Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans (Italian Style)

Sautéed Swiss chard and white beans (cannellini beans) is a quick, easy and delicious dish you can serve as a main dish or as a side. Pile it on top of some delicious Italian garlic bread for the ultimate meal everyone will love.

Italian Style Swiss Chard With White Beans

If you have been following me for a while then you know I absolutely love cannellini beans. These Italian white beans are so creamy and delicious and they are healthy and full of protein.

This delicious white bean and chard recipe really highlights simple Italian flavors with garlic, tomatoes, cannellini beans and chard that are all cooked up to saucy perfection. This is my family's go-to meal on busy nights when chard is in season.

There is so much flavor in this simple dish and even picky eaters in my family love it. Let me show you how to make it!

What are Cannellini Beans?

Cannellini beans are a type of Italian white bean and they are delicious. They have a creamy texture and can easily be found in almost all major stores.

These Italian beans (also called white kidney beans) are a great addition to soups, stews, dips, or mixed with other ingredients as we did here with the Swiss chard.

Cannellini beans can be purchased canned (already cooked), dried in bags where you cook them at home, or fresh if you are in an area that grows these beans.

Types of Swiss Chard

There are so many varieties of Swiss chard that you can buy or grow. Some of the popular varieties of Swiss chard are rainbow chard (called bright lights) and Ford hook. We grow the bright lights variety in our garden.

The types you buy or grow will vary by region and will have varying colors but any type of Swiss chard works well with this recipe.

Ingredients & Notes

Here is a quick list of what you will need to make this recipe-

• Cannellini beans- I like to make a big batch of my baked cannellini beans for this recipe. You can also use canned beans.
• Swiss chard- Any variety is fine.
• Olive oil
• Fresh tomatoes
• Garlic. Fresh not granulated garlic powder.
• Shallot
• Kosher salt and pepper

These are all very simple Italian ingredients so make sure to use the best quality you can find. If you have time, I highly recommend making a batch of these beans from dried beans. They freeze really well for a later time.

How To Make Swiss Chard With White Beans (Italian Style)

• Saute Chard- You want to saute the shallots and then Swiss chard in olive oil in a large saute pan until it wilts down and softens.
• Add garlic and tomatoes- Now add the garlic and diced fresh tomatoes. The tomatoes will break down and help to form a sauce. I also like to add a little bit of the bean broth (from making a fresh batch of beans) to this to make it even more saucy. If you are using canned beans, you can do this with a little water or chicken stock.
• Add the white beans- For this recipe, the beans we are using are already cooked so they get added at the end to warm up. Make sure to gently fold the beans in so they do not break.

What To Serve With Sautéed Swiss Chard With White Beans

In our house, we eat Swiss chard and cannellini beans as a main meal with some delicious bread to dip in. You can also top the bread with the beans and chard mixture for delicious bruschetta.

Here are some ideas of what to serve with this:

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