Welcome back for another “Bad Manners Monday”, where I cook a recipe from the Thug Kitchen 101 cookbook. This week I made this Swiss Chard & Tomato Linguine with Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas. It’s quite the long title, I know. This was a tasty pasta dish though.

Like the title implies, this recipe had linguine, swiss chard, tomato and chickpeas, but there was also kalamata olives which I adore. It was quite a colourful mix of ingredients and worked wonderfully together.

The chickpeas were lightly glazed with balsamic vinegar which gave them a little sweetness and acidity. They were a nice topping for a big bowl of pasta. Of course, the chickpeas also add protein to this dish. It is a nutritionally balanced meal which you can happily serve your family.

The sauce was not your traditional tomato or cream sauce. This one was wine/broth (I used broth)-based and seasoned with garlic, salt and chili flakes. There was also the liquid from the canned tomatoes that added volume to the sauce. It was very simple but delicious. The lightness of the sauce allowed the swiss chard to shine through.

This was a great meatless Monday dinner. You hardly miss the meat when there are so many colourful vegetables and a delicious sauce.