17 Swiss Chard Recipes That Showcase the Versatility of This Healthy Green (2024)

It often gets overshadowed by its popular neighbor kale, but Swiss chard is a superstar in its own right, making a colorful, tasty side dish, or a nutritious addition to pasta, soup, quiches, and more.

This leafy vegetable has earthy flavors and a mild bitterness, which adds perspective to dishes without overwhelming the other ingredients. While the leaves are bright green, the stems and ribs come in a range of colors—look for rainbow or red chard varieties. Either option will lend a beautiful pop of color and vibrancy to any dish.

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Cheesy Stove-Top Barley and Chard

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In this one-pot vegetarian dinner, chard brightens a cheesy take on risotto with barley standing in for the usual arborio rice.

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Rolled Stuffed Salmon

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It's hard to decide which ingredient steals the show here: the creamy Dijon and Swiss-Chard filling or the omega-packed salmon. This main course looks fancy, but it's quite easy to put together and makes a wonderful centerpiece at a holiday meal or other special occasion.

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Late-Summer-Vegetable Minestrone

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Homemade minestrone doesn't need to lean on store-bought broth. In this recipe, the flavorful broth builds from the bouquet of vegetables in the soup. For maximum flavor, we bookended this recipe with Swiss chard: We cooked the stems with onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in the beginning and then finished the soup with handfuls of the wilted leaves.

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Skillet Pizza with Eggplant and Greens

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It's time for a pizza topping upgrade. While we don't often see Swiss chard on the menu at our local pizza joint, we think it deserves a spot. The deep green leaves lend a punchy flavor and silky texture alongside creamy eggplant and gooey provolone cheese in this decadent deep-dish pizza.

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Creamy Swiss Chard with Coconut

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The earthy notes of Swiss chard pair well with creamy ingredients—and that doesn't just mean butter and cheese. In this dairy-free dish, wilted greens are coated in creamy coconut milk with a hint of spice from garlic, ginger, and hot chile peppers.

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Brothy Beans and Greens on Toast

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Layer up on nutrition by combining some of the healthiest ingredients—leafy greens and beans—in a fast and easy meal to be enjoyed anytime of the day. Start by sautéing the chard stems in olive oil and garlic before adding handfuls of the greens to wilt, then warm the beans right in the skillet and spoon the mixture over crispy toast.

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Swiss Chard Tzatziki

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If you love tzatziki, this Swiss chard-filled spin will surely become your new seasonal favorite. Silky blanched Swiss chard leaves blend right into the creamy rich yogurt in place of the traditional cucumber. Just be sure to drain the leaves well, squeezing out excess moisture so it doesn't water down the dip.

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Swiss Chard Farinata

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A topping of sautéed Swiss chard and Parmesan finishes our take on the Italian dish farinata. It's an easy-to-make chickpea flour pancake that you can pick slices of with your hands just like pizza. It's also gluten free.

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Raw Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad

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Don't overlook the potential of Swiss chard raw in salads. We pair it with super crunchy cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Everything marinates together in a tangy vinaigrette for maximum flavor. It's a dish everyone will want you to make again.

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Chard Osh*tashi

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Osh*tashi is a Japanese preparation used for leafy greens such as spinach, but we love to make it with chard. The dark green leaves contrast with the colorful stems and bring a pop of color to any plate. The greens are lightly cooked, drained, and chopped, then tossed with soy sauce and topped with bonito flakes for serving.

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Swiss-Chard and Almond Pasta

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A natural addition to pasta, cooked Swiss chard, like any green, almost becomes more of a sauce than an ingredient. In this recipe, we pair the green with toasted almonds and nutty Parmesan for a quick and flavorful plant-based meal.

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Rainbow-Chard Quiche

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In this showstopper dish, tender leaves of chard are mixed into a delicate quiche filling, resulting in this gorgeous phyllo dough pie. Chard stems make an appearance as a final colorful touch atop the greens filled-egg custard.

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Beet Salad with Honey-Lavender Dressing

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Beets and goat cheese are a match made in heaven, so it's no surprise that Swiss chard, a relative of beets, also tastes fabulous with this assertive cheese. Pair the most tender spring leaves with spring beets, then drizzle with a honey and lavender dressing.

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Chard-Tomato Sauté

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Looking for a creative, yet quick side dish? This chard and tomato sauté is just the thing to make tonight. It's packed with burst cherry tomatoes, basil, capers, Parmesan, and, of course, Swiss chard. Basically, it's everything we'd want in a great pasta dish (without the actual pasta).

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Swiss-Chard-and-Ricotta Galette

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Swiss chard's earthier notes combine well with creamy, cheesy dishes, which is why we knew it was the green for this free-form pie. The buttery crust includes cream cheese and oats, the perfect foundation for greens and more cheese.

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Farro Salad with Oven-Roasted Grapes and Autumn Greens

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Swiss chard season spans from June to October and beyond, meaning there are plenty of chances to pair the green with different seasonal produce. Here, we showcase the heartier fall side of chard by pairing it with sweet roasted grapes and nutty farro.

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Bacon, Potato, and Swiss Chard Scramble

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For those who like greens (and potatoes) with their classic bacon and eggs, here's a hearty breakfast, brunch, or even dinner entrée.

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17 Swiss Chard Recipes That Showcase the Versatility of This Healthy Green (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 ways you can eat Swiss chard? ›

Chard can be steamed or sauteed, and it's great in soups, stews, casseroles, frittatas and quiches. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads.

What is Swiss chard good for? ›

Chard contains 3 times the recommended daily intake of vitamin K and 44 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin A. This vegetable can help to combat cancer, reduce blood pressure, and enhance performance in sports. Swiss chard can be eaten raw or cooked.

Is Swiss chard good for inflammation? ›

chard is also has an abundance of antioxidants as well as phytonutrient antioxidants. Why are these phytonutrient antioxidants so special? These antioxidants have been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties. These phytonutrients can be found in the plant's leaves, and colorful stems.

What are two interesting facts about Swiss chard? ›

Swiss chard grows well in both cool and warm environments. 6-8 hours of sunlight per day is required for Swiss chard to thrive. A 10-foot row of Swiss chard can produce roughly 12 pounds of produce. Like other leafy greens, Swiss chard is high in vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, potassium and fiber.

When should you not eat Swiss chard? ›

Kidney stone:

As a result, anyone with kidney stones should avoid Swiss chard because oxalates may increase symptoms in certain people.

How do you cook chard so it is not bitter? ›

Use older chard, which tends to be markedly less bitter than the young chard you're using; Avoid bringing out the bitterness, by cooking at lower heat; Mute any remaining bitterness with salt, which is pretty common for leafy greens.

Is chard a laxative? ›

Leafy greens, like spinach, chards, arugula, lettuce and kale are rich in fibers with laxative properties. They are great options for constipation relief, especially when eaten raw. These greens contain high amounts of water, which helps with stool movements.

What is the healthiest vegetable in the world? ›

The CDC assigns nutrition density scores to produce based on their concentration of essential vitamins and minerals. Usual suspects like spinach, chard, and beet greens all have scores ranging in the 80s. But the only vegetable to earn a perfect score of 100 is watercress.

Can you eat chard every day? ›

Can you eat too much Swiss chard? Although Swiss chard is extremely healthy, it should be eaten in moderation. Eating too much can lead to side effects such as: Kidney stones: Swiss chard contains antinutritive oxalates, which may increase urinary oxalate excretion and increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones.

Does chard make you sleepy? ›

TIPS FOR USE: Antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, iron, fiber, folate, protein, and magnesium. What doesn't Chard have going for it? It even contains tryptophan, the amino acid known as a natural relaxant and sleep aid that most people associate with Thanksgiving turkey.

What is a nickname for Swiss chard? ›

The plant is also known as the silverbeet and originates from Sicily before being grown in the gardens of England and America; Swiss was added to the crop's name to distinguish it from French spinach by the 19th century.

Which is better kale or Swiss chard? ›

While both vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, they differ in their concentrations of certain nutrients. For example, kale is a better source of vitamin K, vitamin C, and calcium, while chard is higher in vitamin A and iron.

Do you eat Swiss chard raw or cooked? ›

Swiss chard is a type of leafy green packed full of nutrients like fibre, vitamin K and magnesium. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Try adding Swiss chard to your next soup or salad!

Can you eat chard like lettuce? ›

You can enjoy chard raw like spinach, kale and lettuce. As with spinach and kale, chard is earthy, but its bitterness is less intense than kale's.

How do you harvest and eat Swiss chard? ›

Begin harvesting when the plant reaches 9 inches tall, though the tender baby leaves can be used in fresh salads. Once a leaf is cut, a new one grows in its place. Harvesting can be done be cutting off the individual leaves or cutting the entire plant at its base, about an inch above soil.

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