17 Swiss Chard Recipes That Showcase the Versatility of This Healthy Green (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 ways you can eat Swiss chard? ›

Chard can be steamed or sauteed, and it's great in soups, stews, casseroles, frittatas and quiches. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads.

Swiss chard, like many other leafy greens, is loaded with nutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals. It is regarded as a powerhouse of flavonoid antioxidants, vitamins, calcium, and iron. One cup of Swiss chard contains 60 percent of your daily vitamin A requirements, making it excellent for vision, skin, and eye health.

The flavor of Swiss chard mellows once it's cooked. Adding onions and garlic will impart a sweet flavor, or pair with salty bacon, white beans or creamy cheese to offset the bitterness. I love adding a touch of spice and squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a bright pop of flavor.

Spinach have significantly more Vitamins A than chard. Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron. Spinach is a great source of Thiamin, Niacin, Zinc, Phosphorus.

Health benefits of Swiss chard. Swiss chard is a highly nutritious vegetable. It is a rich source of vitamin K and may help people maintain healthy blood sugar levels and support heart health. It is also commonly known as silverbeet, spinach beet, perpetual spinach, crab beet, and mangold.

This should be avoided by people prone to kidney stones. It contains oxalates that can decrease the body's absorption of calcium leading to kidney stones.

Like other leafy greens, Swiss chard is high in oxalates, which play a role in the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones — but you can still enjoy nutrient-dense foods high in oxalates. To help prevent kidney stones, try to stay hydrated, limit sodium intake, and get enough calcium ( 32 , 33 ).

Dark leafy greens like kale, collards, Swiss chard, and spinach contain magnesium, a mineral that helps soften stools, making them easier to pass.

If you prefer you can eat swiss chard leaves raw. Raw leaves are a common addition to pre-packaged salads and can also add a big nutritional boost to smoothies. Another fun way to eat raw chard leaves is by using them as a healthy substitute to a tortilla for wraps and tacos.

Boil Swiss chard for a healthier side dish.

Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove, and add several generous pinches of salt. Add the chopped stems from 3-4 leaves, and cook for 2-4 minutes until they're mostly tender. Place the leaves in the pot, and cover for 1-2 minutes. The leaves should be wilted.

Is chard a super food? ›

All that being said, why should you grow chard? Well as it turns out, chard is a superfood and one of the healthiest veggies on planet earth. 100 grams of chard will give you 3 times the amount of vitamin K you need per day.

You can eat these greens both raw or cooked. However, cooking chards improves not only the nutrient availability, but also the taste. Swiss chard is susceptible to foodborne pathogens, like other leafy greens, so be careful about washing this veggie thoroughly before preparing it.

The best time to enjoy chard (sometimes called Swiss chard) is spring and summer, when the plant is at peak availability and most affordable. But you don't have to limit your chard consumption to that window. You can preserve these hardy, healthy greens by freezing them.

The epidermal layers of leaf tissue desiccate (burn) with the intense sun exposure, causing light tan to white discoloration on the leaves and stems of tender plants. At times even established plantings can experience this as can be seen with the Swiss chard in figure 2.

Swiss chard leaves can be eaten cooked or raw. There are many methods for cooking swiss chard leaves. The most popular ways to cook swiss chard leaves is to steam or sauté them. Cooked swiss chard leaves make a great addition to soups, casseroles, omelets, and pastas.

Choosing to eat chard raw or cooked depends on your taste and textural preferences. You can enjoy chard raw like spinach, kale and lettuce. As with spinach and kale, chard is earthy, but its bitterness is less intense than kale's.

Begin harvesting when the plant reaches 9 inches tall, though the tender baby leaves can be used in fresh salads. Once a leaf is cut, a new one grows in its place. Harvesting can be done be cutting off the individual leaves or cutting the entire plant at its base, about an inch above soil.