CREAMY SWISS CHARD PASTA WITH LEEKS, TARRAGON AND LEMON ZEST

Creamy Swiss Chard Pasta With Leeks, Tarragon and Lemon Zest image

This creamy vegetarian pasta is hearty enough for chilly temperatures while still nodding toward spring with the addition of bright-green chard, leeks and fresh herbs. For texture, it's topped with toasted panko, a garnish that can go many ways: Instead of using nutritional yeast, which adds tangy flavor here, you can melt a finely chopped anchovy with the butter and toss it with the panko. You could also add some ground coriander, Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence. Toasted panko, plain bread crumbs or even crushed croutons are a solid back-pocket trick to add crunch to any pasta, especially the creamiest kind. Don't skip the tarragon and lemon zest garnish, which add a fresh note to an otherwise-rich dish.

Provided by Alexa Weibel

Categories dinner, weekday, pastas, vegetables, main course

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

3/4 pound green Swiss chard (1 large bunch), washed and trimmed
2 large leeks (10 to 12 ounces each)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
16 ounces linguine or fettuccine
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
Fresh tarragon leaves, for garnish
1 lemon, for garnish

Steps:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the chard: Tear the leaves off the stems, separating the leaves and stems. Thinly slice the stems, then coarsely tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Set both aside in separate bowls.
Prepare the leeks: Trim off the bottom and the dark green portion at the top, halve the remaining white and pale green portion lengthwise, then thinly slice them crosswise. Wash and drain the sliced leeks. Set aside.
Prepare the bread crumbs: In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium. Add the panko, season lightly with salt and generously with pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and melt over medium-high. Add the leeks, chard stems, garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks start to wilt and soften, about 5 minutes. Add the torn chard, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until just wilted, 2 minutes.
Add the stock and heavy cream, and boil over high until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Once the mixture is simmering, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain pasta.
Transfer chard mixture to the empty pasta pot. Stir in the cooked pasta, then sprinkle with the Parmesan, stirring vigorously to melt it into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide among shallow bowls or plates. Sprinkle generously with the prepared bread crumbs, top with tarragon and grate fresh lemon zest on top. Serve immediately.