Garlicky Swiss Chard Recipe (2024)

Don't throw out the chard stems. Remove them, then slice into 1/2" pieces and saute in a little oil. Add the garlic and red pepper, and proceed with the recipe. Or save them, and add to another veggie dish--minestrone, white beans, vegetable omelet.

A family favorite for years. I use 8 cloves garlic, peeled, and leave them whole. Chop stems and add before leaves. Variations include adding cherry tomatoes with the leaves or some cream (our slightly sour cream here in Central America) just before serving.

One major omission is washing leaves and stems several times until it is totally grit free.My favorite version is the one my Sicilian mother made. Make a garlicy marina sauce. I use canned plum tomatoes, gradually add liquid as it cooks with plenty of basil, either fresh or dried. When sauce is done, add boiled, cut Swiss Chard & stems.and Greek Olives and simmer a long time so the flavor permeates. Serve with warm French or Italian Bread. It is also great with shells or small rigatoni.

Hoe many cups of chard should you have after chopping? I'm not sure how much chard is in "two bunches". Thanks!

Only change was to add a spritz of lemon at the end. Excellent!

I used rainbow chard that I had grown in containers on my patio. I chose this recipe because it uses minimal ingredients that allow the full flavor of the chard to come through. It was fabulous; the only change I made was to include the stems to add extra color to the dish.

The photo shows what looks like whole (roasted?) garlic rather than minced. Is this an addition or just something for the photo presentation?

I chop the stems and saute them first with the garlic, add the chopped leaves, add a little white wine to the pan, and cook. If you have any leftovers, this makes an excellent addition to lasagna. Chopped in the food processor, with egg and feta cheese added, and layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and noodles, this makes a lasagna my family wants for special occasions. It's why I grow swiss chard at all, although, to be honest, it's just about the easiest thing to grow.

Since we grow Swiss Char here in southeast Texas in our kitchen garden in the winter (kale, too), I never know how much a "bunch" is. I truly wish that any vegetable in any recipe would include some volume or weight measurement.

I read that Georgia O'Keefe loved chard I colors, but she chopped the stems separately and cooked them 5-7 minutes before adding the leaves...yum!

Don't exclude the stems. Just cook them a bit first. You don't need much salt at all--chard is naturally quite salty. Consider a little fresh ginger and sliced fresh shiitakes. And don't omit the shiitake stems either, contrary to what many "experts" recommend. They have the best flavor--a little tougher than the caps but artful fine slicing will take care of that. And don't waste time on the so-called nutritional information link. It is an utter disgrace.

Use sliced garlic or whole, not minced.

This is a favorite of mine, tasty, easy to prepare and looks beautiful on the plate with fish or meat. Start with dry leaves so that it will be sautéed and not in effect steamed. More flavor that way.

Delicious. Added a sqeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of EVOO at the end, like my nonna used to do.

Try this with sesame oil. A teaspoon in a non stick pan is plenty. Yum.

Mixed beet greens with rainbow chard and baby purple kale from the garden. Braised the chard stems in oil and water with the garlic before adding the greens. Some here have recommended adding lemon juice --adding chopped preserved lemon is even better. With the preserved lemon, you can also add toasted chopped walnuts, and serve mixed with penne pasta as an entree-- delicious either way!

There's an easier, different way to use the stalks of chard and kale. Strip them from the leaves, put them in a big plastic bag and freeze. Keep adding to the bag whenever you have more stems. When you have a lot, throw them in a big pot with some chopped onion, a few spices, a little vinegar, and cover with water.Low heat An hour or two later you'll have homemade veggie stock to freeze and use in soups.

Thank you Melissa for such an easy & delicious dish. Thanks for input on using stems from other commenters. I cooked some cannellini beans in a pasta sauce and added to bow tie pasta then added the cooked chard, with walnut pieces and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I have a only a bit leftover on this cold winters day.

This is delicious; it's also how I've always cooked fresh Swiss chard from our garden. I don't stem the chard. It's one of the few greens where the stem cooks in just about the same time as the leaves.

The recipe fails to mention what temperature to heat the pan to, which may be instinctive for many cooks but was not for me. Aim for medium low so the garlic doesn’t burn and the chard doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

YUM! So simple but so good and good for you! I added a small leek (in addition to the garlic) that I sautéed first until it was almost starting to brown, then added just a tiny squeeze of lemon before serving. Absolutely divine!

Similar to other people, I chopped the stems up and cooked them first, and also added a couple slices of tomato and a splash of wine and lemon juice to the pan. A few coriander seeds also did wonders for the depth of flavor and I'd recommend adding a few to the initial dry pan. Great recipe, definitely up the garlic.

I used garlic scape, spring onions, thin sliced carrot, red bell pepper for color. A bit of salt and red pepper flakes."Trick is to sauté in order of veggie- then a bit of steam-I add greens-Covere, don’t overcook- al dente- a bit of lo-salt soy, thyme covered and pulled off burner. Keep the greens brite green-don’t overcook. It was perfect. Best ever. I used my wok. No complaints from Steve. Also had pan fries rockfish cut unto 4 pieces, skin off. Oiled, Hometown Seasoning, cut into 4.

I did not cut up the Swiss chard before cooking because I did not have time. It didn’t seem to make a difference. This really cooks down so I also tripled the recipe. Fresh out of the garden, yum! Love the simplicity of the dish.

In addition to the stems and more garlic, I added pine nuts.

Perfectly delicious!! Followed the recipe exactly, with the small addition of three minced garlic cloves and some thyme, following another reviewer’s suggestion, and served with Melissa Clark’s Garlicky Swiss Chard! My husband is addicted to the potatoes especially. We will never stop making this.

Use Penzey’s Outrage instead of the red pepper flakes!

We like to serve this over pasta, as a "sauce." Tonight we'll have it over cheese ravioli and will include some golden raisins, feta, and walnuts.

Sliced 3 large garlic cloves to one bunch chard, skipped pepper flakes. Sauteed in avocado oil starting with sliced red ribs. Squeeze of lemon juice at the end as suggested below. Served with Serious Eats crispy pan-seared fish. Hubby commented on how good it was. Gosh, I love chard!