Vegetarian White Bean and Chard Stew

Not too long ago, dear hubby and I realized that we were tired of eating the same old thing. We are pretty good meat-eaters, so to change things up, I made something vegetarian.

I had some chard in the fridge from our garden and some canned beans in the pantry. I started tossing things in a pot and ended up with a tasty bean stew.

If you want to go vegan on this, swap out vegetable broth for the chicken broth and forget the genuine Parmegianno cheese. You might want a soy/vegan cheese instead. Although the cheese adds a nice depth of flavor, it's not required.

Also, I made this once without the tomatoes and it was equally tasty. So feel free to leave them out if you're not a tomato fan.

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons EVOO olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans or small white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, cut into short ribbons
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 can low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Shaved Parmigiano cheese

Method
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add onion, season with freshly ground black pepper, and stir to combine. Cook until onion is golden brown and soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking about 2 minutes more.

2 Add chard and tomatoes. Continue cooking about 3 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans and broth. If you want it less soupy, use slighlty less broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender and broth has thickened, about 10 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, salt, and vinegar. Season with additional freshly ground black pepper as desired.

5. Ladle into bowls and top with a sprinkle of parm. Don't forget sliced French bread or garlic bread to sop up the juices.