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 recipe is 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 a healthy 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, between the Navy and Cannellini beans.
- You may know Baby Lima Beans as “butterbeans,” they’re larger white beans 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, sauté some garlic, then add the chard stems for a minute or two before incorporating the leaves. Swiss Chard stems are edible, they just do best with a few extra minutes of cooking time! Once the chard starts to wilt add in cannellini beans and a splash of vinegar.
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
DID YOU LIKE OUR Swiss chard RECIPE?
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Original publishing date: April 10, 2012
Easy Swiss Chard Recipe with Cannellini Beans
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 cups
- Diet: Vegan
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of chard (any type)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 5 large cloves of garlic, sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper (optional)
- 1- 15oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Wash the chard well and chop the leaves into large pieces, and the stem into smaller pieces and. Keep them separated
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes, making sure it doesn't burn
- Add the chopped chard stems and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently
- Add the leaves, toss well and cook until it starts to wilt about, 6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using)
- Add the cannellini beans. Gently mix well together and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, until the beans are hot
- Add the vinegar and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 137
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 427
- Fat: 7.1
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.1
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 17
- Fiber: 6.6
- Protein: 5.7
- Cholesterol: 0
Devora
This looks like a delicous and easy dinner to make on those nights that you have no time and no ideas on what to make. Cant wait to try this dish after passover....thanks 🙂
Diane
I made this and it was delicious. Super easy to make. I'm thinking I may have had the heat up too high though because the chard shrank to almost nothing. I think if I make it again, I will use more chard and lower the temperature a bit.
Mark
Drained beans?
Vicky & Ruth
Yes, thank you for pointing it out. We just updated the recipe
Anna Rayne-Levi
I just made this delicious recipe.
What can I say?
It was delicious, cheap & super flavorful.
Anna from Santa Fe (NEW MEXICO) , Israel, Canada, Italy & India.
Delicioso.
Anna
Joanna Holt
Really enjoyed this recipe. Perfect way to use swiss chard and very easy to make. Served it over brown rice with sweet potato on the side. Yummm.
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jenny
I have made this recipe before, and it was yummy. My question is about putting it on the toasted sour dough slices - did you add any butter or oil to the toasted slices before adding the chard and beans on top?
Vicky and Ruth
Jenny, you can certainly add butter or a good quality extra virgin olive oil to the toasted sourdough. We didn't, but it does sound like a good idea!
Phyllis
I was looking for something different tonight to do with my swiss chard and found this recipe. Everyone really enjoyed it and voted it a keeper. It's a keeper.
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you so much Phyllis, so happy to hear that you enjoyed our Swiss Chard recipe.
Susan
I had a huge bunch of Swiss chard in my veggie box this week and used it in this recipe because it seemed like the easiest way to use it up. What a big surprise to discover how delicious it was! We spooned it over toasted rye bread. I will be requesting chard more often so I can make it again.
Vicky and Ruth
Aww! Thank you so much. We are so happy to hear that you loved the recipe!
Jim Roberts
Delicious and very easy. I added a chopped tomato for color and next time I'll use a red bell pepper. Mixed French spices, plus rosemary, bay leaf, and adobo seasonings plus some white wine helped to give it wonderful international flavor. I'll definitely make this again and in fact I'm going to stuff eggplant with this recipe for a Thanksgiving entree.
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you Jim! I love the idea of stuffing eggplant with swiss chard and cannellini beans. Have a recipe for stuffed eggplant with fennel and cannellini beans. Here it is: https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/stuffed-eggplant-with-fennel-and-white-beans
Barbara
can you give an amount for the chard. Mine was large & from my garden. I tried to estimate but at the end thought I should have used more.
Vicky and Ruth
Hi Barbara, it's so cool that you grow your own chard. We don't have an exact measurement for the chard since use a large bunch. You can never go wrong using more Swiss Chard than the recipe calls for.
Michael
My husband grows chard so at this time of year we have a lot of it...
Made this using tinned borlotti instead of cannelini. Very good. Served it over pasta as a dinner and it was really good 🙂
Vicky and Ruth
Hi. We love that you served it over pasta and so glad that you loved the recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a comment and a rating, it means a lot to us to hear from you!
Pam McNab
Very easy to make and very yummy. Good balance of flavors. Don't skimp on the garlic. I thought a squeeze of lemon juice would be good instead of vinegar, but I followed the recipe. I'll be making this again as Swiss chard is a constant in my CSA basket. Thanks!
Vicky and Ruth
So glad you like the recipe Pam, it is simple but really flavorful. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating.
Claudia Marieb
This was so easy and delicious. It inspired me to sign up for your emails. I'm Lebanese on my dad's side so that makes this extra exciting. I'm looking forward to cooking more with you.
Vicky and Ruth
Welcome, we are so happy you found us!
Amy
Delicious, healthy, easy, and cheap! I used fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar and it was perfect.
Vicky and Ruth
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Amy! Thank you for leaving us a comment!
Anat Eisenberg
Great tasting and beautiful! Thank you!
Sasha
I subbed vinegar with preserved lemons. Those unfamiliar with preserved lemons -- look up the (extremely simple) recipe and make yourself a batch to always keep in the fridge (it does not spoil). Preserved lemons go with many dishes but my favorite way is to add them to sauteed greens, grains and beans. So it was a must here for me. Once you tasted preserved lemons you will never go back to a plain vinegar in this recipe.
Vicky and Ruth
Sounds really delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!
Celia Castellani
My Grandmother who in Italy taught me how to make this 30 years ago. I still make it with some homemade ciabatta bread.
Vicky and Ruth
Grandma's recipes are always the best!
Annie
I made this last night, and very good it was, too. I thought I had taken to heart, what you said about a large bunch of chard, but I still could have done with more! I added 1/2 tsp rubbed sage and, not having red wine vinegar, used white wine vinegar. The vinegar is a touch of genius and I feel it works better than lemon would.
It's almost impossible to buy dried cannelini beans in New Zealand, so I cooked haricot beans instead and instead of sourdough, I had toasted naan, that I'd made the previous day.
A big bunch of chard can be daunting: I shall keep this for future reference. If one added a couple of diced tomatoes, or didn't drain the beans, it would make a good sauce for polenta or pasta.
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you for sharing your recipe adaptation with us! Keep Cooking!