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.
Servings: 4
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