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Farfalle with Swiss Chard Pesto is a quick and easy weeknight meal that can be prepared ahead of time. A vegan recipe that can be made gluten free

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Another quick weeknight meal or lunch. Both the pasta and the pesto can be prepared ahead of time and kept. Warm, assemble, refresh with some pepper, cashew or dried basil and serve. Swiss chard gives the pesto a bright green color and it stays that way even when refrigerated. Use glutenfree pasta for a gf meal.

 
Swiss Chard is one of the most nutritious vegetables around and ranks second only to Spinach in total nutrient-richness of the World’s Healthiest vegetables. Cooking it lightly also helps reduce the oxalic acid and hence letting the body absorb more calcium and other nutrients. Chard along with some fortified pasta and nuts and you have a great meal. 
 
We usually get like 12-15 stems of different greens every week! So What else can you do with a bunch of chard?
Add a finely chopped leaf to any of the Daal soups.
Add some to the stuffing to add to a Stuffed Naan flat bread.
 
 

Farfalle with Swiss Chard Pesto

5 from 3 votes
By: Vegan Richa
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Farfalle with Swiss Chard Pesto served on a white plate with a blue cloth
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a quick and easy weeknight meal that can be prepared ahead of time. A vegan recipe that can be made gluten free 
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Ingredients 
 

  • 1.5-2 cups farfalle, cooked al-dente with salt (or any pasta of choice. Use gf pasta for gf)
  • 5 big Swiss chard leaves and soft ribs
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil or organic canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or black pepper
  • 1/2 cup packed basil, or use 2 Tablespoons basil pesto
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water, coz my blender needs some water to blend well. and hence made about 1 cup of pesto

Instructions 

  • Heat olive oil/canola in a pan on low-medium heat, add garlic and chopped Swiss chard. Cook covered on low for 4-6 minutes or until the chard just about starts to wilt.
  • Blend with basil, pepper, Extra virgin olive oil cashews and a little water if needed. The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, without any change in color.
  • Cook pasta, and serve topped with the pesto.
  • Garnish with some powdered Raw cashew mixed with nutritional yeast and pepper flakes.

Notes

Nutritional values are based on one serving

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 416mg, Potassium: 703mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 7805IU, Vitamin C: 38.9mg, Calcium: 98mg, Iron: 4.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
 
 
 

We had some leftover pesto, so I roasted some large Turnip slices with salt and a little oil the next day, added some fresh chopped tomatoes to the pesto, and topped the Turnip slices with it for a delicious snack!

 
A thought provoking statistic. One-hundred years ago there were 497 varieties of Lettuce available commercially. Today, there are less than 38. You can participate in the discussion on facebook here
 

About Richa

Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options.

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5 from 3 votes

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30 Comments

  1. Terese says:

    5 stars
    So incredibly delicious and easy to make! We add sliced cherry tomatoes on top too…so yummy! Thank you for this awesome recipe!

    Reply
    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      thank you for your great feedback

      Reply
  2. Nicole Madsen says:

    5 stars
    This was an awesome pesto recipe!
    I didn’t have any cashews but I had cashew cream cheese so I put a scoop of it into the food processor along with all of the remaining ingredients. We loved it! I left out the chili flakes and my toddler loved it too 🙂 my husband said it was the best pesto he had ever tasted. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!

    Reply
    1. Vegan Richa Support says:

      glad all enjoyed

      Reply
  3. Christine says:

    5 stars
    Super yummy pesto!!! I made a pizza with the pesto and topped it with baked, marinated tofu (marinade from your tofu butter chicken recipe) and some roasted garlic and mushrooms…and topped with cashew parm…yum!

    Reply
    1. Richa says:

      yummm!

      Reply
  4. Nimesh says:

    Hi,

    How many people would this serve? Thanks

    Reply
  5. Beth says:

    I had some chard I needed to use and made this tonight. It is more delicious than I could ever have anticipated. I enjoyed it even more than my usual basil-only pesto. I have a new, favorite (even more healthy) pesto recipe. THANK YOU!!!

    Reply