How to Cook Swiss Chard

Chard Recipes to Make the Most of this Colorful Winter Vegetable

Nov 1, 2009

Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var flavescens) is delicious on its own as an accompanying vegetable, or as an ingredient in healthy pasta recipes.

Swiss chard has sturdy deep green leaves with thick colorful stems that may be bright orange, vivid yellow, deep pink or white. The stem retains its color once cooked, and every part of the leaf may be cooked and eaten. Small leaves, no larger than 2 inches in length, may be eaten as salad leaves if sufficiently tender.

Rarely found in shops as it must be fresh in order to be good. Store fresh Swiss chard with the stalks in a glass of water, like a bunch of flowers, in the ‘fridge for two days at most. Steamed or fat-steamed Swiss chard may be frozen successfully.

Preparing Swiss Chard for Cooking

For all the swiss chard recipes below, prepare the vegetable in the same way:

Wash thoroughly under running water and pat dry with a towel.
For all but the smallest leaves, cut off the thickest part of the stalk from each leaf, and chop the sections of stalk into small pieces.
Shred the remaining green leaves finely with a sharp knife separately from the stalks.

A very large bunch of raw leaves will cook down into a much small volume, so do take this into account when planning your meal.

Steamed Swiss Chard

Swiss chard cooks quickly and retains its nutrients well in a steamer:

Add the stalks to a steamer over briskly boiling water, cover and leave to soften for a few minutes.
Add the shredded green leaves and steam for a further few minutes before serving.
Rinse the steamer out immediately otherwise any remaining leaves will stick solidly to it!

Fat-Steamed Swiss Chard

A delicious way to slow cook Swiss chard to make the most of its flavor.

Heat a little vegetable oil or butter gently in a thick bottomed pan.
Add the stalks to the pan and cook slowly for a few minutes until softened, stirring from time to time.
Add the shredded leaves with a little salt, preferably an unrefined natural sea salt such as Maldon Salt from Essex, England as this considerably improve the flavor of the dish.
Cover, and continue to cook on a low heat, stirring from time to time.
Serve when soft, usually after around 10 minutes total cooking time.

Swiss Chard Wholewheat Pasta

Add fat-steamed Swiss chard to simple, whole wheat pasta along with cooked puy lentils, slow-cooked beef mince, mushrooms and onions. Add some shavings of Italian parmesan-style hard cheese and fresh Italian herbs such as oregano or basil just before serving, and mix well.

Swiss chard is a very useful vegetable that adds colour to the table through the dark winter months. It is great on its own, or as a versatile ingredient in a range of healthy dishes.

Readers may also enjoy How to Cook Perpetual Spinach, a vegetable that is closely related to Swiss chard and which may be cooked in similar ways.

The copyright of the article How to Cook Swiss Chard in Winter Recipes is owned by Joanne E. Brannan. Permission to republish How to Cook Swiss Chard in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.