easy pasta with Swiss chard

tender greens season

Every spring I plant Swiss chard in my garden, and all summer struggle to use it in the kitchen and curse myself for wasting precious garden space on it. Swiss chard is best cook in liquids, either braised in a skillet or boiled in water; two cooking techniques I try to avoid in the summer heat and humidity. But as the weather starts to cool in September, I remember how much I love Swiss chard and make and freeze bags of this Swiss chard pasta sauce, adapted from Lidia Bastianich’s Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy.

Swiss chard sauce

Pasta with Swiss chard is a simple yet delicious recipe, perfect for when cold-hearty greens are thriving in fall. I love using Swiss chard in this dish, it cooks up beautifully braised into the sauce.

• Chard- can be substituted with any other cold-hearty green such as beet greens, collards, kale, dandelion, mustard, turnips greens, or mature spinach. A mixture of greens would also be fantastic.
• Tomato paste– using tomato paste thinned with water results in a simple yet richly flavored sauce that comes together quickly
• Fettuccine– pairs well with simple sauces (like Alfredo) where the thick noodles become coated in sauce

basic steps

1. Sauté garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil
2. Add chard, sauté until just wilted
3. Add tomato paste and water, cover and braise until chard is very tender
4. Meanwhile cook pasta until just shy of al dente; reserve some pasta water
5. Add pasta to sauce, cook briefly until the pasta is fully cooked
6. Turn off the heat, stir in cheese and a splash of reserved pasta water

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 2 votes

pasta with swiss chard

A simple and delicious pasta dish from the Umbria region of Italy. The sauce is easily doubled, and extra sauce freezes beautifully.

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4

Author: adapted from Lidia Bastianich

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Swiss chard (or other greens- see note below) remove and thinly slice stems, coarsely chop leaves into strips
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for serving
• 4 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lb dried fettuccine
• ½ c grated parmesan or pecorino cheese plus more for serving

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic slices and chard stems. Cook 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is sizzling and starting to turn golden brown, and the stems start to soften.
• Add the chopped greens to the skillet. Toss to coat the greens in olive oil and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Sauté the greens 1-2 minutes, until they are wilted. Stir in the tomato paste and 1 c water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook covered for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile cook the pasta: bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook according to package directions, until the pasta is just shy of al dente. Before straining the pasta, remove 1 c of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
• Add the fettuccine to the sauce. Toss and cook the pasta in the sauce for 1-2 minutes, until the pasta is fully cooked. If the sauce is too dry, add up to 1 c of reserved pasta water; if too soupy, increase the heat to thicken.
• Turn off the heat, sprinkle grated cheese and drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil over the pasta,. Toss well and serve immediately with more cheese at the table.

Notes

other greens: beet greens, collards, kale, dandelion, mustard, turnips greens, mature spinach. A mixture of greens is fantastic

To freeze the sauce: follow first two steps in the recipe, until sauce is finished cooking. Turn off head and allow sauce to fully cool. Transfer to freezer safe container or bag and transfer to freezer