These days, pasta gets a bit of a bad rap – too many carbs, not great for your blood sugar levels. But occasionally, you just need that carby energy boost. Whether your energy reserves are depleted of if you are looking for some feel-good food – these Orecchiette with Swiss Chard are incredibly delicious and make for the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal. What more could you ask for?
We really love pasta here. We don’t eat it quite as often anymore because – well, loads of carbs aren’t ideal for a diabetic like me, especially in the evening. Though, you can actually get around that by using various alternatives. For this dish, you could just as easily use pasta made from green peas or chickpeas instead of classic orecchiette made with durum wheat. That way, you still get the pasta experience, but your blood sugar doesn’t spike as sharply, thanks to the legumes…
You can do so much with Swiss Chard. Much like spinach, it works beautifully in sauces, casseroles, and many more dishes. The veggie is also delicious when simply sautéed with a little garlic – served as a side dish for meat and fish, for example. Unfortunately, we don’t have many recipes featuring Swiss chard on the blog. Yet. We should probably change that soon. After all, Swiss chard is considered quite healthy, right?!
Anyway, in this recipe, the Swiss chard is used for the sauce. The lemony sauce is the base for the pasta, rounded off with a few crunchy croutons on top. It’s a truly tasty combination. Even with the time it takes to make the croutons from scratch, it’s a quick weeknight meal that we love making again and again. It’s even faster to get on the table if you use store-bought croutons… just sayin’.
Preparing the dish is incredibly simple. Roast the croutons fist, then cook the orecchiette and prepare the sauce – then bring it all together. If you don’t get too distracted during preparations and cooking – say, by a favorite TV show playing in the background – your dinner should be on the table in about 30 minutes. Quick and easy, as we call it…
As already mentioned, we don’t cook with Swiss chard all that often, but there are still a few delicious dishes and baked goods we already did for the blog. Our tasty (vegan) Minestrone with Swiss Chard is perfect whenever Swiss Chard is in season.
Swiss Chard also works beautifully in baked goods. Our Swiss Chard Quiche is a prime example. The combination of Swiss chard, shallots, bacon, and cheese makes the tart incredibly flavorful and delicious. You can serve it as an appetizer (cut into smaller pieces) or as a main course with a small side salad. Either way – it’s absolutely delicious!
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
(2 servings)
For the croutons:
1-2 tbsp. butter
1 slice of day-old bread, finely diced
some granulated onion*
a few chili flakes*
salt, pepper
For the pasta/sauce:
2 tbsp. butter
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (160ml) milk
3 tbsp. sour cream
1-2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt, pepper
9 oz. (250g) orecchiette pasta
1 small Swiss chard (about 14 oz./400g), chopped & divided
some grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)
(2 servings)
For the croutons:
1-2 tbsp butter
1 slice of bread (from the previous day), finely diced
a little granulated onion*
a little chili flakes*
Salt, pepper
For the noodles/sauce:
2 tbsp butter
1 red onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp flour (Type 405)
160ml milk
3 tbsp sour cream
1-2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
Salt, pepper
250g orecchiette pasta
1 small chard (about 400g), cut into pieces & divided
some grated Parmesan for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. Start with the croutons. Cut the bread into small cubes. Melt the butter in a small, non-stick frying pan, then add the bread cubes and Toast them for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Season with granulated onion, chili flakes, and some salt and pepper. Let the spices heat up with the bread until fragrant, then remove everything from the frying pan and let the croutons cool down in a small bowl or on a plate.
2. Peel and finely dice the onions and garlic for the sauce. Wash and dry the Swiss Chard. Cut the thick (white) stalks into thin strips or small cubes, and the green leaves into larger, bite-sized pieces. Set both aside separately. Prepare a large pot of salted water for the pasta.
3. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the flour and sauté briefly, then deglaze with the milk. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutesstirring occasionally.
4. While the sauce is cooking, bring the pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and cook according to the package directions until al dente – our pasta took 9 minutes to cook. Stir the pasta frequently. About 6 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the white parts of the Swiss chard to the pasta wateretc about 3 minutes before the end, add the green leaves. Drain the cooked pasta and Swiss chard, reserving some of the pasta water (you might need it later).
5. While the pasta and Swiss chard are still cooking, you can continue with the pasta sauce. Add the sour cream and lemon juice, stir, and let everything simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, you can add a little of the reserved pasta water. Divide the pasta, chard, and sauce between bowls, top with the croutons, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan, if desired.
1. Start with the croutons. Cut the bread into small cubes. Melt the butter in a small, non-stick pan, then add the bread cubes and Roast for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. To season, add a little granulated onion, chili flakes and a little salt and pepper – fry briefly until everything starts to smell, then remove from the pan and let cool in a small bowl or plate.
2. Peel and finely dice the onions and garlic for the sauce. Wash and dry the chard. Cut the thick (white) stems into thin strips or small cubes, and cut the green leaves into larger, bite-sized pieces. Set both aside separately. Prepare a large pot of salted water for the pasta.
3. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, then sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the flour and let it sweat briefly, then deglaze with the milk. Bring everything to the boil once, then Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutes – stir every now and then.
4. While the sauce is making, bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the orecchiette and cook “al dente” according to the package instructions – for us it was 9 minutes. Stir the noodles frequently. About 6 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the white parts of the chard to the pasta water and Add the green leaves about 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Drain the cooked pasta and chard, reserving some of the pasta water if necessary.
5. While the pasta and chard are still cooking, you can continue with the sauce – add the sour cream and lemon juice, stir in and Let everything simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce seems a little too thick, you can add a little more of the pasta water. Divide the pasta, chard and sauce into bowls, place the croutons on top and sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan if desired (optional).
Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!
Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
A simple and easy pasta dish we love to make a lot: Orecchiette with Swiss Chard. The perfect weeknight dinner when you are not in the mood for a lot of cooking.
For the croutons:
1–2 tbsp. butter
1 slice of day-old bread, finely diced
some granulated onion*
a few chili flakes*
salt, pepper
For the pasta/sauce:
2 tbsp. butter
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1–2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (160ml) milk
3 tbsp. sour cream
1–2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt, pepper
9 oz. (250g) orecchiette pasta
1 small Swiss chard (about 14 oz./400g), chopped & divided
some grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)
1. Start with the croutons. Cut the bread into small cubes. Melt the butter in a small, non-stick frying pan, then add the bread cubes and Toast them for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Season with granulated onion, chili flakes, and some salt and pepper. Let the spices heat up with the bread until fragrant, then remove everything from the frying pan and let the croutons cool down in a small bowl or on a plate.
2. Peel and finely dice the onions and garlic for the sauce. Wash and dry the Swiss Chard. Cut the thick (white) stalks into thin strips or small cubes, and the green leaves into larger, bite-sized pieces. Set both aside separately. Prepare a large pot of salted water for the pasta.
3. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the flour and sauté briefly, then deglaze with the milk. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutesstirring occasionally.
4. While the sauce is cooking, bring the pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and cook according to the package directions until al dente – our pasta took 9 minutes to cook. Stir the pasta frequently. About 6 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the white parts of the Swiss chard to the pasta wateretc about 3 minutes before the end, add the green leaves. Drain the cooked pasta and Swiss chard, reserving some of the pasta water (you might need it later).
5. While the pasta and Swiss chard are still cooking, you can continue with the pasta sauce. Add the sour cream and lemon juice, stir, and let everything simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, you can add a little of the reserved pasta water. Divide the pasta, chard, and sauce between bowls, top with the croutons, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Let’s cook something amazing!
Links marked with an asterisk
