swiss chard Archives -

Pasta makes an appearance at our dinner table usually about once a week, mostly because it’s simple and also because my kids make me feel like a hero whenever I announce pasta for dinner. I still remember the time when I served pasta tossed with a plain old jar of store-bought marinara sauce and my son declared it “my best meal EVER”. (Oh why do I even bother sometimes?!)

This pasta, while not quite as easy as opening a jar, has minimal preparation and comes together quickly on busy weeknights . I used some homemade tomato sauce that I still had frozen from last summer’s tomatoes, but you could easily substitute any purchased canned or jarred tomato sauce. Ricotta and parmesan mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes and the seasonings from the chicken sausage help to further flavor the sauce. I like my pasta heavy with vegetables so there are two whole bunches of swiss chard along with a large fennel bulb, although in the end I probably could have used even more after the vegetables cooked down. It’s a simple dinner, I know, but delicious just the same and it’s these one-pot meals that get me through the week.

Lentils seem to be my fallback for quick meatless meals these days. These curried red lentils are one of those one pot dishes that make a great weeknight meal. When cooked long enough, the red lentils turn creamy while the garbanzo beans help add texture to the stew. The cucumber raita complements the curry perfectly and helps to brighten up the flavors. I like to serve this stew over a bed of brown rice to make it extra hearty and filling.

Curried Red Lentils with Garbanzo Beans and Swiss Chard

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the Red Lentil Stew:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons curry powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt plus additional salt to taste
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth plus 2 cups water
1 large bunch swiss chard, stalks removed, coarsely chopped
1 pound red lentils, rinsed and drained
⅔ cup dried garbanzo beans, cooked and drained, or 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
For the Cucumber Raita:
2 cups plain yogurt
½ cup grated cucumber
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
⅛ teaspoon cumin
salt to taste

Instructions

For the Red Lentil Stew:

Using a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat and saute the onions until they start to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add the curry powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and stir for another minute. Add the red lentils, give a quick stir, and then add the broth.
Bring red lentil mixture to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the swiss chard and garbanzo beans and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until lentils reach desired consistency.
Serve with brown rice and cucumber raita.

For the Cucmber Raita:

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Notes

adapted from Bon Appetit