Brown Rice Pasta with Swiss Chard and Sundried Tomato Walnut Basil Pesto

By: Rosemary Seguin CNP, NNCP

Last night for dinner I made brown rice pasta with swiss chard and sundried tomato walnut basil pesto. It was my first time making this dish and it turned out so well I couldn’t wait to share my new recipe with you!

Brown rice pasta is a great and delicious alternative to “white” wheat pasta. Its gluten free and it looks and tastes a lot like “traditional” pasta. It’s also a good source of protein, fiber, B1, B3, B6, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and selenium.

Swiss chard is one my kids favourite vegetables. It’s sweet and loaded with amazing nutrients such as vitamin K, A, C, E, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, fiber and antioxidants! I highly recommend you make this one of your staple vegetables.  

My sundried tomato, black olive and walnut pesto I made as the “sauce” for the pasta dish is super nutritious, delicious and so easy to make. It’s full of “good” healthy fats like Omega 3 and 6, along with protein, fiber, B vitamins, folate, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, molybdenum, iron and vitamins A, C and K. The garlic in the pesto is also a great immune booster with its antibacterial and anti-viral properties. It’s great to make it in big batches and freeze it so you always have some on hand.

Ingredients:

250g Brown Rice Pasta (any shape you like) I used pastariso brand, elbow shape 

1 Bunch Organic Rainbow Swiss Chard

Sundried Tomato Walnut Basil Pesto ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil (leaves picked)

1/3 cup of walnuts (raw)

2 cloves of freshly pressed garlic

3 pieces of sundried tomatoes

2 Tbsp sliced black olives (optional)

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Sea salt (to taste)

Method:

Pasta:

       1)   Cook the brown rice pasta as indicated on the bag

       2)   Once the pasta is cooked, strain and rinse under cool running water. This will remove the starch, increasing digestibility of the grain. It also stops the pasta from continuing to cook. Pour the pasta back into the pot you cooked it in and set aside.

Swiss chard:

       1)   Wash and chop the swiss chard and steam it for about 5-7 min or until the chard is wilted but still bright green.

       2)   Once cooked, drain out any extra water and add it to the pasta.

Sundried Tomato Walnut Basil Pesto: (makes approximately 250ml)

(You can store it in your fridge for 7 days in an airtight container or freeze the rest for future use)

       1)   In a food processor place the basil, walnuts and garlic. Process it until finely chopped.

       2)   Add the sundried tomatoes, olives and while processing, slowly add the olive oil.

       3)   Stop and scrap down the sides of the food processor if necessary and continue to process until smooth and creamy.

       4)   Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and process once more.

Add 2 tbsp of pesto sauce to the pasta and chard mixing it all together thoroughly. You can add more or less pesto depending how “saucy” you like your pasta!

Grate your favourite cheese on top or enjoy as is. Either way, it will be simply delicious!

Makes approx. 6 servings

Buon Appetito