Easy sauteed Swiss chard recipe -- sautéed with lemon, quinoa, capers, and olives. Perfect vegan or vegetarian main dish, or serve as a side dish for the meat eaters at the table.
Best of all, this dish is ready in 30 minutes!
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A quick sauté of Swiss chard is a beginning of many a vegetarian dinner at my house. For example, I often make this Swiss chard pasta, with lemon and ricotta cheese, but when I don't feel like pasta, I mix Swiss chard with quinoa, lemon and olives. For a comfort food approach to sautéed chard, make these cheesy grits and greens and this Swiss chard casserole with quinoa.
👩⚕️ Is Swiss Chard Good For You?
Swiss chard is loaded with nutrients. It's rich in vitamins, such as Vitamin A, C and K. And it's full of antioxidants. But truthfully, if you compare it with spinach, spinach will still come on top.
So make room in your diet for both of these greens.
👩🍳 How do you cook Swiss chard?
Swiss chard can be bitter, so I recommend cooking it first. The two most common ways to cook it are:
- Boil or steam the leaves by themselves, such as for this Swiss Chard, Lemon and Ricotta Pasta or Swiss Chard Gratin. Or by adding the leaves and stems to a simmering soup, such as in this Italian Chickpea Stew.
- Sauté the leaves and stems in olive oil with a little garlic, and dress it up in this dish.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Cooked quinoa - I use white quinoa in this recipe.
- Swiss chard - the leaves and the stems. Both green and rainbow chard work well in this recipe.
- Capers
- Green olives
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Lemon
- Dried red pepper flakes
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
Make the quinoa ahead of time, and store in a container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
👩🍳 Preparation Tips
Sauté the stems in the olive oil until they begin to crisp before adding the chopped leaves.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
Swap out quinoa for rice or tofu that has all the moisture squeezed out.
Top with gremolata breadcrumbs for a little crunch.
🍽 Side Dish Ideas
Baked potato or these air fryer potatoes that are ready in 15 minutes.
Sliced tomatoes, lightly salted and peppered, and drizzle with a light lemon vinaigrette.
Easy Swiss Chard Recipe with Lemon, Quinoa, Fried Capers and Olives
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 bunches Swiss chard about 3 cups when cooked
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 tablespoons sliced green olives
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons Italian parsley coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste (⅛ teaspoon table salt)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa if you don't have any on hand. (Go to the link for instructions on making perfect fluffy quinoa.)
- Remove the leaves of the Swiss chard from the central stems and slice the stems into 1-inch long pieces. Stack the leaves on top of each other, and slice into 2-inch wide pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, and add the Swiss chard stems and cook for 5 - 7 minutes or until they soften and begin to crisp. Add the capers, olives, and garlic, and cook for another minute. Add the parsley and cook another minute before adding the chard leaves. Cook until partially wilted.
- Add the cooked quinoa, butter, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Norma Chang
Oh, I like this a lot, caper, quinoa and Swiss chard my favorite foods in one dish, definitely saving recipe.
Going to start my Swiss chard seeds this week, bit too early but I am anxious.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
You KNOW that is right up my alley!
Tara Noland
Love the lemon with the salty olives and capers. This is a great recipe and one that we will be making soon!!
Lynda
I feel the same way at the end of a day of cooking. This would be a perfect dinner for me.
Rita Held
Yummy one, Susan! My kind of supper :o)
Shaina
Totally going to pick up some swiss chard tomorrow when I go grocery shopping!! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Oui, Chef
Oohs, love the addition of the flavor bombs...the capers and olives!
mjskitchen
Swiss chard and polenta is one of my refrigerator cleanout recipes but I sure like the use of the quinoa. I can see how this one was a keeper! Looks delicious!
Joanie @ ZagLeft
I often feel the same way about making dinner after I've spent the day in the kitchen and I love easy recipes that help me put a great meal out with very little effort. This looks lika a great recipe for one of those evenings.
Cherie
This looks delicious but I think I'm missing something. Where are the olives in the recipe? What type and how many?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Cherie- thanks so very much for catching that! I've been making this dish for a few years now, but the original version didn't have olives and I copied that version in here. I've made the change. THANK YOU!!
[email protected]
Oh how I feel you on that! We make food all day, and sometimes I want my husband to bring home dinner lol.
This looks beautiful!
Cynthia/What A Girl Eats
This is my kind of side dish. I love and caper twist you've added! sounds fantastic!
Mirlandra @ Mirlandra's Kitchen
This looks really beautiful!
cathy branciaroli
Well, being Italian I can't pass up swiss chard -- looks like a great dish
cristina
That's exactly how I feel when working on a post earlier in the day...I'm spent. Happy w/a glass of red and wish there were leftovers or some magical means of dinner appearing w/out being involved. 🙂 I'm trying to get more swiss chard and quinoa in our meals and this looks like a keeper!
cheri
Hi Susan, this is my kind of meal, I bet even the hubs would love this for dinner.
Stephanie Stuart
I just love Swiss Chard recipes! Really helps demystify this wonderful green 🙂
Kristy Bernardo
First of all, you had me at "lemony swiss chard". Then I saw the fried capers and I was swooning! Throw in the olives and I'm now stalking you and won't leave your house until you share some! Seriously - awesome dish!!
pam (Sidewalk Shoes)
Perfect!
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free
I'm the same way - I really don't like making dinner and often wish we could eat out more! It's just so exhausting after being in the kitchen for work.
Just had kale and quinoa for breakfast, but your recipe looks much more inspired!
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence
Fried capers are my JAM. I'd love a scoop of this.
Susan | LunaCafe
I identify completely with the "too tired to cook dinner because I cooked all day" syndrome. 🙂 Love the capers and olives here. And chard is a favorite too.
Kristi
Hi There! I wanted to stop by and tell you how delicious this saute looks. I discovered your recipe on Pinterest, and wanted you to know that I've linked to your recipe on my Weekend Healthy Recipes Roundup. I've been trying to incorporate more chard into our meals to get those greens in.
Kathryn Pfeffer
This is delicious! I posted a picture of my version on my Instagram and included your website. Thanks so much for such a beautiful (and yummy) dish!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much!! I'm so happy you liked it!!
Maggie
My husband LOVED this dish! My 17 year old suggested pine nuts rather than cheese, which was really good. My 14 year old said there was a war going on in her mouth and mixed it 50:50 with cheese. That's a winner in our house! Thanks!
annmarie
If you don't have capers or olives, preserved lemons are a beautiful addition to add both a lemon and salty goodness. Slice preserved lemons, thin or thick, depending on the mouth surprise you desire.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
That is a perfect idea! I'm going to try this next time I make it. I always have some preserved lemons hanging around the refrigerator! Thanks!!
Caroline
Going to add cashews and feta instead of mozzarella. Will let you know how it turns out!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes! Please let me know!! That sounds like it would be really good!!!
Aimee
Thank you for the easy, quick delicious and nourishing meal idea. My tummy and taste buds are happy and so is the chard because it was getting ready to wilt and now has a purpose.
thewimpyvegetarian
I'm so happy you liked it! And it's always so nice to find a good purpose for that chard! Thanks for letting me know how it worked for you!
Grigsby
Added cherry tomato halves before capers and olives absolutely delicious
thewimpyvegetarian
What a great addition! Love that idea!
Tammy
I made this last night as swiss chard is running rampant in my garden. I subbed rice for the quinoa and it was fabulous. Thank you!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad you liked it!! Thanks for letting me know! You're so lucky to have so much swiss chard on hand - I love it.
Gisela
I will definitely make this recipe for my family this holiday season.