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.
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Or put over quinoa! Yum. Organic swiss chard is all over my Whole Foods now. Thanks for the recipe.
This looks refreshing! Love the chard!
Delicious! I love your plate by the way ;)!
Ha, thanks 🙂
This is just about the most perfect pasta dish I can think of. I like the less is more approach, definitely pays off! This is going on my to-made list!
Yes! This is exactly the kind of dinner I make when I’m short on time and long on hunger. Pasta, greens, and cheese = hooray!
I think this looks delicious, but I have a weird textural aversion to any type of tomatoes except sundried. Is there any particular ingredient you would suggest to substitute for the tomatoes, or would you just recommend leaving them out?
you could leave them out – maybe add a drizzle of olive oil at the end so it’s more of a garlicky olive oil sauce…
This looks so delicious! I will have to give it a try!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This looks so simple and tasty! The next time I get Swiss chard from my farm share, I will definitely try this, post and rate. I love how you incorporated the beautiful stems – eating colorful plants is so healthy for us! Thanks for the recipe.
This looks beautiful…I bet the swiss chard + pecorino give it a nice bite!! xx
Simple dinners that also double as healthy AND delicious are without a doubt, the best.
Looking at this dish makes me smile. 2 words came to mind, comfort and colorful, not to mention easy!
Juju
http://www.jujusprinkles.com
This looks so delicious; perfect for these winter/spring/in between months. And I absolutely love that you used fire-roasted tomatoes. So simple, but so smart.
I’ve never cooked with swiss chard before but everytime I see it at the store I can’t believe how bright and beautiful those stems are! We eat a lot of pasta, so this is a great idea for my first time cooking with swiss chard 🙂
I’m not sure if it’s the PNW but I haven’t seen Chard in the store for years!
Oh this is just beautiful! Swiss chard is really under utilized! I love the balsamic here, have you tried raspberry balsamic with greens – it’s heavenly! Pinning!
Oh this is just beautiful! Swiss chard is really under utilized! I love the balsamic here, have you tried raspberry balsamic with greens – it’s heavenly! Pinning!
Did you miss out the white beans in the ingredient list? This can also be done with kale, beet greens?
thanks! Just fixed that… Yep, you can make this with kale or other greens. If you include chopped kale stems, I’d cook them a little longer than chard stems.
it really is so very important that meal prep doesn’t cut into netflix binge watching time! this looks delicious and it’s been a while since i’ve had chard. i just might have to work this into the rotation this week!
Mmmm, this pasta dish looks delicious! So simple and beautiful too. Can’t wait to make it! xxx
You always make food seem so simple, fresh and satisfying. Love it!