Swiss Chard Pasta

This week we got Swiss chard from our CSA.  I've never cooked with Swiss chard before, so this recipe was an experiment.  I read that you should boil Swiss chard for 3 minutes before cooking with it because it frees up the acid in the leaves and allows the acid to seep out into the water.  Boiling it also brings out a sweeter flavor. I was pleased with the results of the pasta.  It was simple, easy, and very healthy.

• 3 small bunches Swiss chard
• whole wheat pasta (or rice pasta)
• turkey bacon
• 1 yellow pepper (from CSA)
• 2 large green onions (from CSA)
• mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

1. Wash the Swiss chard and tear into pieces.  Put in a pot of water and boil for three minutes.  Drain and set chard aside.
2. Tear or cut bacon into small pieces and cook in skillet (approx. 10 minutes). Set aside.
3. Saute olive oil, garlic, onion, pepper, mushrooms and Swiss chard.  Add salt and pepper
4. Cook pasta
5. In a large bowl combine: pasta, vegetables, and turkey bacon.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and add more olive oil if you desire.

Did you know...1 serving of Swiss chard is 716% of your RDA of vitamin K and 109% of your RDA for vitamin A.  Swiss Chard is also high in many other nutrients and is believed to help with bone health, inflammation and blood sugar regulation.