Whether you’re using swiss chard (or any other type of chard) from your own home garden or buying it fresh from the grocery store, there’s a delicious way to incorporate this healthy green into Italian cooking.
Today’s recipe, Pasta with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes, uses basic Italian ingredients and is super easy and quick to make.
There are a few tips I strongly recommend you read in my recipe below to help ensure that this recipe becomes a healthy standard in your cooking adventures. 🙂
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Will Any Type of Chard Work in This Recipe?
Yes. I’ve used swiss chard (the type with white stem) and I’ve frequently used Red Chard. Red Chard can taste a little more bitter than Swiss Chard. Here are pictures of each that I grow at home – it’s pretty obvious which is the Red Chard. 🙂
Pasta with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes Ingredients
Besides swiss chard, tomatoes and pasta – what else does this recipe use?
Very simple –
- fresh garlic
- olive oil
- tomatoes
- onions.
You can even omit the onion if you want. I made this recipe with no intention of writing about it as I was simply looking for a way to use up some chard for lunch on some weekend. Since then, I’ve made it numerous times, sometimes with pasta sometimes without, sometimes with onion sometimes without.
How to Make this Recipe
Making this recipe is easy. Ready?
Clean and chop up the chard into bite size pieces. Then sauté with some chopped onions, chopped fresh tomatoes and crushed garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Meanwhile cook the pasta – any type will do actually. Penne, bowties, spaghetti, linguini… whatever. When the pasta is done scoop it into the pan that the chard mixture is in and give a good toss.
Serve immediately and top with some grated Romano cheese.
A Few Tips Before Making
- Don’t let the chard go soggy. Chard will cook down very fast. Faster than you think. Add a small splash of water to get the steaming process going and then cover with a lid over medium heat. But it will take no more than 10 minutes most likely depending on the amount of heat your using for the burner. If it goes soggy, the texture and taste goes to mush. It will keep cooking after you’re done so undercook it – think of it the same as you would with al-dente pasta.
- If you use angel hair pasta, start cooking the pasta towards the end of the recipe – not at the start.
- Don’t restrict yourself to just Swiss Chard. Try other types of chard too.
- Fresh tomatoes are the best. Grape tomatoes are what I tend to use b/c that’s what I have.
These Quantities are Just Guidelines
In all honesty, I don’t really measure for this recipe. So what I have included in the recipe card below is a base guideline. Just like my Spinach with Cannellini beans and pasta recipe, the rules of flexibility are pretty much the same.
- If you love swiss chard and have a ton of it, use more than what I recommend. If you’re iffy, then use less. Don’t have swiss chard but red chard? Use Red chard.
- Don’t have cherry or grape tomatoes – use what you have. Don’t have fresh tomatoes at all? Go ahead why not use a can of chopped tomatoes.
- Trying to cut back on the carbs? Use less pasta, add more of the veggies.
- Like to add some heat – add a dash of red pepper flakes.
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Pasta with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Swiss Chard (with stems) approx. 3 -4 large leaves
- 4 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small chopped onion
- 1/2 Cup chopped fresh tomatoes
- Grated Romano cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in the pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat
- Add in onion, tomatoes and garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes
- Add in the chopped swiss chard and a sprinkling of water and cover with a lid
- Every few minutes give the swiss chard a stir so it cooks down evenly
- When the swiss chard is wilted and not soggy (still has form), spoon in the pasta while setting aside some of the pasta water incase if needed.
- Toss together in the frying pan, remove from heat and serve immediately.
- Top with some grated Romano cheese.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the greens
- Spoon the pasta in instead of draining – just a way to add in some of the pasta water and ensure the dish doesn’t dry out
- This doesn’t make a good left-over dish b/c in my opinion the greens don’t taste as good the next day.
- Avoid using angle hair pasta as that will cook too fast unless you cook the angle hair towards the end of the recipe instead of the beginning.
- Ingredients quantities are just guidelines – use more or less as you see fit for your needs and tastes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you’ll also enjoy these pasta recipes too!
