This Easy Swiss Chard Recipe Will Get Everyone to Eat Their Greens (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to 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. Chard always has green leaves, but the stalks can be a variety of colors.

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.

Onions and Garlic: Since I am a total garlic lover I always add it to my leafy greens. When it comes to Swiss chard I also include sauteed diced onions. In my experience the sweetness of golden brown sauteed onions is key to this balancing the bitter taste of cooked chard.

All chard is Swiss chard; it's just stalk colors and names that vary! The stalks and leaf veins of Swiss chard vary in color from yellow to pink and deep red to white. Chard with red stalks is called Rhubarb, Red, or Ruby Chard.

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.

Contains oxalates.

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 ).

Hidden Danger: Oxalate

Swiss chard is loaded with a natural toxin called oxalate. Just one half-cup of steamed white-stalked swiss chard has about 500 mg of oxalate and ½ cup of steamed red swiss chard has over 900 mg of oxalate. Steamed spinach has about 700 mg per ½ cup. That is a lot of oxalate.

The leaves may turn somewhat bitter in mid-summer but if you continue to remove older leaves the plant will produce more leaves that will be less bitter as the weather cools. Swiss chard is quite cold tolerant and will continue to grow in the garden through frosts until temperatures drop to the mid-20's.

Swiss chard leaves are low in calories and nutrient dense. While you can eat young, tender chard leaves raw in salads for the full nutritional benefit, they tend to have a bitter taste and are more often cooked in order to mellow out the bitterness and make them easier to digest.

How do you remove oxalates from Swiss chard? ›

Because oxalates are water soluble, they can be reduced by blanching, boiling, or steaming with the liquid discarded. Fermentation reduces oxalates. Cooking in milk or macerating in whey can also mitigate oxalate exposure. Sprouting can help too.

If you enjoy bitter, earthy flavors and prefer a crunchy texture, then kale may be the better choice for you. However, if you prefer milder, sweeter flavors and a more delicate texture, then chard may be a better option.

Swiss Chard

And mustard greens holds its own by having the least amount of calories and slightly more protein and calcium than kale. All four types of greens are also rich in many other nutrients, including manganese, folate, copper, choline, magnesium, potassium and vitamins E, K, B2 and B6.

Swiss chard is a type of leafy green packed full of nutrients like fibre, vitamin K and magnesium. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Try adding Swiss chard to your next soup or salad!

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.

You can also sauté them with olive oil and garlic for a tasty side dish. Cooked recipes with chard usually call for both the leaves and stems. Keep in mind that the stems take slightly longer to cook than the leaves, so you may have to add them to the dish earlier than the leaves.

Swiss chard is a type of leafy green packed full of nutrients like fibre, vitamin K and magnesium. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Try adding Swiss chard to your next soup or salad!

Consuming Swiss chard may lower your risk of certain chronic diseases, help promote weight loss, help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels, and support heart health. Plus, it's a versatile vegetable that pairs well with many foods and can be added to a variety of recipes.