Improvised meals with leftover ingredients in my refrigerator often wind up being the most fun to cook. I suppose it’s due to the element of surprise that comes from tossing ingredients together and hoping for the best. And when the dish comes out tasting delicious, it’s a rewarding reassurance that maybe I do know what I’m doing in the kitchen. So, with red chard leftover from my tacos, I rummaged through my kitchen and decided on a garlic and chard pasta. While the pasta was cooking, I sauteed the chard with some garlic, olive oil, white wine and lemon zest. I mixed in my pasta and topped it with some grated parmesan and sat down to enjoy a light, spur of the moment, flavorful dinner alongside a refreshing glass of white wine. Not bad for a spontaneous weeknight dinner. Here’s how I made it…

Half box Quinoa Linguine
5-6 cloves of garlic cut into thin slices
3-4 pieces of red chard chopped into small pieces
3-4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbs dry white wine
Zest of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan to top with

Cook quinoa linguine for 9 minutes or according to instructions on the box. While pasta is boiling, add olive oil to a medium pan and add garlic. Saute over medium heat or until garlic becomes very fragrant and even starts to brown a little. Add the red chard and white wine and cover and cook over medium heat until chard is soft (about 10-15 minutes). Add lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste and toss in the pan. Drain pasta and add pasta to pan with the chard and garlic. Toss together, remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl, grate a little more lemon zest on top and top with grated parmesan.