I know what you might be thinking, because trust me, I was thinking it too…red chard? Really? In case I haven’t mentioned it before, I started a new service a couple of months ago where I get fresh, organic fruits and veggies delivered to my door…which I gotta say I’m loving! And when red chard was in my order one week, I hesitated and considered subbing it out for something else, but then I thought…what the heck, why not? So as I was facing a leafy green I’ve certainly never worked with before, I found myself searching to find something tasty to do with it. And that’s when I settled on this Red Chard and Garlic Linguine dish from the site Sprout & Pea.
First off, this website is pretty cool if you’re into organic foods and are gluten-free. I know I’ve been especially noticing on Facebook, many of my friends are cooking gluten-free more and more. As for why I settled on this dish…yeah pasta would obviously be reason #1. Reason #2 was how simple and fast it seemed. I’ve had a busy few weeks lately and I could certainly appreciate an easy yet delicious dinner, so I really didn’t have to look any further…I was sold!
I did make a couple of minor changes. The recipe (being gluten-free) called for quinoa linguine. While I’ve cooked with quinoa pasta before, I decided on whole wheat linguine instead, because it was one less store to go to and I already had it on hand. Another alteration I made was to add some heat with the addition of crushed red pepper flakes. This was pretty smart of me, I gotta say! 😉 It added another layer of flavor, which is always a good thing.
All of you garlic-lovers out there will be in garlic heaven with this dish. It calls for 5 cloves that get cooked in olive oil to make a garlic-infused oil that will make your whole house smell amazing! Essentially you just toss the chopped red chard and some white wine with the oil and let it cook for 10 minutes or so, and then add some lemon zest and salt and pepper. Then mix in the cooked pasta and you’re all set. It really is that easy!
So if you’re feeling adventurous or already like red chard and are looking for a recipe to try out…this one is a keeper! I loved how the greens got nicely browned when cooking. I think it helped them taste less bitter and the fact that there wasn’t a heavy sauce on the pasta was a big plus in my book.
Click here for the recipe and step by step instructions!
A look back:
One year ago: Craving Muffins – Pink Grapefruit Muffins to be Exact
Two years ago: Learning to Love Salads – Part 6: Chopped Salad
Three years ago: All About Lentils
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