How to make Rainbow Chard Bowls? (Packed with Flavors)

• Food: Rainbow Chard Bowls
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

These rainbow chard bowls make a fantastic weeknight meal! They’re simple to create with only ten ingredients, yet they’re flavorful.

My Rainbow Brite doll, a brand new Crayola 64 pack (with a built-in sharpener! ), and, best of all, the rainbow-neon terminal at O’Hare airport were all things rainbow to me as a kid. It’s pure magic. I’ve developed a new rainbow addiction as an adult: rainbow chard.

Cooking with Rainbow Chard

If you’ve never had rainbow chard before, it has a somewhat bitter, earthy flavor that I love to blend with sweet, acidic, and nutty flavors.

Aside from its stunning color, it has a unique superpower: it’s essentially two vegetables in one! The chard stems, in addition to the leaves, are wonderful and give a nice crunch to a stir fry, a simple vegetable side dish, or a bowl like this one.

Simply sauté them for a few minutes before tossing them in the greens, or pickle them for an extra vivid pop.

Bowls of Rainbow Chard

These bowls are easy to make and delicious. They highlight the rainbow chard, making them a terrific way to highlight a large bunch of greens from the farmer’s market.

I made them by cooking whole wheat orzo and tossing it with olive oil, garlic, Dijon mustard, and lemon. (Mustard and chard make a fantastic flavor combination.) I added a hearty serving of sautéed rainbow chard, feta cheese, and toasted walnuts to each bowl.

Quick beauty tip: rather than tossing the contents together, serve these bowls with the components assembled. (It’s just not the prettiest because the colors blend!)

Variations on Rainbow Chard Recipes

These rainbow chard bowls are simple to customize based on what you have on hand. Here are some ways I like to mix things up:

• What if you don’t have any orzo on hand? Toss the chard leaves with spaghetti or quinoa or farro in the bowls.
• Toss a handful of golden raisins into each bowl for a pleasant contrast to the earthy Swiss chard.
• In place of walnuts, use pine nuts or toasted almonds.
• Replace the feta cheese with crumbled soft goat cheese.
• Instead of lemon, try a dash of red wine or sherry vinegar.

Rainbow Chard Bowls

These rainbow chard bowls are light and healthy enough for a midweek dinner. They’re ready in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked whole wheat orzo
• 1+ tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• A few squeezes of lemon
• 1 small bunch of rainbow chard (about 4-5 leaves)
• ⅓ cup feta cheese
• ¼ cup toasted walnuts
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare your chard by chopping and slicing the coarse sections of the stems. Set aside the greens after coarsely chopping them.
2. Cook orzo according to package guidelines in salted boiling water (or about 9 minutes).
3. 1 tablespoon olive oil, minced garlic, dijon mustard, lemon, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl After the orzo has finished cooking, drain it and toss it in this bowl. (The raw garlic will be cooked slowly by the heat of the pasta). Set aside after tasting and adjusting spices.
4. Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a medium skillet, then add the chard stems, salt, and pepper. Toss in the chard leaves until they are barely wilted (less than 2 minutes). Remove from heat after finishing with a squeeze of lemon.
5. Arrange orzo, chard, feta, and toasted walnuts in dishes.

Notes

• Substitute quinoa for orzo to make this gluten-free.
• By omitting the cheese and topping with a few capers, you can make this vegan.