Italian | Penne with Swiss Chard and Onions

Updated on March 12, 2020

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. Updated with vegan option.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

extra-virgin olive oil

1 small white onion, medium dice

kosher salt, to taste

one bunch rainbow chard, stems removed

8 ounces penne pasta

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter -or- vegan butter

freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving -or- vegan Parmesan

 

Method

Sauté onion in a olive oil over low heat, sprinkle with salt. Cook until caramelized.

In a separate pot, bring water to a boil for the chard. (Use a pot big enough for the pasta to reuse later.) Once water is boiling, add salt and chard. Cook for about 4 minutes or until chard is done. Drain and squeeze excess water from the chard. Rough chop chard and set aside.

Once the onions are caramelized, add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until you can smell the garlic. Add chopped chard. Add butter, stirring until it melts, add pepper, remove from heat.

Bring water to a boil for pasta. Add salt, pasta, and cook according to package directions.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the chard and onions mixture and stir and toss over medium heat until the pasta is well coated. Add more pasta water if needed. Stir in the cheese.

Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Serve with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

(Ref. "Pennette with Swiss Chard Ragu" recipe, Molto Gusto.)