For something with so few ingredients, it really packs a flavorful punch. I was so pleased to share this dish with a friend recently, and she gave me the best compliment of all: entire shock at how tasty it was! Let this be your meal’s main feature, or partner with roasted chicken or pork. If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll be adding this salad to your cooking rotation tout suite!

Chard and Garbanzo Bean Salad

Add parsley or cilantro for garnish and added freshness.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1-2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/4 cup white wine (optional, but adds great flavor)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (roasted tomatoes from Trader Joe’s are an awesome alternative)
• 1 can of garbanzo beans
• 2-3 leaves of chard, sliced into ribbons
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• A couple splashes of lemon juice
• salt to taste
• Optional: For the meateaters, adding roasted chicken to their salad is a delicious option (hence to bowl in the ingredients background) or breaded tilapia.

Directions

I only marked this recipe as medium effort due to adding salt and olive oil to taste, but it’s actually a simple recipe that’s ready in about 30 minutes.

1. In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add onions, carrots and celery, and stir frequently until the onions are translucent. You can make yourself sound extra fancy and call it by its culinary name “mirepoix” (mee-rah-PWAH).
3. Pour in wine, stir around, and allow to cook down for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, and allowing the juices to cook down (about 3 min).
5. Add the garbanzo beans and cook until more tender.
6. Spread out the chard ribbons and blend into the mixture.
7. Splash in some lemon juice (be careful of the seeds!), and taste test with salt and olive oil until its flavor is rich and even. I like to use a lot of olive oil (usually 3 tbsp), but make sure to add it in gradually and taste as you go, otherwise you’ll get an overwhelming flavor.

Tah Dah! All together, this dish takes about 30 minutes, and is worth every moment. Enjoy!