Swiss Chard Slab Pie

Swiss Chard Slab Pie
Meredith Heuer for The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
5(619)
Notes
Read community notes

This crowd-pleasing recipe by Justin Chapple comes from Kristin Donnelly's book "Modern Potluck" and makes the most of Swiss chard, using both leaves and stems to fill a vegetarian slab pie with a buttery, peppery crust. That filling, tangy with reduced white wine and bound with sour cream, tastes just as good warm as it does cold, and can feed a crowd any time of day. Note: Wash leaves and stems thoroughly to avoid any traces of grit in the finished pie. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: Review: Practical Magic for the Modern Cook

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

    For the Dough

    • 3cups/360 grams all-purpose flour, more for dusting work surface
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½teaspoon black pepper
    • cups/283 grams cold unsalted butter (2½ sticks), cubed
    • cup ice water

    For the Filling

    • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1large red onion, finely chopped
    • 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    • Kosher salt, to taste
    • 1tablespoon ground coriander
    • 1tablespoon ground ginger
    • Pinch red pepper flakes
    • 3pounds/1.4 kilograms red Swiss chard, stems separated and cut into ¼-inch pieces, leaves roughly chopped
    • ½cup/118 milliliters dry white wine
    • ¾cup/168 grams sour cream
    • Black pepper, to taste
    • 1egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

511 calories; 38 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 640 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse flour with salt and pepper. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal, with some large pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle ice water on top and pulse just until dough comes together. Scrape onto a work surface, divide in half, and pat each half into a 6-inch square. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.

  2. Step 2

    Make the filling: In a pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and a generous pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, ginger and red pepper flakes. Add chard stems and cook until just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in chard leaves in large handfuls, letting them wilt before adding more. Add wine, reduce heat to medium, and cook until leaves are tender and liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a colander to cool completely and drain. When cool, mix chard with sour cream and season with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Slide dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread filling evenly, leaving a 1-inch border. Roll out remaining dough and ease it over the filling. Fold the rim over itself and pinch edges to seal. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie and brush with egg wash.

  4. Step 4

    Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until crust is golden and cooked through. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ratings

5 out of 5
619 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

I've made this slab pie twice. The first time I followed the recipe exactly, but I felt that it needed more tang to complement the chard. I subbed in a feta cheese the second time around, and it came out perfectly.

the accompanying article mentions vinegar in the dough, but is not listed in the ingredients. how much should be added and when, please?

Just made this, well a variation out of necessity. Used store-bought puff pastry, substituted greek yoghurt for the sour cream, and, since my daughter is a supertaster, was going to go with Greek herbs but had to use herbes de Provence (no oregano in the pantry). Got raves from my guests. Made a great dinner with chicken, potatoes and carrots all from the farmer's market and roasted. Would make a tasty breakfast with a fried egg and some lovely home fries. Will definitely make again!

Loved making this recipe during quarantine, but found we had enough filling for two separate pies...so definetly less if using chard. However, biggest game changer was replacing sour cream with goat cheese. Might be a more expensive fix, but WOW, the tart cheese with the bitter chard balanced each other perfectly. Also made for a richer slab pie. Will definetly try to make again! Love!

Made this, loved it. I added some golden raisins and they gave it a nice sweet and savory flavor. The pastry was great -- super flaky.

This recipe was wonderful. You definitely need the 3 lbs. of chard and I took the advice from one of the comments about adding feta - the filling did need a little something. I added dill as well. It is basically a Greek horta pie. The dough was easy to work with and very forgiving. I had let my butter get too soft before putting it in the food processor and it still turned out fine. Will definitely make again. Agree that it can be served at any temperature.

I used puff pastry and it was delicious! But, it cooked faster - about 40 minutes.

It's all in the crust, it's a double-crust pie -- if you are cutting calories, you could do this as a pot pie with just one crust. Or use a lower-calorie topping, like breadcrumbs. Or just eat the filling.

I also used Greek yoghurt in place of sour cream. Took it to a potluck and it was gone before anything else. I drained the filing mixture, then reduced the liquid to add back in. So good!
This recipe is a keeper. The egg wash makes the pastry beautiful.

Made this twice so far, and found it reliable and flexible. Throw any mixture of greens into that peppery butter crust and its great. First time used collards and kale; second time used mustard greens, rainbow chard, Thai basil, parsley, and cilantro. I'm sure the sour cream is great; both times I made a vegan sour cream, and used a cider vinegar dilution instead of the wine. Made multiple pies to feed a Zen crowd of 30 and the work was totally reasonable. A keeper!

This is beyond a doubt my favorite chard recipe. My husband just said that he can't understand why but it neutralizes all the negative things about chard. The sturdiness of the greens really holds up. I make the recipe for the dough and filling and then split it up and freeze parts of it to bake later- the recipe is gigantic but the components freeze well (before assembling). Thaw for a day in the fridge. Perfect picnic food- I brought it to my great American eclipse picnic.

I had about 3/4 lb of swiss chard, so I made 1/3 crust recipe and 1/4 filling recipe and from this made two “hand pies”. They were quite lovely. Two of us split one as a side to a chickpea stew and it was plenty. We froze the other. This is a very nice way to treat swiss chard, a bit reminiscent of torte de blettes. I did add a few raisins and a bit of goat cheese to the filling. Overall, the dish is quite easy to assemble though it does take a bit of time.

On the other hand, I had to add more wine because the juices all cooked off so quickly; and at the "draining stage, I got so little liquid --- and that was so tasty --- that I just added it back in. I wonder if it's a function of the chard that you use? Some has a lot more liquid than others, depending on varieties, cultural practice and freshness. I used Fordhook Giant fresh from the garden where the only watering this last month has been from rainfall here in the Northeast US.

I don't see why not, although spinach would take less time initially, and you might need a little more for the finished volume, since it has more water and cooks down more. I tend to sub in Swiss Chard (which I love) for spinach dishes when my spinach has bolted and the chard is producing beautifully in late summer and fall.

The filling on its own is a spectacular side (perhaps over rice?). I was eating the filling out of the bowl with a spoon. Disregard all notes saying "Don't drain it!". You will get soggy layers. If you can tilt the pan and see liquid pool up, drain that out. If after the 15 minute cook time there's no clear excess liquid, you'll be fine. I added raisins, but didn't think they were necessary--the dairy you add in contains just enough sugar to keep it balanced.

Has anybody tried freezing this? We're only two people and there's no way we can finish this amount of food 😅

Used phyllo dough and made something similar to spanakopita but with chard. Worked perfectly!

Made this with puff pastry and subbed in sour cream with whole milk Greek yogurt. Yum!

Lucky friends if you bring this to a potluck. Made as directed except used a combo of kale and Swiss chard for the greens, and subbed fresh goat cheese for the sour cream (used 8oz)—bc that’s what I had available. I’d never used the coriander/ginger combo like this and yes— use a full tablespoon each! I made this over two days (crust Saturday/rest Sunday morning). Glad I got up early to finish. The time is grossly underestimated in the recipe—double it so you aren’t late to your potluck!

A lot of swiss chard in the garden this summer and this uses a LOT. I made only a 1/2 recipe! Used some feta as suggested in other's notes. Delicious!

Fantastic! Added some sauteed mushrooms & bacon to the filling, doubled the garlic, and instead of the 3/4 c sour cream used a 1 cup combination of feta & goat cheese with a couple spoonfuls of plain yogurt. Will make again often. (Made the dough and washed/trimmed chard the night before).

I will also back up swapping out full-fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream, and adding feta. Just remember to watch your salt content if you do so. Definitely drain thoroughly and consider using a baking stone as well, otherwise it comes out soggy on the bottom.

Love the flaky, flavorful crust! I might experiment with adding turmeric or other spice combinations. For the filling, I used some chard and garlic scapes fresh from the garden and yellow onion. The spice base here was a little too mellow, so I upped the coriander and added Hungarian paprika, a bit of turmeric and cayenne. Topped with some fresh goat cheese, and it baked up so nicely. Will definitely make again and play around with the flavors.

The crust made as is was fabulous. The filling was good, but not great, and as others have said, needs something more. And, I even added feta! I think I will use the crust with another filling I use for empanadas that I love, or may try adding ground turkey?

Made this with mustard greens, swiss chard, dino kale and collard greens. First blanched all of the greens and the ribs of the mustard greens, then cooked as directed. Used Trader Joe’s vegan butter and homemade vegan sour cream to veganize it. Absolutely fabulous and we’ll received by everyone, whether vegan or carnivore. My new favorite way to cook chard and collards.

Maybe try with some ground seasoned Turkey and golden raisin Or more mushroom and some pistachio?

It tasted remarkably like spinach and artichoke dip- which I think would actually be faster and easier to make instead of the chard filling. Washing and prepping the chard took upwards of 40 minutes. Whole thing was over 3 hr and that doesn’t even include the time spent making the dough the night before. Delicious but I probably won’t make it again.

The swearing that went down at my place when cooking this pie would make Gordon Ramsay blush. The measurements for the pastry seemed to be out of kilt. I did not have near enough and it was difficult to work with. Sigh ...

I am a very efficient cook - under no scenario is this a 90 minute meal, even with veg completely prepped. NYT, would adjust to 2.5 hr.

Portion sizes are too small, unless you're eating this a side. Figuring this as six potions worked for me. The recommended amount of ice water was too large for the pie crust. I used 1/3 rather than 2/3 cup and would consider using another butter-based pie crust recipe.

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Credits

Adapted from "Modern Potluck," by Kristin Donnelly (Clarkson Potter, 2016)

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