Swiss Chard Recipe | Swiss Chard Side Dish With Bacon

This Swiss Chard Recipe With Bacon is the perfect keto side dish that dresses up any meal in less than 20 minutes with only a few ingredients! If you're a fan of swiss chard, you're going to absolutely love this dish!

Why You'll Love This Low Carb Side Dish

So I decided to try my hand at gardening. Though I love all my beautiful plants, Swiss chard has got to be the queen of them all. It's been so much fun to harvest my own Swiss Chard and cook it while it's fresh!

I've always joked and said I could kill even fake plants. But with the automatic drip system, a brand new, well-composted flower bed, help from my friend John and my husband Roger, the little garden is doing quite well.

So I made this Swiss Chard Recipe With Bacon with it, but you know I could never just do bacon and Swiss chard. So I added a few other things, and I must say, it turned out so very good!

The addition of the pine nuts adds a delightful crunch and nuttiness to the dish and the raisins add a pleasant sweetness to compliment the swiss chard and bacon. This truly is a delightfully delectable swiss chard recipe, and if you've never had swiss chard before, this is a great way to be introduced to it!

Not only is this swiss chard recipe delectable, but it's also completely keto-friendly! You can enjoy it as a light lunch or as a side dish to compliment your main course, and since it's low carb, you can enjoy it on a regular basis!

What Does Swiss Chard Taste Like?

Swiss chard actually has a fairly similar flavor profile to spinach or kale, but a little more on the bitter side. Sauteing it, as I did with this Swiss Chard Recipe, takes away most of the bitterness and brings out its delightfully earthiness and sweetness. It's a fantastic leafy veggie that is full of potential in the kitchen, is low carb, and is loaded with nutrients like vitamin K, C, and A!

Ingredients You'll Need

• 4 slices Bacon- The bacon provides a savory, smoky base for the dish. As it cooks, it renders fat that becomes the flavorful cooking medium for the garlic, pine nuts, and chard. The crispy bits also add texture and richness.
• 10 cloves Garlic- The smashed garlic infuses the dish with deep, aromatic flavor. Sautéing it in the bacon fat mellows the sharpness and creates a fragrant, savory backbone that complements the bitterness of the chard.
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts- Pine nuts add a subtle nuttiness and buttery crunch. Toasting them in the rendered bacon fat enhances their flavor and creates a lovely textural contrast to the tender greens.
• 1/4 cup Golden Raisins- Golden raisins provide a pop of sweetness that balances the bitterness of the Swiss chard and the saltiness of the bacon. They soften as they cook, becoming plump and juicy.
• 4–6 cups Swiss Chard- The star ingredient, Swiss chard brings earthy, slightly bitter green flavor. It wilts down significantly when cooked, absorbing the bacon fat, garlic, and seasonings for a savory, well-rounded dish.
• 1 teaspoon Salt- Salt enhances all the flavors in the dish and helps the chard release moisture as it cooks. Since bacon is salty, this amount seasons without overpowering.
• 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper- Pepper adds gentle heat and earthiness that complements both the greens and the garlic.
• 1/4 cup Water- A small splash of water helps steam and soften the chard after sautéing, ensuring it cooks through evenly without burning and stays tender while maintaining vibrant color.

How To Make This Swiss Chard Recipe

1. Heat a heavy saucepan on medium-high and add the chopped bacon. Allow it to cook until the outside edges are crisped but the bacon isn't all the way crisp (about 5-8 minutes).
2. Add the smashed garlic cloves and press them down so most of the clove is touching the hot pan. I usually smash the garlic cloves with the flat of my knife.
3. Once the garlic is brown in spots, add in the pine nuts and the raisins and mix well.
4. Sauté until the bacon is cooked through, the garlic cloves and pine nuts are browned, and the raisins are plumped.
5. Add salt and pepper and stir well.
6. Add in Swiss chard and the ¼ cup of water.
7. Place a lid on the saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the chard has just barely wilted. Remember the chard will continue to cook and wilt even when off the flame, so don't overcook it.
8. Stir well and serve.

Tips And Tricks

Here are some helpful tips and tricks to ensure your Swiss Chard with Bacon turns out perfectly balanced, flavorful, and beautifully textured every time.

• Cook the bacon slowly. Start the bacon in a cold pan and let it heat gradually. This renders more fat, giving you extra flavor to cook the garlic, pine nuts, and chard.
• Toast the pine nuts in the bacon fat. This boosts their nuttiness and helps them stay crisp even after the chard wilts.
• Smash the garlic, don’t mince it. Smashed cloves infuse the dish with bold garlic flavor without burning quickly like minced garlic would.

Variations

Here are several tasty and creative variations to help you customize your Swiss Chard with Bacon, whether you want to boost the flavor, add more texture, or tailor it to different dietary preferences.

• If you're not a big fan of swiss chard, you can substitute Kale or Spinach. Simply reduce the cook time to 1-2 minutes.
• You can use Craisins in place of the golden raisins.
• Some great Pine Nut substitutions I recommend are walnuts, cashews, or slivered almonds.
• You can add even more depth to this dish by adding a teaspoon of ground cumin. I did this and it was absolutely wonderful!

What To Eat With This Swiss Chard Recipe

Here are some delicious pairing ideas to help you turn Swiss Chard with Bacon into a complete and well-balanced meal.

• Grilled or Roasted Chicken- The smoky, savory chard pairs perfectly with simple roasted or herb-seasoned chicken.
• Pork Chops or Pork Tenderloin- Bacon and pork are a natural match, and the greens help balance the richness of the meat.
• Steak or Beef Roast- Serve it alongside a juicy steak or slow-cooked roast for a hearty and satisfying dinner.

How Long Does It Last?

Swiss chard with bacon will keep well in the refrigerator for 3–4 days when stored in an airtight container. The flavors actually meld and deepen over time, though the texture of the chard will soften slightly as it sits.

Because the dish contains cooked greens and bacon, it’s best to reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave to avoid overcooking.

Can You Freeze It?

While it refrigerates well, this dish is not ideal for freezing since the greens become mushy and the bacon loses its crispness after thawing.

More Ways To Use Swiss Chard

• This Italian Sausage Soup recipe gives you all the flavor of Zuppa Toscana without all the carbs! You can make this delicious recipe in under 30 minutes!
• This Moroccan Chickpea Soup in your Instant Pot is so easy! This vegan recipe is just dump and cook and is hearty and delicious!
• This Instant Pot Kenyan Kunde is a nutritious recipe with black-eyed peas and peanuts that makes a yummy, filling vegan recipe in your pressure cooker!

This quick and easy Swiss Chard Recipe with Bacon makes the perfect side for most any dish, so why don't you go ahead and make it with dinner tonight? And make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it as well!