This sautéed Swiss chard with feta is a simple yet flavorful side dish that is quick and easy to make. Made with feta, toasted pine nuts, shallots and mint this is the perfect side for the summer months. Serve with some grilled chicken, portobello mushrooms, or fish for an easy weekday meal.
Swiss chard is one of those greens that is easily overlooked. It is more tender than kale or collard greens and this makes it a great addition to your healthy sides with very little effort. This makes for a nice fresh-tasting vegetarian side dish that can easily be turned into a meal with the addition of protein or mushrooms. It is perfect for meal prep and makes a perfect weekday meal for those with little time but want something healthy and tasty to eat.
Table of Contents
In this recipe
There aren’t a lot of ingredients here but during the summer the mint and the Swiss chard make for an excellent side dish.
Swiss chard: you will want leaves that are vibrant, firm and with minimal tears and breaks that haven’t yellowed. The stalks can vary from deep red to bright yellow.
Mint: adds a fresh bite to the chard and complements the feta cheese and pine nuts.
Feta cheese: adds saltiness and creaminess to the recipe.
Preparing the Swiss chard
One of the things you will want to make sure of is to remove the stems from the Swiss chard. While it is completely edible and you will use it in this recipe it is important to separate the leaves from the stalks. You can do this with a knife or by gently tearing around the stalk. Tear the leaves in half lengthwise and then slice the leaves into strips. Then chop the stalks like you would celery. You can add the stalks to the oil with the shallots since they will need more time to cook than the leaves.
Time to get cooking
This is a recipe where you want all of the ingredients prepped before you start cooking. The reason for this is everything cooks pretty quickly once you get started. You will want to toast the pine nuts to enhance the flavors and then remove them from the sauté pan. When you heat the oil if you are going to use the stems of the chard you will want to add them at the same time as the shallots. Once they have softened add the garlic and then the Swiss chard. It will take about 7-10 minutes for all of the chard to wilt and soften.
How do I store this for meal prep?
Keep in mind that Swiss chard does not have a long shelf life. Even as a meal prep item you will want to eat it withing 2-3 days of cooking it. You can store it in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. You can easily top with chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, or mushrooms for a more robust meal or as a side dish to some baked fish. One of my favorites is as a base for a buddha bowl and add some other vegetables, chickpeas, avocado, lentils, or roasted sweet potatoes.
Looking for other quick side dish recipes?
Sautéed Swiss Chard with Feta
Equipment
- Sauté pan
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Swiss chard stems removed, sliced, stems chopped if desired
- ½ cup shallots chopped
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup pinenuts
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon mint chopped
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium-high heat toast the pinenuts and pour into a bowl.¼ cup pinenuts
- Add the oil, shallots and chopped stems to the sauté pan. Cook until the shallots are translucent and the stems start softening, about 5 minutes.½ cup shallots, 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.1 tablespoon garlic
- Add the Swiss chard and cook, stirring gently until the leaves have wilted and are tender, about 5-10 minutes.2 pounds Swiss chard
- Remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl. Top with the feta, pinenuts, and mint.⅓ cup feta cheese, 1 tablespoon mint, ¼ cup pinenuts
Nutrition
Such an easy to make recipe. It was flavorful and was perfect with my baked chicken.