This easy Swiss chard pasta is packed with vibrant greens and juicy Kalamata olives in a savory rosemary infused tomato sauce. It's absolutely delicious and perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight!
I love, love, love my leafy greens, and I find myself constantly cooking with veggies like kale, spinach and arugula. But I really love Swiss chard, and I feel like it's a bit underappreciated as greens go.
A few years ago I shared a recipe for a delicious Swiss chard soup, which is still a favorite in my household. But Swiss chard needs a little more appreciation! Swiss chard is so versatile, and it has a wonderful earthy flavor. Between the crunchy stems and tender leaves, it adds so much to a recipe!
With that in mind, I created this scrumptious Swiss chard pasta. It features zesty tomato sauce with rosemary and olives, packing some pungent flavors that complement the subtle savory notes you'll find in chard. It's also super easy and can be on the table in about thirty minutes.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Penne pasta. You can really use any pasta shape here! Spaghetti, capellini, rigatoni, and rotini are all great options. Rest assured that most dried pastas are vegan, but read my guide to vegan pasta options to get the full lowdown.
- Swiss chard.
- Garlic.
- Crushed tomatoes. We're using one large can of crushed tomatoes. If you can't find crushed tomatoes at the store, buy diced tomatoes instead and briefly blitz them in the blender.
- Kalamata olives. I love the pungent flavor that Kalamata olives give this recipe, but other olive varieties will work as well.
- Fresh rosemary. Your rosemary absolutely needs to be fresh for this recipe. Dried rosemary won't cut it.
- Salt & pepper.
- Red pepper flakes. These are optional. You can leave them out if you don't like the heat.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese. I recommend topping your pasta with a sprinkle of either store-bought or homemade vegan Parmesan.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by boiling your pasta water, and make sure to reserve a bit of it before draining the pasta. You'll need it later on!
To prepare your bunch of Swiss chard, first cut the stems from the leaves. Dice up the stems and roughly chop the leaves.
Heat your olive oil in a large skillet, then add the diced chard stems. Cook them for a few minutes to soften them up.
Add your minced garlic to the pot and sauté it for just a minute. Make sure to stir the garlic constantly to prevent it from burning.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, olives, salt, and red pepper flakes, along with the entire sprig of rosemary. Simmer the sauce for a bit.
Now stir in the chard leaves. Simmer them in the sauce until they wilt, which should take about five minutes.
Now add the cooked pasta to the pot, and simmer it in the sauce for a minute or two. Stir in some of that pasta cooking water if the sauce seems too thick.
Take the pot off of heat and give the pasta a taste-test. Add more salt to taste, along with some black pepper.
Your Swiss chard pasta is ready to enjoy! Top each bowl or plate with a sprinkle of vegan Parm.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover Swiss chard pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days. Reheat it on the stove top or in the microwave, adding a splash of water if it has gotten too dry.
More Pasta Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Swiss Chard Pasta with Olives & Rosemary
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried penne pasta, or preferred pasta shape
- 1 large bunch Swiss chard (about 1 pound or 6 large leaves)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28 ounce/794 gram) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- 1 (4 inch) sprig fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Vegan Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta into a colander when done.
- Prepare the chard while the pasta cooks. Cut the stems from the leaves. Dice the stems, and roughly chop the leaves.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chard stems. Sweat the stems for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Add the garlic to the pot and sauté it with the stems for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, olives, rosemary sprig, salt, and red pepper flakes to the the pot. Stir everything to combine the ingredients, raise the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, until the chard stems are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the rosemary sprig from the pot, then stir in the chard leaves. Continue simmering the sauce for about 5 minutes, until the leaves have fully wilted.
- Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce. Thin the sauce with some of the reserved pasta water, if needed. Cook the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pot from heat.
- Season the pasta with additional salt to taste, along with some black pepper.
- Optionally, top each serving with some vegan Parmesan cheese. Serve.
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Thanks for tis great recipe!! It is excellent, easy to make and so tasty! I made it exactly as is but then had to top it off wit Feta instead of parmesan. I'm sure it's great either way.