Soft Italian cheeses such as provolone, mozzarella, mascarpone, or ricotta all add creamy taste and texture to baked pasta dishes. In this recipe, the provolone brings a mild, buttery balance to the earthy chard.
Chard (often called Swiss chard) is popular in Italian cuisine and throughout the Mediterranean. Small, young chard leaves are tasty in salads in place of or mixed with lettuces, while the large, mature leaves and stalks are typically cooked in a variety of ways—sautéed, roasted, steamed, or grilled. Chard holds up well when cooked, shrinking as it loses moisture but not becoming stringy like other greens, such as spinach, sometimes do.
The flavor of chard—especially the larger, mature leaves—is slightly bitter, although cooking gives the vegetable a milder taste. Chard adds an earthy depth to pasta dishes, soups, stews, casseroles—nearly anything it's added to.
Baked Pasta with Sausage, Chard, and Provolone
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 8-9 oz rotini, or other short pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for oiling baking dish
- 3 sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed (about 3/4 lb)
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (or grape tomatoes, halved)
- 1 medium bunch chard, large stems removed, leaves chopped (about 4-5 packed cups)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tbsp dried herb mix, such as oregano, rosemary, basil, and thyme
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups freshly shredded provolone cheese, divided
- 1 cup half-and-half
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 13 X 9 baking dish.
- Boil the pasta according to package directions and drain.
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add the sausage, pepper, and onions. Break up the sausage as it cooks, about 5-6 minutes, until just cooked through.
- Add the tomatoes, chard, garlic, parsley, and dried herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chard has wilted and some of the juice from the tomatoes is absorbed, 8-9 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup provolone and half-and-half.
- Add the pasta to the skillet and stir well to combine.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup provolone on top.
- Bake uncovered 30 minutes, or until top is bubbly and beginning to brown. Divide among 6 plates or bowls and serve with warm, crusty bread, if desired.
Pamela Steed Hill - Pamela Steed Hill is an editor, freelance writer, and home cook. She has published over 250 food articles and recipes online.
