Quick dinners are a necessity. Sausage with garlic Swiss chard over penne is a quick and simple recipe that can be put together in under 30 minutes.
I'm a big believer in meal planning. This isn't just because I'm a dietitian. I've been meal planning since I was in college. As a dietitian, I know the benefits of home-cooked meals, but I don't want to cook every night. Even if I did there are times when I just can't.
In my CSA share last summer I received a bunch of Swiss Chard. Swiss Chard isn't a vegetable I have eaten more than one time previously. I don't like to waste anything, so I was determined to use the Swiss Chard. When I meal plan I always take inventory of what I already have in the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator.
At this particular time, I had sweet sausage in the freezer, Penne pasta in the pantry, and white wine in the refrigerator. It's so fun when recipes just come together like this! The dish was a hit, so this summer we grew Swiss Chard in our garden.
Swiss Chard Nutrition: (1 cup) 7 calories, 0.1 gm Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 77 mg Sodium, 136 mg Potassium, 1.3 gm carbohydrates, 0.6 gm Protein. Swiss Chard is an excellent source of Vitamin K, A, and C.
Note: Anyone taking Coumadin should limit or avoid eating Swiss Chard because of the Vitamin K content.
Recipe
Sweet Sausage with Garlic Swiss Chard
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage casing removed
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 bunch Swiss Chard about 6 stalks, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup white wine
- 3 -4 cups of cooked penne pasta
Instructions
- In a large saute pan cook sausage over medium high heat until fully cooked, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove sausage from pan and keep warm.
- Turn down heat to medium.
- Add garlic to saute pan and cook for about 1 -2 minutes until tender.
- Next add in Swiss chard, cooking for 3-4 minutes until tender.
- Add butter and melt.
- Add wine, bring to a slow boil and let sauce cook for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta and toss to mix ingredients.
- Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.
Nutrition
If you have the need to lower carbs just eliminate the pasta!
Karen says
This looks so good, and I love when pantry and fridge ingredients come together.
Jennifer Lynn-Pullman says
Thanks Karen!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I love that CSAs can introduce new ingredients like that! And that having these ingredients on hand spawned such a yummy combo!!
Jennifer Lynn-Pullman says
I love CSA's because of the different veggies that I would get to experiment with.
Gary says
This recipe is not only good, but for my wife and I, it has been the starting point for several other combinations. For example, adding zucchini and/or onion and/or red pepper flakes makes it have other flavor twists. Or, using chicken instead of sausage. Or other kinds of pasta. The possibilities are many. Thanks for sharing the recipe!