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Rigatoni with Swiss Chard, White Beans and Rosemary
The deep-green leaves of Swiss chard have a flavor similar to spinach, while the crisp stems have a sweet earthiness that’s not unlike beets (the two vegetables are, in fact, related). We use both parts in this hearty one-pot pasta and bean dish, sautéing the stems for a few minutes before wilting the leaves. Pasta, greens and beans all are mild-mannered, so for boldness we add garlic, pancetta, pepper flakes, rosemary and pecorino Romano cheese—classic Italian flavors.
6
Servings
Tip
Don’t rinse the cannellini beans after draining them. The starchy liquid that clings to the beans adds a little body to the sauce. Also, be sure to drain the pasta when it’s shy of al dente, not at the ideal degree of doneness. It will finish cooking when it is returned to the pot and simmered for a few minutes with the chard and a little of the pasta cooking water.
35 minutes
Ingredients
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1
pound rigatoni
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
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01In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
Reviews
July 22, 2026
Simple, fast, and delicious
The rosemary really enhances the swiss chard (make sure you take the time to cut the stems separately), and not rinsing the beans really does give it a unique sauce texture.
November 2, 2025
A 💯 keeper - simple and delicious with fresh Swiss Chard
I recently made some fresh “Marcella” cannellini beans from a great bean source here in Napa Valley. I was about to use the leftover beans for my usual “pasta e fagioli” when I opened my new Milk Street and saw this recipe. Boy, I’m glad I did, incredible. I had some Swiss chard, rosemary, garlic and even olive oil from the garden (we live on a vineyard!), as well as some great pecorino and pancetta from Italy.
I usually don’t do the “use the same pot as the pasta trick,” MS always suggests, but I did this time and it was the bomb in terms of easy prep and taste. The sauce was silky and full of umami, a perfect counterpoint to the fresh chard, instead of my usual tomato based pasta with beans. My wife was cooing. I’m sure canned beans would be great too, keep some in the pantry just for this.
Thank for this keeper recipe - we will be growing more chard this winter just to make this winner! Love my Milk Street, every issue…
January 26, 2023
3 stars
it was fine, didn't get much of a sauce. would have preferred the chard stems a bit more tender and just more flavor overall. Probably wouldn't make again but there might be a really good spinoff with this as a starting point and some sort of very garlicky oily sauce
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