I believe I mentioned a few posts ago how I was going to leave the entire garden to my husband. I am basically still being true to my word. I have only harvested a few asparagus and only weeded that bed. He has spent more time out there more this years than in years past and has harvested cauliflower, lettuce, radishes and now Swiss Chard. Which this is the first time we have tried growing Swiss Chard. It is doing great out there and looks gorgeous. My daughter was the one that wanted it to be rainbow chard and that was a great choice too.
Friday nights dinner needed to include Swiss Chard only because I am not sure how long it will last sitting in the fridge. And it really is pretty cool to pick, cook and eat what you have planted, nurtured and harvested.
When I told my daughter what we were having she immediately said “yum” some of our favorite things, pasta, sausage, cheese. Pretty fail safe that dinner will taste like it was made with love. And it was!
Pasta Swiss Chard and Sausage
Ingredients
- 12 ounce box of pasta - small shells rigatoni. cavatappi
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 links sweet Italian sausage casing removed, crumbled
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 5-6 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard remove stems and roughly chop leaves
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiana Reggiano grated
- 1 lemon - zested
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Pasta; make pasta as directed on the box. save 1 cup up the pasta water
- in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat add the olive oil and the sausage. breaking up while cooking. transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.
- remove most of the fat from the pot and add the butter, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute being careful not to burn.
- Add the Swiss chard and saute until it wilts 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for another minute or so. lower the heat to a simmer
- Add the milk and bring to a boil. cook for a minute then add the sausage, parmesean, lemon zest and add a little salt and black pepper.
- stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
- Add the pasta to the pot and toss. Add pasta water as needed.