Easy Swiss Chard Recipe with Cannellini Beans

This Sauteed Swiss Chard with Garlic and Cannellini Beans is an easy-to-make, filling, and nutritious dinner, when served on toasted sourdough bread, rice or quinoa. A beautifuly balanced vegan meal filled with nutrients and savory flavor.

If you’re unsure about cooking with Swiss chard, this is the recipe for you! It’s a quick, flavorful dish that combines cannellini beans and swiss chard in a comforting and delicious way. Serve it on a toasted country or sourdough bread (our favorite!) or even over rice, quinoa, or pasta for a complete meal. The garlic and red wine vinegar perfectly balance the mild cannellini beans and let the natural flavors of the Swiss chard shine through.

What is Swiss Chard?

Swiss chard is a dark leafy green vegetable that is related to beets. It has an earthy flavor with a slight bitterness that goes away when cooked. Unlike kale, you can eat the chard stems! Just cut them up small and sautée them with the chard leaves. They will remain slightly crunchy but aren’t hard and fibrous like kale stems. Chard is low in calories and high in vitamins K, A, and C. 

Varieties of Chard: Swiss vs. Rainbow

Chard comes in several different varieties, but all taste similar! Swiss Chard refers to leaves with a white stem, while red chard has beautifully colored red stems, Rainbow Chard isn’t a specific variety of chard but rather all of the different varieties bundled together for sale! They make a beautiful rainbow of greens with multi-colored stems, what helathier way to eat the rainbow.

The Four Types of White Beans

Cannellini beans are one of the four types of white beans, with the other three being Navy (or Pea) beans, Great Northern Beans, and Baby Lima Beans. You can usually use and of these beans interchangeably in recipes as they’re similar in flavor!

• Navy beans are small, soft, and creamy in flavor.
• Great Northern Beans have firm flesh and are medium in size, in between the Navy and Cannellini beans.
• You may know Baby Lima Beans as “butterbeans,” and they’re often used in soups and stews since they’re starchier than the others.

What are Cannellini Beans? 

Cannellini beans are white kidney beans that are used often in Italian, Greek, and French recipes. They have a mellow, kind of nutty flavor and a creamy texture that makes them versatile in many dishes. You can find them dried or canned in most grocery stores and they’re an inexpensive pantry staple to keep on hand!

How to Cook Swiss Chard

Start by preparing the Swiss chard. Wash it well and chop stems into small pieces and leaves into large pieces, keeping in mind that they will cook down just like spinach or kale. First saute soem garlic, then add the chard stems in for a minute or two before incorporating the leaves. The stems are totally edible, they just do best with an extra minute of cooking time! Once the chard starts to wilt add in cannellini beans and a splash of vinegar.

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More Recipes with Leafy Green Vegetables

• Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins
• Tagliatelle with Mushroom Ragu and Swiss Chard
• Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Mushroom Bacon Bits
• Meatless Sausage & Kale Soup
• Kaniwas with Swiss chard
• Cannellini Bean, Quinoa, & Kale Soup

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Original publishing date: April 10, 2012

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