Chard is one of the healthiest, and most colorful foods out there. Learn more about this leafy beet relative!
by Jaime McLeodUpdated: February 1, 2024
Chard is a leafy, and often colorful vegetable, in the beet family. However, while beets are primarily cultivated for their root (though many also enjoy beet greens), the stems and leaves are the favored parts of chard. Chard is known by a number of other popular names, including Swiss chard, silverbeet, bright lights, seakale beet, white beet, strawberry spinach, leaf beet, Sicilian beet, Chilian beet, Roman kale, spinach beet, crab beet, perpetual spinach, or mangold.
Chard has been known since ancient times and has long been popular in Mediterranean cuisine. The name chard comes from the French word carde, which refers to the cardoon, or artichoke thistle. The plant came to be known as Swiss chard as a way to differentiate it from native spinach.
It grows in a variety of colors, from white to purple, and everything in between. Often, different color varieties are grown together and packaged as “rainbow chard.” The reds, yellows, oranges, and purples all mixed together make an appealing presentation.
Chard can be beaten raw or cooked. It is most often used in salads when it is still young and tender, and sautéed or added to recipes after maturity when the leaves and stems are larger and tougher. Mature chard can also be bitter, but cooking mellows the flavor.
Like most green, leafy vegetables, chard is highly nutritious. It is rich in iron, magnesium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, C, and K.
Here are a few recipes to help you get acquainted with this colorful vegetable.
Chard Parmesan
Chard Parmesan
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Ingredients
2tablespoons butter
2 tablespoonsolive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2small red onion, diced
8large Swiss chard leaves, with stems
1/2 cupwhite wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Instructions
Directions:
Cut out the chard stems, dice, and set aside. Coarsely chop the leaves. In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped chard leaves, and cook until softened. Add lemon juice and Parmesan cheese.
Cut out the chard stems, dice, and set aside. Coarsely chop the leaves. In a large cast iron skillet*, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and rosemary. Sauté for 10 minutes over medium heat, until the onions are soft and beginning to brown. Stir in the chard leaves and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until the greens begin to soften. Remove from heat. Stir in garlic and chard stems, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, add the chard mixture and goat cheese, and stir to combine. Preheat the broiler in the oven. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, pour in the chard-egg mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Place the skillet in the oven and for 3 minutes. Pry the frittata from the edges of the skillet and invert it onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve.
*If you don’t have cast iron, use a skillet with an oven-safe handle
Keyword can goats eat swiss chard, how to cook squash from the garden
Cut chard stems into 1-inch pieces and boil them in water with salt for 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. Mash the garlic and salt together. Add oil, lemon and mint. Mix well, pour over chard stems, and toss well.
Keyword rainbow chard salad, swiss chard in salad
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
Learn more about this leafy beet relative! Chard is a leafy, and often colorful vegetable, in the beet family. However, while beets are primarily cultivated for their root (though many also enjoy beet greens), the stems and leaves are the favored parts of chard.
In the UK and the USA, what we call silverbeet is called chard so when reading about these vegetables be sure to identify what country the author is from. Dark green leafy vegetables grow very well in shady areas of the vegie garden.
What does chard taste like? Similar to spinach, most varieties of chard are earthy and pleasantly bitter when eaten raw. While it is not as bitter as kale, the bitterness in chard also diminishes as the leaves are cooked, giving them a milder and sweeter flavor and tender texture.
Although they're unrelated, chard is similar to spinach, but with a stronger, more assertive (or, as some think, bitter) flavour. Different types of chard have different coloured stalks and ribs – some are white, some are golden-orange and some are red (called ruby or rhubarb chard), and there's even rainbow chard.
Swiss chard (also known simply as chard) is a leafy green vegetable that is related to beets and spinach. It is rich in vitamins A, C and especially K, and it is also a good source of magnesium, iron and potassium. Chard can be steamed or sauteed, and it's great in soups, stews, casseroles, frittatas and quiches.
If you're making a recipe that calls for swiss chard, but you don't have it on-hand, any of these leafy greens would make excellent swiss chard substitutes. Kale, spinach, beet greens, mustard greens, bok choy, Napa cabbage and collard greens can all be a rainbow chard or a swiss chard substitute in a recipe.
Kale and collards are cruciferous vegetables from the mustard family, which includes vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Chard is from the same family as beets and spinach.
Blood clotting: If you are on blood thinners, you may want to avoid Swiss chard due to its high vitamin K content, which plays a role in blood clotting. Allergy: If you are sensitive to grass pollen, you should avoid eating Swiss chard because inhaling vapor from boiling the vegetable may trigger rhinoconjunctivitis.
It has a slightly bitter taste, but that can be resolved with adding a little acid, like lemon juice. Swiss chard is generally served cooked, as the leaves brighten nicely when sautéed in a bit of oil.
Swiss chard can be enjoyed raw in salads or on sandwiches or wraps, braised, boiled, sautéed or added to soups and casseroles. Here are some tips to incorporate more Swiss chard (leaves and stems) into the daily routine: Add a handful of fresh Swiss chard leaves to an omelet or scrambled eggs.
Swiss chard contains a significant amount of calcium, which makes it a superfood for good, strong bones. Moreover, as a rich source of vitamin K, it helps strengthen weak bones, and regular consumption of Swiss chard is known to be able to prevent osteoporosis.
The word "beet" keeps cropping up because chard is very closely related to beets, and is a kissing cousin to another nutrition superstar, quinoa. In fact, chard is basically a beet that has been bred to have fat, juicy stems and big leaves instead of channeling most of its energy into big roots.
chard is also has an abundance of antioxidants as well as phytonutrient antioxidants. Why are these phytonutrient antioxidants so special? These antioxidants have been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties. These phytonutrients can be found in the plant's leaves, and colorful stems.
Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage are among the most challenging to digest due to their complex fibers, which tend to ferment in the gut, causing gas and bloating. Alternative nutrient-rich foods that are easier on the gut include dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and Swiss chard.
Chard has been used in cooking for centuries, but because it is the same species as beetroot, the common names that cooks and cultures have used for chard may be confusing; it has many common names, such as silver beet, perpetual spinach, beet spinach, seakale beet, or leaf beet.
Its name comes from the Latin word for 'thistle' (carduus) but the vegetable goes by many alternative names including, silver beet, beet spinach, seakale beet, and leaf beet. It is also commonly referred to as Swiss chard, although since the plant originated in the Mediterranean, this prefix is somewhat misleading.
Chard is also known by its many common names: Swiss chard, stem chard, silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, crab beet, bright lights, seakale beet, and leaf beet.
Known by names such as silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, crab beet, seakale beet, and mangold, swiss chard is a popular and colorful leafy green. Chard is a member of the same family as beets yet does not feature a well-sized edible root, instead it is cultivated for its colorful stalks and leaves.
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