to taste, starting with 1 tablespoon (I used 2 tablespoons).

Remove the aromatics.

Just before serving, add the greens and the pasta to the soup and heat through. Taste again, adjusting salt and pepper, adding a couple of dashes of Tabasco or more soy sauce, if you wish.

Serve with extra virgin olive oil drizzled into each bowl, a generous grind of pepper, and the Parmesan.