Sautéed Chard with Bacon and Tomatoes Recipe (2024)

This simple, 5 ingredient recipe for Sautéed Swiss Chard with Bacon and Tomatoes recipe is a quick and flavorful side dish. It’s a great way to prepare this leafy green vegetable and makes a delicious addition to almost any meal.

I’ve been having a love affair with chard lately.

It’s my favorite green at the moment. Those colorful stalks and hearty green leaves provide for such an amazing texture.

Chard leaves really seem to soak up any flavor you throw at them–in this case, it’s bacon drippings.

In this easy recipe, just a simple sauté with some onions, garlic, and tomatoes is all you need to make some killer chard.

Why This Swiss Chard Recipe Rocks

• Fast: with a cooking time of under 30 minutes, it is a breeze to prepare.
• Easy
• One Pan: one very large skillet or large sauté pan is all you’ll need
• It’s low carb and sugar-free making it perfect for a Paleo, Whole30, or Keto diet

Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients:

• Swiss chard: one large bunch of mature chard with large leaves (not baby chard). I really love the vibrant colors that rainbow chard brings to the dish, but any variety will work just fine.
• bacon: 3 strips of smoky bacon or roughly 4 ounces. Make sure you’re using sugar-free bacon to be Whole30 compliant.
• cherry tomatoes:about a cup of ripe tomatoes
• yellow onion
• garlic: one or two fresh garlic cloves or about 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
• sea salt or kosher salt
• black pepper

How to Make Sautéed Chard with Bacon and Tomatoes

Start by separating the Swiss chard leaves from the stems. Slice the leaves into thin strips and dice the chard stems.

Chop the bacon, place it in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Cook the bacon until it is crisp and a lovely golden brown.

Remove the diced bacon with a slotted spoon, reserving the drippings in the pan.

Increase the heat on the pan to medium-high heat, then add the chopped chard ribs along with the diced onion.

Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the chard ribs are tender, about 6-7 minutes.

Add the minced garlic cloves and cherry tomatoes to the skillet.

Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to blister, about 3-4 minutes.

Finally, add the chard leaves along with a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste.

Sauté the leaves until they are wilted and tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Plate the chard and garnish with the bacon crumbles. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Sautéed Swiss chard makes a great base for a number of dishes.

A few suggestions are:

• Pair it with any grilled meat or fish for a main course

• Serve it with eggs for a tasty breakfast

• Add a dash ofhot sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakesto spice things up a bit

Storage

Store any leftover chard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Gently reheat it in a pan over low heat to re-serve.

More Greens Recipes

• Braised Kohlrabi Greens
• How To Eat Radish Greens
• Instant Pot Collard Greens