Swiss chard brings two textures to this yummy 20-minute pasta. The stems add crunch, while the leaves gently wilt into the white bean & tomato sauce.
It doesn’t get much easier than this one. I’ll admit, I often get very veggie-happy. While I don’t mind chopping up a rainbow of vegetables – sometimes it’s more than ok to keep it simple and let just one ingredient be the star. Last night, I chopped up this beautiful red chard and tossed it with a few simple pantry ingredients. Dinner was done in less than 20 minutes, and Jack and I were able to get right back to our House of Cards marathon. (Don’t tell me what happens, we’re only a few episodes in).
Chard works especially well in a 1-vegetable meal because you get two textures in one. The stems lend a nice crunch and the greens softly wilt. I sautéed the chard with canned tomatoes and some white beans that I happened to have left over in my fridge. I topped it all with a few pine nuts (although chopped walnuts would be equally delicious), and a few generous shavings of pecorino. Super simple.
Simple Swiss Chard Pasta
- 6 ounces pasta (I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti)
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4-5 chard leaves, stems diced, leaves coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup canned fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
- Shaved pecorino cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
- Sea salt & fresh black pepper
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chard stems and a pinch of salt. Give them a stir, then add the chard leaves and gently toss until they begin to wilt. Add the balsamic, tomatoes, garlic, white beans, freshly ground pepper, and toss. Once the chard is cooked down, add pasta and remove from heat. Serve with shaved pecorino cheese and pine nuts on top.
Really good! I used the whole bunch of chard, instead of just a few leaves, which seemed too meager. I had fresh cherry tomatoes that needed using so I subbed them for the canned tomatoes. Next time if I sub in fresh for canned fire roasted tomatoes, I might try a dash of smoked salt to make up for the roasted taste. Thanks for this!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This Pasta is Delicious!!! I added leftover roasted asparagus and used bow tie pasta. This will definitely be kept among my favorite pasta recipes.
I”m so glad you loved it!
This was delicious! I had never had swiss chard but was trying to incorporate more greens in my family’s diet. I am glad I went with this recipe first. It was easy and tasty. I did swap the pinenuts for sliced almonds because they are something I use regularly and they worked great. The recipes I have tried from this blog have never let me down!
This was my first time using Swiss chard. This dish is absolutely delicious! Simple and flavorful. I cannot wait until your next cookbook! Thank you all your wonderful recipes.
Do you think walnuts would work instead of pine nuts? I’ve never had walnuts with tomato… 🙂
Wow! I was just trying to figure our what to do with some fresh chard. Googled and came to your recipe. I had all of the ingredients. Now this might be in the regular rotation. Thank you!
Hi Lauren, I’m so glad you loved it!
Just made this and it was seriously so good and so quick! Definitely adding this to the weeknight meal roster
This turned out wonderful! My meat eaters enjoyed, and finished the entire meal.
No leftovers! Wow a first for a vegetarian dish for me.
What a beautiful pasta dish.
Thanks for this! I added a little goat cheese at the end to make the sauce a bit creamier for my husband, and it was amazing!
glad you liked it!
Love goat cheese… What a great idea. I’m harvesting the largest rainbow chard leaves I’ve ever grown and having a craving for pasta so this comes at a good time…Do you add a bit of the pasta water to the sauce?
Hi Louise, I don’t because the greens release a bit of water (and I don’t want it too watery). If you wanted to reserve some pasta water just in case – you could.
I love this recipes , it looks delicious . It will be so helpful in my meal planning . Thanks for this amazing healthy recipes.
I love how simple and straightforward this is! I’ve been excitedly keeping an eye out for swiss chard in the markets but haven’t found it quite yet- can’t wait!
-Kelsey
Made this for dinner tonight. Came together quickly and was delicious and beautiful!
Mmm… nothing better than a bowl of pasta + Netflix marathon. This recipe would also be a great way to use up beet greens 🙂
Oh, how I love a simple pasta! Your dish looks so wholesome and delicious. And the best part is that I have all of these items in my pantry. All I need are some beautiful greens and dinner is served. Thanks for the inspiration, Jeanine 🙂 xo
Thanks for the recipe! It’s really hard to find a decent one for swiss chard. If I don’t have beans on hand (and it would take too long to cook at this point, I’m starving!), what would you recommend to add to the recipe instead of them?
Hi Margaret – I would just skip them! I just happened to have some leftover which is the only reason I got the idea to include them.
I love swiss chard. I like to grow it too, because it looks so lovely in
the garden. Tasty way to spot light this wonderful veggie.
What a beautiful pasta recipe. I want to try this! I need new ways to use swiss chard.