If you want to WOW your family and friends with a delicious leafy greens side dish, this creamy cheesy Swiss Chard Gratin will do it.
This winter greens gratin combines blanched chard smothered in a garlicky cream then baked with two cheese and covered in a blanket of buttery fresh homemade breadcrumbs.
Next try our fantastically simple Tuscan Kale dish.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy to make
- Simple ingredients
- An ideal Holiday side dish
- Can make ahead
- Season to your likes
- Mild tasting
- Low in calories
We're always on the lookout for incorporating new vegetables in our meals, that's how Creamy Swiss Chard Gratin became a tradition at our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
Once you serve this leafy vegetable to your family, see if they don't ask for it often.
🛒 Ingredients
Note: The full list of Creamy Cheesy Swiss Chard Recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
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- Unsalted butter -- may use salted but watch any additional salt
- Fresh breadcrumbs -- made from artisan bread or French baguettes
- Heavy cream
- Garlic cloves
- Bacon -- may also use pancetta (Italian bacon).The bacon or pancetta lends a smokey salty taste to the gratin.
- Swiss Chard -- any variety of chard, you may also use other winer greens such as spinach, kale, or broccoli raab
For several years it was easy to purchase the Rainbow Swiss Chard already cleaned and ready to cook. I haven't been able to buy it lately so I've gone back to buying the beautiful chard from the Farmers Markets.
📑 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Before assembling the fresh Swiss chard recipe, you cook the bacon and you'll follow the cooking instructions for the winter greens that is in the recipe card.
- Make the garlicky heavy cream according to the recipe instruction and set aside. Add butter to the remainder of the bacon fat in the heavy iron skillet you used to cook the bacon.
- Add the cooked Swiss Chard to the skillet and season with black pepper and a little salt.
- Transfer the greens to the gratin dish and spread the sautéed Swiss chard evenly. Sprinkle the bacon evenly over top.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and Gruyere cheese evenly over the top.
- Pour the seasoned cream over the greens, bacon and cheese.
- Top with the buttered breadcrumbs.
- Bake until the gratin is brown and bubbly.
- Let the Creamy Swiss Chard Gratin rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
🔪 Equipment
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You will need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Deep Pot or pan for cooking the greens.
- Sharp knife for removing tough stems.
- Cutting board for cutting the leaves and stems.
- Colander for draining water.
- Baking tray and paper towels for draining the greens.
- Medium-size saucepan.
- Small glass bowl.
- Gratin dish.
🤔 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about Swiss Chard Gratin.
There are a variety of Swiss Chard and the two most popular are the the everyday Swiss Chard, white stems with green leaves, and the Bright or Neon Lights which boasts a variety of colors and colorful stalks like rainbow chard.
Swiss chard is very mild and sweet. It has delicate and sweet flavor compared to other sturdy greens, making it an easy addition to endless dishes — soups, pastas, pizzas, stews, gratins, egg dishes, stuffed vegetables, and a simple sauté.
This is leafy green vegetable that is packed with nutrients. It's a low-calorie vegetable that is high in magnesium iron, potassium and vitamins A, vitamin B6, Vitamin C and an excellent source of vitamin K.
High in antioxidants helping to prevent certain conditions like heart disease and lung cancer; may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which may prevent heart disease; high in fiber and antioxidants which may improve blood sugar control and lower risk of diabetes. There are many more health benefits.
If you'd like to find out more about the nutrition of Swiss Chard and Swiss Chard recipes, this is a good source.
👩🏻🍳 Chef tips
A really quick and easy way to blanch your vegetables is to use a deep pasta pot with the insert in it. That way when the veggies are done you just remove the insert. You don't have to pour out the water.
Once you cut the stems from the chard, cut them and freeze to use in soups and stews.
For a family dinner you'll want to double the recipe. We normally have 10 adults at our holiday dinners.
Assemble the Swiss Chard Gratin ahead of time and pop in the over before your dinner. You can make this several days ahead.
📒Variations
This is really a master gratin recipe with so much versatility! It's one you can use to make greens such as the Swiss chard but also spinach, kale and broccoli raab.
If you want to learn how to cook Swiss Chard and other winter greens, the complete instructions are in the recipe card.
We've used other greens but the family's favorite for the holidays seems to be the Swiss chard gratin although I like the kale too.
The creaminess comes from the cream infused with garlic that you reduce along with your choice of freshly grated cheese such as Gruyere {our choice}, Parmigiano Reggiano, Emmental, or aged Gouda.
And since we love cheese we always add just a little extra. How can you go wrong with cheese?? 🙂
📞 Chiacchierata
We discovered the delicious taste of Swiss Chard during the Christmas holidays. We were tired of green beans, peas weren't doing anything for us and broccoli seemed too ordinary.
Swiss Chard seemed a little exotic, a vegetable we had heard about but never tasted. It was a little out of the norm so Swiss chard gratin was it!
This recipe really isn't exotic or difficult, nor do you have to wait to make it just for a special occasion.
It's just too delicious to save for just once or twice a year. Make it when you want something out of the ordinary.
And the finish is a topping of fresh breadcrumbs from artisan bread or French Baguettes which when the gratin is baked adds a wonderful crunch.
Another delicious holiday side that looks elegant at the dinner or buffet table is Twice Baked Savory Sweet Potato Casserole.
La buona cucina rende allegri! {Good food makes people happy!}
All prossima!
📝 Recipe
We've tried other Swiss Chard recipes but this one is our favorite. It has so many layers of flavor and texture. If you're wanting to serve your family more greens, and you want to try something a little different but special, this gratin is it.
If you love this creamy Swiss Chard Gratin, please consider giving it a 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Creamy Swiss Chard Gratin {Bietola Cremosa al Gratin}
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs - from artisan bread or French baguettes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 large garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 2 ½ ounces bacon about 3 strips or 1 ½ ounces thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon) chopped.
- 2 cups cooked winter greens Swiss chard, spinach, kale, or broccoli raab Instruction for cooking greens is below recipe.
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or a combination of Parmigiano and another hard cheese like Gruyere, Emmental, or aged Gouda. I won't say anything if you want to add a little bit more cheese than called for 🙂
Equipment Needed
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 F. Have ready a shallow 4-cup ceramic gratin dish or casserole dish (any shape is fine as long as it's shallow). Melt 1 tablespoon the butter and toss it in a small bowl with the breadcrumbs and a pinch of kosher salt and a little ground pepper; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and garlic to a boil over medium-high heat (watch that it doesn't boil over), immediately lower the heat, and simmer vigorously until the cream reduces to about ¾ cup, 4 to 8 minutes. (Don't over-reduce.) Take the pan off the heat and remove and discard the garlic cloves. Let the cream cool slightly, stirring occasionally to keep skin from forming. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper.
- Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon or pancetta over medium heat until crisped and browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels, and carefully pour off most of the excess fat in the skillet (but don't wipe it clean). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the Swiss Chard, season with ¼ teaspoon salt if using bacon (omit the salt if using pancetta), and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Transfer the greens to the gratin dish and spread them evenly.
- Sprinkle the bacon or pancetta evenly over the greens. Sprinkle on the cheese. Pour the seasoned cream over all, and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until the gratin is brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- *******************************************************************************************************************
Directions on how to prep & Cook the Greens
- To get the 2 cups of cooked greens you need for the gratin, be sure to start out with the amount of raw vegetables specified below.
- Wash the vegetables thoroughly in cold water. Cut off and discard the tough stems (use a small, sharp paring knife and trim around the stem).
- I find it easier to use a large spaghetti pot with the strainer insert.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, submerge all the greens, and cook just until tender (see cooking times below). Drain well and then spread on a towel to absorb excess moisture. If the green still seem very wet, squeeze them gently to remove excess liquid.
- Swiss Chard-- Start with 1 ¾ pounds chard, stems cut away and reserved for another use (slice, freeze, and add to your next vegetable soup) and leaves roughly chopped to yield about 9 ½ cups for 12 ounces. Cook for: 1 minute
- Spinach --Start with 1 pound of mature spinach, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped to yield about 7 cups lightly packed or 12 ounces.Cook for: 30 seconds, just until wilted.
- Broccoli raab -- Start with a 1 pound bunch broccoli raab, tough lower stems removed (almost half the bunch), as well as any discolored leaves, and the rest very roughly chopped to yield about 6 heaping cups. Cook for: 2 minutes
- Kale -- Start with 1 ¼ pounds kale, tough stems trimmed away, leaves roughly chopped to yield 6 cups lightly packed. Cook for: 8 minutes
Notes
- I always double this recipe for our family dinners.
Nutrition
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. PromiseFirst published February 13, 2015. Last updated October 5, 2021. Updated the post to include more instructions and improve reader experience.
