Easy Spring Greens Swiss Chard Gratin

I love this easy chard gratin, which is just packed full of Swiss chard and turnip greens and spinach! The greens taste almost creamy even though there is no cream in this recipe, and the crispy breadcrumb topping provides an excellent contrast to the soft greens. This will take a little while in the oven, but you can make it in one oven-safe skillet and have only one pot to clean.

Hello, all!

Spring farmer’s markets are all about the greens!

Actually, summer and fall farmer’s markets are all full of greens too, though the offerings will be more balanced with other fruits and vegetables.  And of course you’ll see the heartier greens at winter farmer’s markets.

Let’s face it, if you are shopping at local farms, you are going to see a lot of greens, and, if you are doing a CSA, you are guaranteed to be drowning in them frequently. Bunches of kale and chard. The tops of radishes and beets and turnips. Bags of spinach. So many greens!

That’s why it’s important to have a few recipes you can pull out to use up a mound of them. Something beyond salads and simple sautes. Not that I don’t love mixed greens salads (especially with the baby chard and baby kale!) or a quick saute to go with my main dish, but it’s nice to mix it up don’t you think?

And certainly when I want to cook a vegetable, I often think of gratins. I have a whole pile of them here on the site! Sometimes wintery gratins like my Cauliflower Gratin with Horseradish Sauce or my Easy Brussels Sprouts Gratin, but I also love ones that work as summer sides, like my Sunny Yellow Squash and Potato Gratin. In fact, I love gratins so much I made a little collection of all my gratins. Have a vegetable and I might just have a gratin for that vegetable. (Tomato gratin is here!)

Have a vegetable and I don’t have a gratin? I am open to gratin-y requests. 🙂

For my chard gratin here today, I took inspiration from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food.

I really like how she kept the greens in front in the recipe by not drowning them in cream and cheese, instead just using a little flour and milk. My waistline also likes this! However, I did want to streamline the process a bit by steaming the greens right in my skillet, and then – when I’m not making this for photos – just slipping the skillet right in the oven. One baking pan and one skillet is the way to go.

And I decided to make the most of use of my local farms by including a mixture of some of the greens I found when I stopped by – Swiss chard, turnip greens, and spinach. I also thought that a little garlic and a handful or two of parmesan finished off the dish nicely.

I hope you think so too!

If you try my recipe for Easy Chard Gratin, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

– Happy Eating, Annemarie

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Easy Swiss Chard Gratin

This easy gratin is all about the greens as they are cooked in milk and then topped with breadcrumbs and a handful of parmesan. This a great gratin for when you have more greens than you know what to do with - chard, kale, turnip greens, beet greens, spinach. Try a mix of different greens!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 225kcal

Author: justalittlebitofbacon

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided, half with the bread crumbs, half with the greens
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 lbs Swiss chard, or a mix with turnip greens, beet greens, kale, spinach
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 oz parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350F.
• Make the Bread Crumbs: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and toss it with the bread crumbs. Spread out the bread crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
• Prepare the Greens: Wash the greens you are using well to make sure to rinse off all the dirt.
• For chard, fold each leaf in half and stem the chard, cutting the stem off of the leaves. Cut the leaves into 1/2 inch slices and also chop up the top half of the stem (discarding the tough bottom part). Reserve the chopped chard stems for the next step.
• If using other types of greens, cut off the stems if they are long and then cut the leaves in 1/2 inch slices.
• Saute the Greens: In a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat.
• Add the reserved chard stems, shallots, garlic, and salt. Gently saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Add the chopped greens, cover the skillet and steam for 15 minutes, or until the greens are tender and wilted.
• Add the flour to the skillet and stir to combine. Then pour the milk over and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken the milk.
• Bake the Gratin: If you are using an oven safe skillet, leave the greens in the pan. If not, transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Either way top the greens with the toasted bread crumbs and then sprinkle the parmesan on top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until browned and bubbling. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Notes

• Recipe Inspiration: This recipe was inspired by Alice Waters' Swiss Chard Gratin in The Art of Simple Food.
• Bread Crumbs: If you don't have any bread to make fresh breadcrumbs, use 1 cup dried bread crumbs.
• Greens: I used one bunch of swiss chard, one bunch of white turnip greens, and one bunch of baby spinach greens. You will have a very big pile of chopped greens when you are done. Don't worry, it will all cook down!
• Casserole Dish: For everyday dinners I use a large oven-safe skillet for the gratin and move it directly from the stove top to the oven. For company I like to use my Bennington Potters Oval Casserole Dish.