Rainbow chard

It was another week of lots of greens (plus beets, zucchini, & strawberries) in the CSA box! Once again, I made plenty of salads and sauteed greens served under fish.  I grilled the zucchini (my favorite way to prepare it), roasted the beets for salads and sandwiches, and enjoyed the strawberries on their own and in yogurt.

But I wanted to do something a little different with the Chard this week. The weather was a bit cooler on Monday here in Boston and I was in the mood for some pasta. I referred to this recipe from Giada as a guide for ingredients (wasn’t quite sure what flavors would go well with Chard) and ended up with a delicious, colorful, and filling pasta dish that packs a lot of nutrition into each bite (vitamins A,C,& K, plus iron, potassium, magnesium, and niacin along with other vitamins and minerals)!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (2 cups) penne rigate (or orzo -  see note)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium shallot, minced
• 1.5 cups baby bella mushrooms, diced
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 10-12 kalamata olives, pitted and cut half (or quarters)
• Large bunch of rainbow chard, washed and chopped into large pieces
• 1/4 cup shredded pecorino romano cheese (or fresh mozzarella – see note)
• Crushed red pepper (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil water and cook pasta per package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before straining.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in large sauce pan, add garlic and shallots and saute for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook about 2 minutes until slightly softened.
3. Add canned tomatoes and a few shakes of crushed red pepper (optional – add more if you like more spice). When tomatoes begin to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes (until most of the liquid is absorbed). When liquid is mostly gone, add in chard, olives, and a bit of salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until chard is softened and cooked through. By now there should be no liquid left in the pan.
   

   Adding the Chard

   

   Sauce after adding the pasta water

4. Add pasta water and stir around, let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve over hot pasta and top with pecorino romano cheese!

Look at all of those bright colors!

Serves 4

Notes: I had leftovers of the sauce (only made enough pasta for 2 dinners) and served it the next night over whole-wheat orzo topped with fresh mozzarella cheese. It was equally delicious!

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 295 calories, 8g fat (2g saturated fat), 46g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 12g protein.

Happy Cooking!

- your food and fitness friend