Chard Leaves Stuffed With Rice and Herbs
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 8large chard leaves
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1large onion, finely chopped
- Stems from the chard leaves
- 2large garlic cloves, minced
- 1cup, tightly packed, cooked medium-grain white or brown rice, such as Calrose
- ¼cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- ½teaspoon Aleppo pepper (more to taste)
- ¼cup currants (optional)
- Greek yogurt seasoned with garlic, lemon and sumac for serving
- Optional: crumbled feta for the filling or for topping
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the chard leaves and stems for 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and cut away the stems at the base. Next cut out the wide part of the stem remaining inside the leaf, cutting a V at the base where it connects with the leaf. Set aside the leaves and cut the stems into small dice (about ¼ inch). Set aside ½ cup of the blanching water for the baking dish.
- Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the diced chard stems and a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook until the stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat.
- Step 3
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish that can accommodate all of the chard rolls. In a large bowl mix together the rice, onion mixture, herbs, Aleppo pepper and currants if using. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Step 4
Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on each chard leaf. Tuck the sides over the filling and roll up the leaves. Place in the baking dish. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top and place ½ cup water in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, until the chard rolls are hot and the leaves tender. They should retain their bright green color.
- Advance preparation: The filling will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator, and the filled rolls will keep for a day or two as well.
Private Notes
Comments
I had everything ready to make this before I realized my chard leaves were not big enough to stuff, so I followed the recipe but added the chopped leaves to wilt and carried on as though this were a one-pan main dish. Used a sumac and lemon yogurt on top and served with a lentil salad for a super successful dinner that left everyone feeling awesome!
I love chard and thought this recipe would be a great innovation from the way I usually cook it, which is finely shredded and sauteed with a little minced garlic and pine nuts.
I sauteed chopped mushrooms and currant raisins with the rice and herbs (I used tarragon, sage, and thyme). The rolls looked beautiful, just like the picture, but the final result although good, was somewhat blah. Maybe I'll add the pinenuts as someone here suggested and instead of currant raisins, capers.
I needed to figure out how to use some chicken, feta, and spinach sausage (loose) and had some chard leaves, so this was helpful! Cooked the full cup of rice, mixed it with 2/3 lb. of cooked sausage, blanched and stuffed the leaves as directed. Neat and pretty. Didn't add water to the pan or cover when baking--the leaves were wet enough, and I drizzled them with the oil (and a squirt of lemon. A square pyrex dish fit the packages nicely. Served with a red bell pepper coulis.
This is delicious! I think I’ve made it before, or something similar. I added some pine nuts with the chard and sautéed. My chard leaves were huge, so the rolls were too, made half the recipe for the two of us. One chard roll was plenty as a side, even though they were pretty light. We have leftovers! Served with David Tannis’s roasted monkfish with herbs, lemon and olives. Seemed like an odd combo but was really good.
These were so good! I left out the chard stems because I haven’t enjoyed them in other recipes. I added toasted pine nuts as suggested by another reviewer. I used white jasmine rice, doubled the herbs, and used vegetable stock instead of water in the pan to add a little more flavor. I used both lemon juice and zest in the yogurt sauce and added some olive oil to the sauce as well. Loved them! Next time, I will only cook fifteen minutes since the chard had lost its bright green color.
Great idea! My chard leaves weren't big enough the first time I tried this but with some creative layering I pulled it off. I also used some leftover sticky white rice and it was OK. Second time I got bigger leaves and used leftover chicken fried rice. Excellent!
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