This middle eastern-inspired chard carrot casserole combines the earthy taste of rainbow chard with the sweetness of carrots. Chickpeas & cumin provide the protein and base notes, while parsley, mint and lemon juice round out this beautiful looking and tasting dish.
When I see Swiss rainbow chard I always sigh because it is so beautiful! All those vibrant colors make them look like candy canes- I love it! But until I came up with this recipe, I was always baffled as to how to cook with it.
Even though I like the taste of rainbow chard, it has a distinct flavour that not everybody likes. Therefore not many people eat it, which is a shame. Maybe if it tasted the way it looks -like candy canes- more people would eat it…but alas. Still, I think it is worth growing and eating for sure.
I find it tastes like a combination of beetroot and endive or beetroot and lettuce.
Here in The Netherlands we call it “Snijbiet” which translates roughly to cutting beets, because you cut it off the plant and not pull it out of the ground like you would do with beetroot.
So, what to do with a lot of rainbow chard? Try this recipe for chard carrot casserole. The carrots make it a little sweeter and what goes well with carrots? chickpeas, and what goes well with chickpeas? cumin, of course!
Just like this carrot hummus, the combination of chickpeas, carrot and cumin is a winner. Here I’ve added rainbow chard to the mix and freshened it up with mint & lemon to make it a main rather than a side dish.
This dish is vegan and has few carbohydrates, but lots and lots of nutrients. So good for your health, the planet and your eyes; because all those colors look so pretty, don’t they?
You can eat this as a main meal during dinner, as a side dish or as lunch. If you have any leftovers you can store them in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge.
Now, enough talking, let’s go and make this beautiful chard carrot casserole!
Chard Carrot Casserole
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Big pan or wok
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Measuring cup
- Scale
Ingredients
- 350 grams swiss or rainbow chard
- 3 to 4 tbspn olive oil
- 4 Carrots
- 1½ cup tinned chickpeas (i.e. precooked)
- 1 tspn cumin seeds
- 1 clove garlic
- 1½ tbspn mint leaves
- 1½ tbspn fresh parsley
- 1 tbspn fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ tspn salt (first use ¼ tspn, taste and add more if you like)
Instructions
- Start by heating the olive oil into a big pan or wok. The base of the pan should be covered with oil
- Slice the carrots into rounds and cook them, together with the cumin seeds in the olive oil
- Meanwhile remove the leaves from the stalks of the chard and cut the stalks into pieces of about 1cm thick
- When the carrots are almost done, add in the stalks and cook for a few minutes
- Chop the leaves of the chard, garlic, parsley and mint leaves and drain and rinse the chickpeas
- Add to the pot and cook for another few minutes untill the leaves have wilted down
- Lastly add the lemon juice and salt to taste and you are done. Enjoy!
