Reminiscent of the stuffed cabbage of yore, the flavour profile of these stuffed chard smacks of cozy fall. It looks all fancy, but everything comes together surprisingly quickly. If desired, you can use turkey or pork sausage and brown rice.
Time-saver tip
For larger grains, such as wild rice and spelt, it’s a very good idea to soak them for several hours before cooking. This will slash the cooking time by about a third. If not soaking the wild rice, add roughly 20 minutes to the simmering time.
Sausage-Rice Stuffed Chard with Walnut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) wild rice, uncooked
- 3/4 lb (340 g) cooked chicken sausage, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) dried cranberries
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme
- 8 large Swiss chard leaves
- 1 cup (250 mL) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) walnuts
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup
- 1 tsp (10 mL) lemon zest
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories358
- protein19 g
- total fat15 g
- sat. fat2 g
- total carbohydrates44 g
- sugars23 g
- fibre7 g
- sodium441 mg
Directions
01
In small bowl, place wild rice, cover with water, and let soak for at least 4 hours.
02
Drain rice and place in pan with 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) water and a couple pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until grains are very tender and some have burst open, about 30 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.
03
Stir together rice, sausage, cranberries, green onions, cider vinegar, and thyme.
04
Slice off stems from chard leaves and fillet off any thick ribs running on the backside of the leaves. Place two chard leaves side by side so there is about 25 percent overlap. Scoop about 1 cup (250 mL) rice mixture onto bottom third of leaves and roll up burrito-style, tucking in sides as you go. Repeat with remaining leaves and rice stuffing.
05
In large skillet, place chard rolls and pour in broth. Bring to a simmer and heat, covered, for 5 minutes.
06
Into blender container, pour 3/4 cup (180 mL) broth from skillet and add walnuts, maple syrup, and lemon zest; blend until smooth.
07
Serve chard rolls topped with walnut sauce.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
