Bitter and flavourful Swiss chard is an excellent match for caramelized onions and apples in this delicious side that is paleo, AIP, Whole30 compliant and vegan.
It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I began eating Swiss chard stems! It’s really wild to think about how much precious, food I was unknowingly wasting! Thankfully, I have come to learn that the stems are both edible and super delicious. They also add such a bright, beautiful colour to dishes.
This recipe is favourite in my household. Trust me when I say that cooking the onions low and slow is worth the wait. Together with the apple, they lend the perfect amount of natural sweetness to compliment the bitter chard. Fresh herbs and a bit of coconut aminos and balsamic vinegar tie this beautiful dish together.
Here are the main ingredients in this recipe:
- swiss chard – you can use rainbow chard, green chard, any variety of chard!
- yellow onions – these really make this dish pop! They’re caramelized low and slow to create the most amazing flavor in this dish
- apples – any variety works, but my preference is Granny Smith
- coconut aminos and balsamic vinegar – together these create the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity that beautifully complements the apples, chard and onions
- fresh basil and thyme – these herbs add even more flavor to this already layered dish. You can substitute dried herbs if that’s what you have on hand
Swiss Chard with Apples Recipe FAQs
I’m short on time, can I skip caramelizing the onions?
Yes! I’ve made this dish tons of times without caramelizing the onions. It will still taste good, but definitely doesn’t compare to the depth of flavour that cooking the onions low and slow provides.
What if I don’t have coconut aminos?
Coconut aminos isn’t essential to this recipe so you could always omit it and/or double the amount of balsamic vinegar.
Can I use a different green?
This recipe is delicious with a number of leafy green vegetables like kale, collard greens, mustard and beet greens. If you live in North America you can take advantage of a number of these spring greens that are currently in season. Besides Swiss chard, keep your eye out for things like local spinach, arugula, Tatsoi and watercress.
If you loved this recipe I would appreciate it if you would give it a rating and review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
Looking for more AIP Veggie Side Dishes?
- AIP Swiss Chard Gratin
- Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
- Grilled Asparagus with Orange
- AIP Sautéed Tatsoi Flowers
Swiss Chard with Apples (AIP, vegan, Whole30)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Description
Bitter and flavourful Swiss chard is an excellent match for caramelized onions and apples in this delicious side that is paleo, AIP, vegan and Whole30 compliant.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Swiss chard (any variety is fine)
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-large yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 apple (any variety), cored and chopped
- 1 TBSP coconut aminos
- 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 TBSP fresh thyme, picked
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash chard and tear away leaves from centre vein and stems. Roughly chop leaves, and slice stems into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
- In a very large skillet or deep cast iron pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Once oil is hot, add sliced onions and sauté 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the onions are coated with oil. Ensure onions are evenly spread out in the pan and leave them to cook for another 5-7 minutes stirring only as needed. (You want to leave them alone enough to brown, but not burn).
- Once the onions have begun to caramelize, add crushed garlic and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add in chard stems and chopped apple, and sauté 3-5 minutes.
- Add chard leaves in batches, stirring to coat with oil and allow to wilt slightly before adding more. Once all the chard is incorporated, add coconut aminos and balsamic vinegar and sauté another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add fresh herbs and salt to taste.
- Enjoy warm.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Sides
One of the best chard recipes I’ve ever had! I loved this. I was skeptical when I tasted it before I added the balsamic vinegar but after that? Totally addictive. I substituted soy sauce for coconut aminos and dried thyme for fresh, because that’s what I had on hand, and I salted as I went rather than just at the end, but otherwise made it the way you wrote it. It turned out great! Thanks so much for a new favorite way to have chard.
Delicious! Perfect balance of flavors. Even family members who don’t care for Swiss chard gobbled it up.
So delicious! No bitterness like my basic chard recipe. I think this is one the whole family will actually enjoy!
I followed this recipe to a T. Absolutely delicious. Two recipes from your site in a day!! Thank you!
An incredibly delicious way to get those greens in!
I just harvested a lot of chard from my garden, and this was a perfect use for it. This is probably the best-tasting chard I have ever had, and I can’t wait to make this again. I followed the recipe, but didn’t have fresh herbs, so I used dried herbs this time. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Made this as written and it was absolutely delicious! My hubby said this was the best chard he has ever tasted! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
This was delicious and super easy. Come home from the farmers market, chop, sauté and instant lunch. I left out the aminos and had it over brown rice as a main dish.
This recipe was a delicious way to eat swiss chard. I didn’t have coconut aminos but I swapped for soy sauce and it was delicious.
Thanks Claire!
Oops, I forgot to rate the recipe. Definitely five stars!
I made this last night. It was really tasty. I didn’t have the fresh herbs but it was delicious all the same. I did use the coconut aminos because I have them always on hand – they really add a lot to a dish like this. Thanks for another great recipe, Nicole.
So tasty, even my picky boyfriend enjoyed it. I left out the coconut amino and topped it with chopped walnuts. Delicious! This will definitely be going into the meal plan rotation.
So glad to hear, Shanna. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
So yummy! Made this without coconut aminos, so I doubled the amount of balsamic vinegar.
The mixture of flavours was great! Can’t wait to try again with other greens.
This was so good!
So delicious! Made with green chard and without coconut aminos, but absolutely a tasty and creative dish!