Beef Swiss Chard Rolls

Mix up your cabbage roll routine by using swiss chard leaves! The sharp cheese tames any bite and make for the perfect flavor!

Texture is key. In thinking this recipe through, a meatball inside of a green is a fairly soft profile. To keep things interesting, and also embrace the swiss chard, I decided to keep the stem involved by chopping up and adding to the meatball. Additionally, I chopped some hazelnuts to add crunch. While any nut will do, I chose hazelnut because it’s fairly neutral in flavor and will not compete with seasonings used here, but pine nuts would be another good choice. If you are a texture lover as well, load up those onions and go nuts with nuts!

Every girl crazy ’bout a sharp dressed…meatball? I’ll hold the soundtrack to this meal, but you get my point 🙂 With any vegetable that can have a bitter or spicy flavor, the pressure is on the supporting ingredients to help balance this out. While any sauce would work, this is the rationale behind the tomato sauce and vinegar choices underneath. As it steams the roll, this acid helps to break down the greens a bit, while inside, the feta infuses into the meat. As much as I love feta and wish it would have been otherwise, this taste did not really come through as much as a subtle creamy undertone, which worked beautifully! Overall, this swiss chard had no bite at all and the tester kitchen around was amazed at the flavors!

Looking for some great ways to use those tougher greens? Check out some of these other recipes:

Wilted Arugula Salad with a Hot Bacon Vinaigrette

Curried Apple and Kale Salad

Mustard on Mustard Salad with Pickled Radish and Arugula

Blackened Pork Loin with Dandelion Green Chimichurri

Summer is here and I am LOVING trying out these seasonal ingredients in my kitchen! Follow along as I search for farmers markets and fun ways to cook creatively with what the week produces!

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Beef Swiss Chard Rolls

Hannah

Mix up your cabbage roll routine by using swiss chard leaves! The sharp cheese tames any bite and makes for the perfect flavor!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine French, Lebanese, Mediterranean

Servings 2

Equipment

• Baking Dish
• Aluminum Foil
• Mixing bowl
• Kitchen knife
• Stock Pot for boiling water only
• Bowl for ice bath

Ingredients

  

• 8-10 large Swiss Chard leaves, with stems
• 1/4 medium Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/3 cup Feta
• 1/3 cup White Cheddar Cheese
• 1 sprig Thyme
• 1 tsp Oregano
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/3 cup Hazelnuts (or pine nuts)
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 2/3 cup Tomato Sauce
• 2 tsp White Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Sweetener

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350. On stove, bring a pot of water to a boil.
• Clean chard leaves and remove stems. Chop the stems into small pieces (1/4') and add to your mixing bowl.
• Place the leaves in the hot water for just a few minutes to tenderize. Remove and place in a bowl of ice water.
• Back to your mixing bowl, combine garlic, onion, thyme, oregano, chopped hazelnuts, feta cheese, beef, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands and form into oblong meatballs, in the same quantity as leaves.
• In your baking sheet, add tomato sauce, vinegar and sweeter, and stir together, spreading over the bottom of the pan.
• Take each leaf (I find it helpful to dab on a paper towel), and placing meatball at the end, roll tight like a tortilla or spring roll. Set in baking sheet.
• Once all leaves are rolled, cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Top with white cheddar cheese and return to oven to melt.
• Serve hot with a bit of the tomato sauce drizzled over. Enjoy!

  Great served with cauliflower rice!

Keyword Beef, Feta, Healthy, Keto, Low-carb, Swiss Chard