Mac and Cheese with Beans and Greens

What is better than chard with pasta? One of my all-time favorites. My friend has been making this dish for her family all summer and wanted to share it. She suggested up to a cup of cheese and up to 4 cups of noodles makes it go over better with the kids. An aversion to whole wheat noodles??? You couldn’t even tell!

Mac and Cheese with Beans and Greens
A recipe from my friends’ friend, which we think was from Cooking Light

2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 onion
1 bunch of chard
1 (15oz) can red kidney beans
4 oz cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil over high heat. Add 2 tsp. salt and macaroni to boiling water. Cook until just al dente (about 6-8 minutes). Drain and return pasta to pot.

2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Finely chop onion and add to pan. Saute, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the chard.

3. Rinse chard well, trim ends, and shake excess water off the leaves. Cut leaves off stems and set aside Finely dice stems and stir into onions. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise, then thinly slice widthwise. Add leaves to onions and stir to mix. Saute 2 minutes.

4. Rinse and drain kidney beans, then add to chard. Reduce heat to medium and cover pan to steam chard until tender, about 5 minutes.

5. Finely grate cheese. Add about 1/4 cup at a time to the drained macaroni, stirring after each addition. The cheese should melt into pasta. Stir in vinegar and pepper and mix well

6. Uncover the chard and stir. It should be cooked through and tender. Add chard mixture to the pasta, stirring well to distribute.

This is a recipe from The Local Produce Party
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/08/local-produce-party.html