Rainbow swiss chard is dazzling eye candy from the summer garden. The stalks’ bright jewel tones can draw attention to your greens patch and jazz up a variety of dishes. Chard is most definitely a nutritious bitter green, but it is also strangely likable in the right dishes. Better yet, it cooks up delightfully quickly!
This is my own version of a classic swiss chard main dish, starring fresh ingredients coupled with common pantry staples to make an easy weeknight supper. Let’s cook by the look (not the book) and make this simple:
- 8 oz bow tie pasta (or pasta of your choice)
- About 1/4 Cup olive oil
- Your choice of sliced vegetable, such as carrot curls, thinnly sliced red pepper, or halved cherry tomatoes. (I used one small carrot. You don’t need a ton, just something to add variety to the dish.)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- pinch crushed red pepper, to taste
- 1 large bunch swiss chard, chopped roughly
- 1 can cannelli beans
- Juice & zest of 1/2 lemon (You could sub lemon juice if you don’t have a lemon on hand.)
- Salt to taste
- Bring some water to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add your choice of vegetable to oil and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. (If you’re using cherry tomatoes you may opt to add them at the end instead to preserve their texture.)
- Add garlic cloves and crushed red pepper, cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add swiss chard and beans. Zest your half lemon directly into the skillet, the squeeze the juice over the all the ingredients. Add salt to taste. Stir and cook until the swiss chard wilts down substantially and all ingredients are heated through.
- Add your drained pasta to your vegetable mix. Stir to coat evenly, and add more olive oil if needed. Enjoy!
Serves 2 big pasta eaters, or 4 light pasta eaters. 🙂
Delicious and a piece of cake… er… chard! What produce are you cooking from the garden this week?
