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Farfalle with Swiss Chard Pesto. vegan

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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 served on a white plate with a blue cloth
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5 from 1 vote

Farfalle with Swiss Chard Pesto

a quick and easy weeknight meal that can be prepared ahead of time. A vegan recipe that can be made gluten free 
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: green pesto, pasta main course, vegan pasta dish
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 370kcal
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

  • 1.5-2 cups (90 g) 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 (0.25 teaspoon) salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) chili flakes or black pepper
  • 1/2 cup (12 g) packed basil or use 2 Tablespoons basil pesto
  • 1/4 cup (32.25 g) raw cashews
  • 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (62.5 ml) 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

Nutrition Facts
Farfalle with Swiss Chard Pesto
Amount Per Serving
Calories 370 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 416mg18%
Potassium 703mg20%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 7805IU156%
Vitamin C 38.9mg47%
Calcium 98mg10%
Iron 4.1mg23%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
 
 
 

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
 

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  1. Christine

    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

    • Richa

      yummm!

      Reply

  2. Nimesh

    Hi,

    How many people would this serve? Thanks

    Reply

  3. Beth

    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

  4. Eileen

    This sounds fantastic! chard is one of my favorite greens but somehow I have never thought to make pesto with it. This clearly needs to change! 🙂

    Reply

  5. Pola M

    Love pesto! One of my favorite ways of eating greens, especially the ones that lived in the fridge a tad too long…

    Reply

  6. Ashlae

    One of my favorite meals is pasta topped with a vegetable based sauce – and I’m trying this one, next! Most of my sauces are spinach based, but I’ve never had swiss chard so I’m going to give it a try 🙂 Cannot wait!

    Reply

  7. Richa

    Cadry, yes it applies to all greens high in oxalic acid.. since that interferes with absorption of nutrients like calcium. a quick one minute boil or steam reduces the acid content.

    Reply

  8. Cadry's Kitchen

    I love pesto. It is one of those foods that feels fancy even though it’s incredibly easy, and the fresh flavors transport a person to summer when basil is in abundance. I didn’t realize that the oxalic acid in swiss chard is reduced when it’s cooked. That’s very interesting! I wonder if that is true for other vegetables that are high in oxalic acid, like spinach.

    Reply

  9. Richa

    Thank you for your kind words on the earlier posts too Dassana! Hope you keep visiting!:)

    Thanks Junia. You can use any other leafy green. i pick the ones available at the farm that week and then use it!:)

    Thank you Jess and Anu!

    Reply

  10. Richa

    Thank you Chinmayie, Raji, Char!

    Thanks Deeps, you can use spinach, but spinach wilts quickly, so keep an eye on it:)

    Thank you Shannon!

    Reply

  11. ANU

    wow very useful post….and pesto with swiss chard…awesome innovative idea….and very healthy too!

    Reply

  12. jess

    this looks wonderful richa, thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  13. Junia

    i LOVE the idea of roasting parsnip and topping them with pesto. DELICIOUSNESS. i don’t normally my swiss chard, but i love green leafy veggies!

    Reply

  14. dassana

    lovely colors… and i liked the idea of the roasted turnips with the pesto…

    Reply

  15. Shannon

    Mhmm, looks delicious! 🙂

    Reply

  16. Deeps @ Naughty Curry

    this is the first time im coming across a pesto recipe where the garlic is roasted first & i love it! im not a big fan of raw garlic pesto… this iv gotta make (maybe with spinach coz iv never seen swizz chard here)

    Reply

  17. Raji

    Lovely green colour of the pesto..it’s looks are so gorgeous that it makes me want to reach out to it. Healthy and superb!

    Reply

  18. Char

    I LOVE that there is swiss chard in your pesto! This looks delicious 😀

    Reply

  19. chinmayie

    Such a bright green color! great recipe 🙂

    Reply

  20. Richa

    Thanks Shannon, Aarthi, Jay!

    Reply

  21. Jay

    looks amazingly tasty..excellent preparation..;)
    Tasty Appetite

    Reply

  23. Shannon

    This sounds so delicious! I haven’t made pesto in so long.

    Reply