21 Swiss Chard Recipes (& Produce Guide)

Swiss chard is a green leafy vegetable that is prevalent in Mediterranean cooking. It’s actually a member of the beet family, but it doesn’t produce a bulbous root.

Chard comes in array of colors, hence the name rainbow chard. Colors include green, red, white, yellow, pink, orange and purple.

Swiss chard leaves are normally enormous when you find it at the farmer’s market or in the store. The leaves are on the delicate side, and the stems are very hardy.

Swiss chard has a mild flavor that’s sweet and bitter like spinach, and is also somewhat earthy like beets. The flavor mellows significantly when it’s cooked.

Swiss chard is great served raw. The leaves are delicate yet hardy and are a great addition to salads.

Chard is a biennial, which means it will not set seed until the second year of growth. It should be planted in the fall well before the first frost, or in the spring after the last frost, or when the soil is at least 50 degrees F.

I planted (4) rainbow chard plants in late October, and am currently harvesting it now. It’s grown very well all through the winter so far, and made it through a few very cold, frosty weeks here in California (very cold and frosty here is high 20’s – low 30’s).

I’ve found chard to be very easy to grow, but a little tougher to keep the slugs off of the beautiful leaves. Normally I clip the leaves as soon as they’re large enough so the slugs don’t get to them before I do.

Harvest the outer leaves at the base of the stalk when they are 8-12″ long, and leave the inner leaves intact to continue growing. The leaves will continue to grow again and again.

Swiss chard is an excellent source of Vitamin A, C and K, and is rich in magnesium, potassium, fiber and iron. Chard is a great way to add nutrition to your salads, smoothies, soups and pasta dishes!

Cooking chard for a short time only will help it retain its nutritional value as well as its green color.

Look for chard that has dark, leafy greens and brightly colored stems. Because the leaves are so large, they can rip and tear easily. I always try to find the leaves that are in the best shape at the store or farmer’s market.

Blot the chard dry using a paper towel if necessary before storing it in the crisper drawer of the fridge. For best results use within 2-3 days. I’ve read that chard can last for up to 5 days stored in a plastic bag in the fridge, but I haven’t tried that myself.

Blanch chard for 1-2 minutes, chop it, and store in the freezer in a plastic zip top bag.

I prep chard by placing it on a cutting board with the stem at the top. Using a sharp knife, I cut from the top down along each side of the stem in a “V”. From there, I stack a few leaves on top of one another and slice them into ribbons or chop them depending on what I’m using them for.

I treat Swiss chard the same way that I treat spinach when I cook it. It’s so delicate that all it needs is a quick wilt in soups, sautés and pastas.

Chard stems are completely edible as well, and they’re quite delicious. They’re very hardy and are similar to celery, so simply chop and cook them.