Swiss Chard and Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Name: Swiss Chard and Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 cups raw Swiss chard (sliced (including the stems)); 2 handfuls dried spaghetti noodles; 2 strips bacon (cut into 1/4); 1/2 large shallot (minced); olive oil as needed; 1/3 cup ricotta cheese; 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese; zest from 1/2 lemon; 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste); Pinch dried red pepper flakes

May 5, 2012 45 Comments

Pasta tossed with swiss chard, lemony ricotta cheese, and parmesan cheese. Bacon lardons are optional.

Pasta Bloghop- Swiss Chard and Lemon Ricotta Pasta: The Wimpy Vegetarian

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Have you ever thought about the words we borrow from food and cooking to express ourselves in general life? I had some fun with it this morning...

Let’s say some big cheese at work chews you out over being a couch potato because you sit around the office all day, happy as a clam. Adding icing to the cake he says you cherry-pick what you want to work on, your ideas are half-baked, and you’re as nutty as fruitcake. Well if that doesn’t just take the cake, you think. A fine kettle of fish indeed. It feels unfair because he’s citing an incident that is like comparing apples to oranges! You now realize you've put all your eggs in one basket by buttering up a bad egg at work you can’t trust. The truth is you’re a single mom to a child who (although it may sound a little cheesy) is the apple of your eye, and the one in the family bringing home the bacon. You’ve re-entered the work force after a long time at home, and the bread and butter work you’re used to, has gone away. This work is not a piece of cake. It's difficult and you feel like a fish out of water half the time. You feel yourself getting steamed, and start to simmer. Suddenly you’re boiling mad, roiling, boiling over. As you vent, you hear a co-worker say ‘She’s in the frying pan now’, and the incident is fuel for gossip and becomes a hot potato in the office. By mid-afternoon you’re feeling pretty fried. Some egg you on, which smells a little fishy, but others ask you to put a lid on it, or to just chill, cautioning you to not jump from the frying pan into the fire. You hold your ground and argue back that sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Coworkers carefully walk on eggshells around you. After a while, a long while, you’re finally feeling cool as a cucumber. You realize there’s nothing to be gained by stewing in your own juices, crying over spilt milk, or having sour grapes over it all. A sudden epiphany; this work is just not your cup of tea. It's time to go. Frankly you have bigger fish to fry.

More Easy Pasta Dinners

Another super easy pasta uses this sun dried tomato pesto. It comes together in a mini-chopper in about 5 minutes. Then just toss it into cooked pasta, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Or make this espagueti verde dish, which is pasta tossed in a creamy poblano sauce.

This romanesco pasta is easy and a little unusual. It's tossed in a creamy cauliflower sauce that doesn't use any dairy at all. Or nuts, such as cashews. The secret is the pectin in the cauliflower florets that makes the sauce creamy.

Or go with this classic Spaghetti alla Vodka, that's ready in under 30 minutes.

When fava beans show up in my grocery store or farmers markets, I make this fava bean and pasta recipe that uses cheese tortellini, herbed ricotta cheese, and sautéed tomatoes, scallions and garlic.

More Ways to Use Swiss Chard

This vegan Swiss chard recipe is a favorite, and always popular on this blog, year after year. It's sautéed with quinoa, lemon, capers and olives. And this Swiss chard casserole with quinoa is pure comfort food.

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