Swiss Chard with Cannelli Beans

The bunch of chard I bought this week was destined to be my breakfast, lunch and dinner;  working on convincing my son of the merits of greens and beans. This can alaso be made into a soup, or a simple sautée would be quicker and easier.

All white bean or any beans would work in this recipe. I used cannellini, but navy or even chickpeas would be delicious, I just simply love chard and beams PERIOD. with some crusty bread, or even with any pasta YUM YUM
 

Swiss Chard with Cannellini Beans

serves 3

1 head Swiss Chard
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. chili flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 X 400g cans of cannellini beans, OR
3 cups soaked and previously cooked dried beans
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water (reserved from cooking the beans, if possible)
sea salt and black pepper

1. Trim the very bottoms of the swiss chard stems and discard or feed them to the dog like I do. Cut the stems into 1 1/2″-sections, and roughly chop the leaves. Rinse well and set aside, keeping the stems and leaves separate.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and saute until lightly browned, then throw in wet chards stems and sautée for 2-3 minutes. Add the,  chili flakes and cook for another minute.

3. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the beans and chard leaves. Pour in the water or vegetable stock, add a good pinch of salt, and cover. Let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. (This can easily be adapted to your liking: if you want it to be soup, add more water. If you like it drier, remove the lid and let the moisture cook off.)

4. When the leaves are cooked and the stems are tender, remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.