Orecchiette with Ricotta and Chard Pan Sauce

A couple months ago, I tried out this new recipe  Trying to be a little healthy, this one caught my eye because it had chard in it. I did have a little trouble finding the cheese they were calling for but was able to get what I needed in the end. I think it tasted and turned out pretty well. Anyway, it has now made it into my collection-of-recipes- cookbook. If you feel like having a lighter, kinda healthy pasta dish, give this one a try.

Enjoy

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Orecchiette with Ricotta and Chard Pan Sauce

Start to Finish: 25min

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1 large bunch of organic green or rainbow Swiss chard

-¾ 1b. dried orecchiette

-2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

- 2 Tbsp. butter

-crushed red pepper (optional)

-2 oz. ricotta salata, Asiago, or pecorino cheese, freshly grated

-1/4 cup fresh, whole-milk ricotta cheese sea salt and cracked black pepper Freshly grated ricotta salata, Asiago, or pecorino cheese

1.      Bring large pot of generously salted water to boiling, Separate chard stems from leaves; cut both into bit-size pieces. Add orecchiette to boiling water. Set timer for 10 minutes

2.      Meanwhile, for pan sauce, in large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chard stems; cook 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender.

3.      After 10 minutes, add chard leaves to cooked pasta; cook 2 minutes more. Drain reserving about ¼ cup of cooking liquid, Return pasta and chard to pot; place over lowest heat setting. Add chard stems and any residual oil to pasta, along with butter, crushed red pepper and reserved cooking liquid. Grate in ricotta salata; toss. Season with pepper. Divide among bowls. Top each with about 1 Tbsp. ricotta. Add sea salt, peper, and additional ricotta salata to taste.

  

                                   

        This is corn pasta for those in my mom who cannot have wheat