Two Easy Swiss Chard Recipes

I have a friend who calls me Kale Gal because I grow kale in my gardens, pluck leaves for my husband’s smoothies, make kale chips, and find any excuse to incorporate them into meals. I love red boar curly kale raw in salads and sandwiches. I like dinosaur or Tuscan kale as chips or in soups and other savory dishes. Kale chips taste great when made with either coconut oil or olive oil, with a little sea salt.

But Kale Gal also raises Swiss chard in red, yellow, and rainbow hues. These have become the overachievers in my garden as of late. The leaves are massive and tender, and the stems can be chopped, sauteed and incorporated into recipes.

Here are a few Swiss Chard recipes that I created to make use of the garden bounty. Let me know if you give it a try and tell me what you think!

Stuffed Swiss Chard

1 pound ground turkey
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup uncooked rice
4 Swiss Chard leaves, split in half, stems removed and reserved
1 half head of cabbage, cut into small chunks
2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 sweet onion, diced
Dash of Italian herbs (oregano, basil, parsley, marjoram, fennel seed).
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 tbsp Italian herbs (oregano, basil, parsley, marjoram, fennel seed)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup or more of shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Dump into a big bowl the turkey, ricotta, half of the diced onion, rice, 2 tbsp Italian herbs, salt and pepper, and mix by hand. Set aside.

Sauce:
Saute half the onion and garlic in olive oil, add canned tomatoes and cook off juices, add tomato sauce and remaining 2 tbsp Italian herbs, simmer on low.

Cabbage:
Drizzle some olive oil onto the bottom of a roasting pan. Spread the coarsely chopped raw cabbage into the pan, with big chunks intact. Set aside.

Set up a broad skillet with about an inch of water to parboil the chard. Have ready an ice bath and a colander.

One at a time, dip each half of chard leaf into the boiling water for about 20-30 seconds to soften. With tongs, take each leaf and dip in the ice bath. Drain in a colander.

Take each parboil chard leaf and spread it out on a cutting board or other work surface bottom side up. Shape the ground meat-rice mix with hands or an ice cream scoop into balls about 2.5 ounces each. This should yield eight balls. Place the mixture onto the leaf and roll gently, tucking the ends in so it looks like a neat little purse. Arrange the purses on top of the chopped cabbage in the roasting pan.

Alternatively, the cabbage can be placed in a slow cooker, purses on top, sauce poured all over, and left to cook for 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. About 45 minutes before serving, add mozzarella cheese on top, cover and turn off and let cheese melt.

I made this quiche late one night, refrigerated it, and microwaved slices the next morning for a quick brunch after a 25-mile bike ride.

Easy Swiss Chard and Manchego Quiche

8 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
6-10 Swiss chard leaves, separated from their stems
Swiss chard stems, diced
1/2 diced onion
2 cups shredded Manchego cheese
1/2 stale baguette or other bread, sliced thin
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Drizzle a pie plate with olive oil and place the bread slices on the bottom to serve as a sort of crust.

Sauté diced stems and onions in olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Let them reduce until the liquid dissipates. Spread on top of bread slices in pie plate.

Roll chard leaves into a big cigar and slice thinly. Oil skillet and add chard to sauté. Turn down the heat and let the liquid from the chard dissipate. Spread on top of the sautéed onions and stems.

Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups Manchego.

Mix eggs and milk in a big bowl with a rotary beater until smooth and so that no yolks or whites can be discerned. Whip in some air while you’re at it. Give it two or three minutes of beating.

Pour into the pie pan. Sprinkle remaining Manchego on top. Sprinkle paprika all over. Place in oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbly, and the center is set.

Take out of the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serves 6.