This lightning-fast pasta dinner is our new obsession! The combination of creamy tomato sauce, garlic and fennel seeds goes perfectly with tender chard, white beans and pasta. Best of all, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
Why we love this Chard Pasta recipe
One thing is for sure, if you know and love our easy sautéed chard then you have to try this new recipe for vegetarian packed chard pasta.
Swiss chard is the shining star of this recipe, and it’s paired with creamy tomato sauce (so much yes!), fragrant spices (oh my gosh, you’re going to love it), and hearty kidney beans (yay protein!). Did we mention it’s vegetarian too? So it’s perfect for a meatless Monday or any busy weeknight!
Recipe Highlights
- Ready in just 25 minutes!
- Cream and fennel seeds are the taste hits! They make the dish taste incredibly delicious and complex in just minutes – one taster said, “Chef’s kiss!”
- A hearty, complete, vegetarian meal in one bowl
- Loaded with fresh vegetables and beans
- The perfect dish for a power veggie like chard
- We’ve added it to Best Healthy Seasonal Recipes, it’s SO good!
Main ingredients for this recipe
- chard: Use a large bundle of Swiss chard (12 to 16 oz). Follow the instructions for washing and chopping chard, keeping the stems and leaves separate as they will be added to the recipe at different times.
- Pasta: You will need ten ounces of pasta, whole wheat or gluten free if desired.
- Spices: Garlic, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Parsley, Black Pepper, Salt.
- Oil: Extra virgin olive oil
- fennel seeds: The fennel seeds make this recipe so unique! They give this vegetarian pasta the taste of Italian sausage, which goes well with Swiss chard. If you don’t like it, omit them or use 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning instead for extra flavor.
- Cheese: Grated Pecorino Romano to serve. Parmesan, Asiago, or another hard Italian cheese are great alternatives.
- whipped cream: To thicken the sauce and make it creamy. (Trust us! The cream makes this recipe so special!)
- Tomatoes: Use both tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted is best).
- beans: Can of white beans, drained and rinsed.
Step-by-step instructions on how to make Swiss Chard Pasta with White Beans
Step 1: Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Cook the noodles according to package directions until just al dente. Don’t overcook because it will go into the sauce and cook a little more in a minute. Drain well and keep the noodles warm.
Step 2: Cook chard stalks with spices
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the chard stalks. Cook, stirring once or twice, until tender, which should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, fennel, and red pepper flakes, then cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic begins to lightly brown. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 3: Add chard leaves, beans and tomatoes
Stir in chard leaves, beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste along with ¾ teaspoon salt. Cover the dish and simmer until the vegetables are wilted. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has reduced slightly and the chard stalks are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add pasta and cream
Stir the cooked noodles and cream into the chard and bean mixture and season with pepper. Simmer for a minute while stirring, then divide the chard noodles among 4 plates and top each portion with parsley and Romano cheese.
FAQs and expert tips
Finely chop the stems into small cubes (about ¼ to ½ inch long). Wash and drain the stems, then roughly chop the greens. Wash the vegetables and spin dry in a salad spinner. Be sure to keep the stems and leaves separate. Check out our full guide to making chard here.
Yes, you can store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days.
To reheat this dish in the microwave, place a portion in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with parchment or paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and then microwave for 1 to 1 ½ minutes longer or until steaming hot. Stir one last time and enjoy.
To reheat on the stovetop, stir in a medium saucepan with a little water or broth over medium-high heat until steaming hot. Be careful not to overcook or the noodles will become mushy.
The key here is to cook the stems longer than the leaves. The stems take longer to break down and lose that bitterness, so you need to keep them separate and start the cooking process before you start the leaves. You can also cook your chard with sweet onions to reduce the bitter taste.
Variations to try and substitutions
- Substitute fennel seeds, omit them, or use 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning instead.
- In Step 4, add lemon zest or fresh lemon juice to your chard noodles.
- Italian sausage, turkey sausage or chicken sausage are amazing with the flavor profile.
- Use spaghetti or linguine instead of the fly noodles pictured here.
- Fry some pancetta or guanciale with the chard stalks.
- Cut the cooked bacon into small pieces and stir into your dish at the end.
More ways to cook with chard
With Swiss chard coming out of the garden en masse (there has been!), you might need a few more recipe ideas:
Additional vegetarian pasta dinners to try
Thank you for reading! If you’re new here, you might want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes straight to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and Leave a star rating and review. I’d love to hear what you think!
Have fun cooking! ~Kati
description
This lightning-fast pasta dinner is our new obsession! The combination of creamy tomato sauce, garlic and fennel seeds goes perfectly with tender chard, white beans and pasta. Best of all, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta cooking water
10 ounce pasta, whole wheat or gluten free if desired
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large bunch chard (12 to 16 oz), stems and leaves separated, chopped and washed*
5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup whipping cream
¼ cup chopped parsley
Grated Pecorino Romano to serve
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt and cook pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Drain well and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard stalks and cook, stirring once or twice, until just beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced garlic, fennel, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is just beginning to brown slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the chard leaves, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Cover and simmer until vegetables are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has reduced slightly and the chard stalks are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir the cooked pasta and cream into the chard and bean mixture. Pepper. Simmer for 1 minute while stirring. Divide among 4 plates and garnish with parsley and Romano cheese
Remarks
*Preparation of the Swiss chard: Finely dice the stalks (approx. ¼ to ½ inch long), wash and drain. Roughly chop the greens. Wash and spin dry in a salad spinner. keep separate.
Fennel Seeds: If you don’t like the taste of fennel seeds, omit them or use 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning instead.
Make Ahead: Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Place a portion in a microwave-safe bowl to reheat in the microwave. Cover with parchment or kitchen paper. Microwave 1 minute. Stir and microwave for 1 to 1½ minutes longer or until steaming hot. Stir well and enjoy. To reheat on the stovetop, stir in a medium saucepan with a little water or broth over medium-high heat until steaming hot. Do not overcook or the noodles will become mushy.
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Active time: 20 minutes
- Cooking time: 20 minutes
- Category: main course
- Method: stovetop
- Kitchen: American
nutrition
- Serving size: 2 cups
- Calories: 452
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 14 g
Keywords: Chard noodles, recipe for chard noodles,
About the author
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she started working in the test kitchen for EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications. Her cookbook Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. In 2009 she started Healthy Seasonal Recipes. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow lab dogs. In her free time, she can be found at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.