Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin

Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin, delivers great taste and lots of vegetables at the same time! If "Let's eat more vegetables!" is your motto, it is easy to do with this delicious vegetable casserole. Perfect as a side dish or as a meatless meal to enjoy. 

This delicious vegetable casserole is a repeat player on our table.

We have enjoyed Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin many times, and without a doubt, we will again! A vegetable casserole is one of my favorite ways to accomplish getting our daily quota of vegetables. Plus they always taste great! If you are a backyard gardener this recipe is perfect, because Swiss Chard is very easy to grow. Beginning in spring and running through early summer. Swiss Chard can be enjoyed from your garden and from the marketplace.  

Use your favorite variety of Swiss Chard, they are all delicious. 

Swiss Chard like most greens cooks down quite a bit. If you purchase at your local market or cut and gather from your garden, you will need 2 large bunches. But to be honest, three bunches of Swiss Chard would not be too much! I have made this dish with bunches of Rainbow Chard as characterized by the yellow stems and solely with Red Chard. If you look closely you can see the difference in the photos provided. Either way this is one vegetable casserole that is delicious every time you make it!

We do recommend using Gouda Cheese for this recipe. 

While most of our recipes call for basic pantry ingredients, this recipe for Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin has an ingredient that might not be in your pantry on a regular basis. But if you do not have Gouda Cheese,  Cheddar is a fine substitute. I do encourage you to make it with Smoked Gouda at least once because the flavor is superb! The thinly sliced sweet potatoes cook to a soft melty deliciousness almost becoming part of the sauce. For the size of the recipe, the amount of cheese seems small. I encourage you to not use more, this is a casserole to honor the vegetables, and they are delicious!

No more grit in your greens!

Concerned about grit in your greens? Swiss Chard like most greens is easily cleaned with a short soaking in a sink of tepid water with a splash of white vinegar. Let soak 10 minutes, then gently lift the chard upwards allowing the water (and the grit) to run off, return the greens to the water, and lift again. Let soak another 10 minutes. Finally lift the Swiss Chard out of the water, drain the sink and rinse the Swiss Chard briefly if you are concerned about any left behind vinegar. But I have never found it to be a problem. Drain the Swiss Chard well, and proceed with the recipe...

I encourage your family to fall in love with vegetable casseroles, they are a great way to get more vegetables into the meals served and most like this Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin make a great stand in as the main dish for any meatless meal or ongoing as a frugal alternative to serving meat. Plus they taste delicious!

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• swiss chard
• sweet potato
• onion
• garlic
• cooked white beans
• olive oil
• butter
• flour
• salt & pepper
• thyme
• nutmeg
• milk
• Smoked Gouda Cheese, or cheddar

You will also need the following:

• chefs knife
• cutting board
• stirring spoon
• large sauté pan
• large baking pan

Now we are ready to begin!

Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin
adapted from:  spilling the beans
375-degree oven

UPDATED: 02.24.2023

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large bunches of chard, leaves, and stems both, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c milk
4 cloves garlic finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg
1 large or equal amount of smaller sweet potatoes, peeled and cut 1/8 inch thick -
2 c cooked white beans or 1- 16 oz. can beans drained and rinsed
1/2 t finely crushed thyme leaves
freshly grated nutmeg
2 c grated Gouda, smoked Gouda if possible or Cheddar

Drizzle oil in a large pan, add onion and sauté until onion is golden brown.

Add chard (in batches if necessary) season with salt and pepper to taste, cook until the chard wilts and cooks, and there is no moisture left in the pan.

Transfer the swiss chard mixture to a bowl. When cooled slightly, Taste again and season with salt and pepper if needed. You want the chard to be flavorful, but not overly salty.

Using the same pan, add butter to the pan, when melted stir in the flour.

Cook and stir over medium, add garlic, and milk.

Let simmer until thickened, stirring constantly.

Season with salt and pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. 

Prepare a baking dish (butter or pan spray, you decide) layer in the following manner:

Up to half of the sweet potato slices in a single layer, season with Salt & Pepper, and freshly grated Nutmeg.

Half the beans, sprinkled with half of the thyme,

Half of the chard mixture, 

Cover with half the white sauce and half the cheese

Repeat layers with seasoning as directed. Note regarding the sweet potato slices, do not use more than a single layer of slices. You may have some sweet potato slices leftover. Save them for another use. 

Cover baking dish with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Storage options for Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. While this recipe may be frozen, it is not recommended due to the loss of flavor and texture upon thawing. However is frozen, thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin has been included below. 

You may also enjoy: 

Gratin of White Beans with Cream and Fresh Tomatoes. 

#wholefoodingredients

#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily

Thanks for stopping by!

We offer new and delicious recipes as well as DIY ideas for your home, regularly. Feel free to drop us an email request for any question or recipe you may be looking for. In addition, like all our guests, we invite you to come for a visit again and again for new recipes, and my down-home take on frugal ways to keep your home in tip top shape. 

Hey you, don’t miss a post! Please consider following Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household. To follow by email, and/or by RSS feed, complete the application located on the right-hand side of the blog. Please Note, some posts may contain affiliate links, thank you for supporting Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household.

PS, friends, and family who love good food and household ideas might love us too! Tell them about us, and thanks for the referral!

You may also enjoy, Creative writing from the heart... stories of life, living, and family.

Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household proudly shares with these generous link parties featured here

Printable "copy and paste" version:

Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin
adapted from:  spilling the beans
375-degree oven

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large bunches of chard, leaves, and stems both, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c milk
4 cloves garlic finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg
1 large or equal amount of smaller sweet potatoes, peeled and cut 1/8 inch thick -
2 c cooked white beans or 1- 16 oz can beans drained and rinsed
1/2 t finely crushed thyme leaves
freshly grated nutmeg
2 c grated Gouda, smoked Gouda if possible or Cheddar

Drizzle oil in a large pan, add onion and sauté until onion is golden brown.

Add chard (in batches if necessary) season with salt and pepper to taste, cook until the chard wilts and cooks, and there is no moisture left in the pan.

Transfer the swiss chard mixture to a bowl. When cooled slightly, Taste again and season with salt and pepper if needed. You want the chard to be flavorful, but not overly salty.

Using the same pan, add butter to the pan, when melted stir in the flour.

Cook and stir over medium, add garlic, and milk.

Let simmer until thickened, stirring constantly.

Season with salt and pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. 

Up to half of the sweet potato slices in a single layer, season with Salt & Pepper, and freshly grated Nutmeg.

Half the beans, sprinkled with half of the thyme,

Half of the chard mixture, 

Cover with half the white sauce and half the cheese

Repeat layers with seasoning as directed. Note regarding the sweet potato slices, do not use more than a single layer of slices. You may have some sweet potato slices leftover. Save them for another use. 

Cover baking dish with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Storage options for Swiss Chard White Bean and Sweet Potato Gratin. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. While this recipe may be frozen, it is not recommended due to loss of flavor and texture upon thawing. However is frozen, thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

~~~~