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–+ servings

Swiss Chard Spaghetti

5 | 2 reviews
This easy, vegetable-packed spaghetti dish is what I love about filling a pasta with aromatics. It's deeply flavorful, and includes a hit of plant-protein (chickpeas, I'm looking at you!) and is simple enough to whip up on a weeknight. I do recommend spaghetti for this, since you can swirl it alongside the Swiss chard, but really any long, twirly pasta shape will do.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 5 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound oyster mushrooms
  • 3/4 pound Swiss chard
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1/2 of a preserved lemon
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 large Fresno pepper
  • 2 cups fresh parsley
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar or dry red wine, see note

Instructions 

  1. Tear the oyster mushrooms into thin strips and set aside.
  2. Starting from the bottom of the ribs, tear the Swiss chard in half, into longer, thinner pieces.
  3. Chop the red onion into big chunks, with pieces about the size of a quarter.
  4. Thinly slice the preserved lemon (removing any seeds), garlic cloves, and Fresno pepper (removing any seeds if you don't like too much heat).
  5. Finely chop the parsley and set aside.
  6. Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add half of the olive oil and let it heat up for a few minutes.
  7. Add the torn mushrooms to the pan, stir to coat them in the oil, then let them cook, undisturbed for 4-5 minutes or until darkened in color. Season with salt and shake them around the pan, letting them shrink in size and get dark brown and crisp, about another 4-5 minutes. Transfer them to a small bowl and set aside.
  8. Add the remaining oil and butter to the pan. Allow the butter to fully melt before adding the red onion, preserved lemon, and chickpeas. Cook, stirring occasionally for 14-15 minutes, or until the chickpeas begin to turn golden brown and the onion is very soft and beginning to caramelize. Season with a large pinch of salt.
  9. Add the garlic and Fresno pepper and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the garlic is golden.
  10. Set a large pot filled with water on the burner next to this pan. Bring the water to a boil and season with a few big pinches of salt.
  11. Boil the spaghetti according to package instructions, until just shy of al dente.
  12. While the pasta is boiling, add the mushrooms back to the sauté pan. Deglaze the sauté pan with the balsamic vinegar. Let it come to a simmer and reduce by half. Taste and season with salt as needed.
  13. Using tongs, scoop the pasta directly into the sauté pan. Nestle the Swiss chard on top and add a splash of pasta water. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan, allowing the chard to wilt into the pasta for 2-3 minutes.
  14. Remove the lid from the pan and stir the chard into the pasta. Add pasta water as needed to get the pasta dark and glossy.
  15. Add half the parsley to the pasta, and reserve the other half for topping.
  16. Portion into bowls, garnish with more parsley, and serve!

Notes

Note: I gave the option of deglazing the pan with either balsamic vinegar or a dry red wine. If you choose vinegar, the pasta will have a sweeter, slightly more acidic taste. If you choose the wine, the pasta will have a drier, slightly more toned down acidic flavor. Both are delicious and offer similar results, they are just different options!