| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 20 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 2 1/2 cups |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 3 bunches Swiss chard, stems removed
- 3/4 cup toasted almonds
- 3/4 cup grated aged Pecorino Romano cheese
- Pinch nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1 clove garlic, grated on a rasp grater
- About 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season the water generously with kosher salt. Prepare an ice water bath with a colander. Blanch the Swiss chard in the boiling water until tender, about 2 minutes. Shock immediately in the ice water. Drain by squeezing the leaves in a ball in a clean kitchen cloth.
- Put the cooked chard, almonds, cheese, nutmeg, cloves, lemon zest and juice and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture begins to break down and come together. Add enough olive oil to the mixture to just get it to come together, about 3/4 cup. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 5 servings |
| Calories | 549 |
| Total Fat | 49 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 21 mg |
| Sodium | 967 mg |
Reviews
A nearby farmer delivered a box of fresh veggies to us this morning and there was a lot of Swiss Chard. Rather than sauteing or using it in a soup, I looked for another recipe and stumbled upon this gem. Due to the pantry stock, I substituted Parmesan for Romano cheese and had to add a lime since there was only one lemon. It came out so delicious and I will be making more to freeze and share with friends.
I made this and loved it on top of my salmon as I grilled it. Perfect for summer.
Utterly ridiculous when “chefs” say in their recipes to remove chard stems. Dumb. Remove them, okay, but slice thinly and throw them in the blanching water for several minutes before adding the leaves. They’ll cook nicely, are as delicious as the leaves and no waste.
Beautiful pesto – made exactly as written. Will keep in frequent rotation.
This is yummy. I never liked traditional pesto so this was a welcome surprise. I used a trio of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese and only 1 lemon and 2 bunches of chard. I have enough left over for another pound of pasta. We’ll see how it freezes.
Turned out absolutely yummy and followed the recipe to the letter. Good way to use up an abundant supply of Swiss chard.
This is stuff is really great. Made it to go over pasta and it was wonderful. My only criticism is that I do not like the cloves in there. Next time I will leave them out (even the “pinch” is just a little strong). Also, I wasn’t sure how much kale to use exactly as I had 1 very large bundle, so I took down the nuts, cheese and olive oil by 1/3. I think this was a good amount.
Saw this on the Kitchen and knew I had to try it. Everything about it was perfect! Highly recommend GZ’s method of mixing it with a splash of pasta water and softened butter before tossing it with pasta. Soooo good
I am always looking for new ways to use the abundant chard from my garden…This is so good. I made a double batch today and plan on taking some to a gathering on Friday night. This is excellent Pesto with so much flavor and a great texture from the almonds. I did toast the almonds and the flavor is amazing.