Butternut squash with cannellini beans, rosemary and Swiss chard

The chard in this recipe gets treated like kale chips rather than as a green you mix in. All sorts of goodness going on with this one. And it let me use up most of the remaining chard that’s (still!) growing in the garden (in November! In Minnesota!).

White beans and butternut squash with crispy chard

Adapted from “Smitten With Squash” by Amanda Kay Paa, whose book I'm clearly smitten with lately. Fourteen squash on the orchard rack will have that effect.

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon salt, divided

2 cups cooked cannellini beans

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped

6-7 large Swiss chard leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a generous grind of black pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss chard leaves with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper on another baking sheet. Put both pans in the oven. Roast chard until crisp, about 10 minutes. Roast squash for another 20 minutes.

In a large pan, combine beans, rosemary and squash. Mix together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, honey, ¼ teaspoon salt and some pepper. Toss with bean mixture in pot. Serve topped with crispy chard leaves.

Rating: Very tasty. Perhaps not quite Company Rated due to its looks, but very tasty home comfort food. 

Note: I used beans I cooked myself, which I'm sure made things tastier. I use the slow cooker method described on kitchn.com, only I find they need no more than four hours or they're mushy.