It's no secret that fall produce is great for you. In fact, it’s one of the most nutritious foods around. Because greens come in many varieties, they can be used for several different dishes ranging from hot and cold. Use crispy greens to make a light and refreshing salad or sauté savory greens like spinach and add them to a warm cooked meal.
While kale often takes the spotlight for being one of the freshest fall greens around, it's not the only green-colored superfood hitting the shelves this season. In fact, there are several other fall and winter greens that are just as great for you and readily available as kale. To discover which greens you should begin adding to your seasonal menu, we've come up with a complete fall greens guide. Use this guide to help prepare for your seasonal grocery store runs. We're confident you won't be disappointed.
Mustard Greens
When we talk about mustard, we're not exactly talking about the condiment. Instead, we mean mustard greens, a leafy vegetable pulled straight from the garden. The perfect substitute for kale and other leafy produce, mustard greens feature an assertive and spicy flavor that tastes great in fall and winter dishes.
Ways to Use Mustard Greens
Mix Into a Casserole
Still a bit unsure about making mustard green the main part of your meal? Ease into this delicious green by first combining it with your favorite casserole recipe. The sauce and other ingredients in the casserole will complement the flavor of the mustard greens, to make a meal even green skeptics will be raving about.
Not sure where to start when it comes to baking a casserole? This Cheesy Polenta Casserole Recipe is great for beginners.
Bake Into a Frittata
Italy is known for using bitter greens in their recipes, and a frittata is no exception. To add mustard greens to your next frittata, sauté the greens with savory ingredients like onion, and then add the eggs before cooking. Easy to make, delicious frittatas can be brought to any occasion.
Serve Mustard Greens with Meatballs
Trying to cut back on carbs? Instead of enjoying your usual meatball recipe with pasta, try serving it over a bowl of greens instead. To make the flavors come together, be sure to cook the greens and the meat in the same pan.
Mizuna
Staying close to the mustard family, mizuna is a green that tastes similar to arugula. It tolerates colder temperatures, and in the garden, it's a fall green that is easy to harvest throughout winter. Mizuna can be eaten fresh and worked into salad recipes or sautéed into more savory dishes. Although it's considered a green, it comes in purple in green varieties and is a popular seasonal produce item.
Ways to Use Mizuna
To use mizuna in your fall meals, try incorporating it into these tasty dishes.
Blend Into Pasta
Greens and pasta are some of our favorite combos. To work mizuna into your next pasta dish, chop and sauté the mizuna in oil and herbs while your pasta is cooking. Once the pasta is drained and ready. Toss the noodles, greens and a bit of pasta water together in a skillet and stir over low heat. Serve with crushed pepper, fresh parmesan cheese and other savory toppings, and enjoy!
For a mizuna-friendly pasta recipe, try this Cassava Pasta.
Add to Risotto
One of the easiest dishes to pair mizuna with is risotto, like this Squash and Mushroom Barley Risotto. Stir a bunch of chopped mizuna into a freshly cooked batch of risotto and voila! You have a delicious Italian dinner complete with leafy green perfection. For a more earthy flavor, pair the mizuna with mushrooms before adding it to the dish.
Work into Stir Fry
Greens make the ideal addition to stir fry. Not only do they boost the nutritional value of a meal, but they also liven up the texture. Pair mizuna with your favorite stir fry vegetables, loads of garlic, ginger and a savory protein like chicken. Here's an Easy Millet Stir Fry Recipe to get you started.
Tatsoi
If you loved both mustard greens and mizuna, then you won't want to pass up the next green on our fall ingredient list. Another green that falls within the mustard family, tatsoi can be found in small bunches that grow low to the ground. It has small leaves that contain a bit of a spicy flavor, making it great in salads and stir fry.
How to Use Tatsoi
Enjoy Tatsoi as a Salad Base
Once thoroughly washed, tatsoi can act as an ideal base for your favorite salad recipes. Use it to replace your usual greens or in a dish that calls for spinach. By simply combining tatsoi with your favorite ingredients and salad dressing, you can create a unique and fun side to surprise your friends and family with this fall.
Cook into Your Favorite Meals
Tatsoi is an incredibly versatile green. Much like spinach, it can be enjoyed raw, steamed, braised, sautéed and stir fried. It also pairs well with other greens like arugula, mizuna and baby romaine. To cook, choose a recipe that calls for a green like spinach or kale and sub tatsoi instead.
Arugula
Already a huge fan of arugula? After reading this article, you're bound to love it even more. Especially once you discover how easy it is to grow! If you regularly use arugula in your recipes, we recommend sowing seeds and harvesting them through fall and winter and well into spring. You'll love having fresh arugula on hand, and your guest will enjoy how fresh your recipes taste.
How to Use Arugula
Make Arugula-Mint Pesto
Have some extra arugula at home? Turn it into a delicious pesto. The flavor of whole toasted almonds and arugula pairs perfectly together and can be served with various meals. drizzle your homemade pesto on fresh-made pasta or pair it with lamb chops to create a dish that will leave your guests running back for seconds.
For a gluten free pasta base to pair your pesto with, try this Easy Homemade Gluten Free Pasta Recipe.
Add to Pizza
The next time you're making pizza at home, add arugula to your list of toppings. When paired with sweeter toppings like sun dried tomato, arugula adds the perfect savory contrast that will leave your stomach and taste buds satisfied.
Beets
Usually, when beets are featured in a recipe, it highlights the roots of this tasty vegetable. And while the roots taste great and are just as great for you, they're not the only part of this vegetable worth eating. The tender young greens found on the stem of beets make for some pretty tasty greens. To grow your beets that provide larger greens, try watering your beets just a little more than usual. Though this may stunt root growth a bit, you'll end up with a luscious green stem fit for including in your favorite meals.
How to Use Beets
Use Beets in Salad
Beet greens are an excellent base for a nutritious salad like this Roasted Beets and Tomato Salad. Use them just as you would lettuce or spinach and top with your favorite ingredients for a delicious meal.
Pair Beets with Protein
Bake or sauté your beet greens and pair them with your choice of protein to add more leafy goodness to any meal. We love topping salmon, steak and chicken with beet greens and a drizzle of dressing!
Chard
It's safe to say that chard is one of the shining ingredients of fall. Found in everything from soups to baked goods, chard is harvested with multicolored stems grown generously in home gardens. On these large stems, chard often holds delicious green leaves that can also be eaten. Compared to other greens, the leaves of chard have a mild flavor and can be added to recipes with the stem still in-tact for a more root-like taste.
How to Use Chard
Mix With Lentils
For a quick, easy and nutritious dinner, mix cooked chard with legumes of your choice. Our favorite blend is mixing lentils, chickpeas and chard leaves to make a veggie-packed healthy lunch option.
Cook Chard into a Tart
Searching for the perfect dinner? We have you covered. Use the chard in your kitchen and add it to your favorite tart recipe. When paired with mushrooms and cheese, this is a meal even meat-eaters won't want to pass up!
Spinach
Just as popular as kale, spinach is a favorite green in fall and winter. Containing powerful antioxidants and nutrients, spinach can be blended, chopped, cooked and baked into countless recipes. Bloomsdale variety is the most popular kind of spinach with large crinkled leaves. For a dish that calls for baby spinach, these can often be found in bags at the grocery store or by picking the young leaves from the spinach stalk.
How to Use Spinach
Add Spinach to Quesadillas
Looking for a quick way to add a boost of nutrition to your kid's favorite snack? Sneak spinach into quesadillas for a green-powered treat everyone at the table will enjoy.
Blend Spinach in Your Smoothie
Spinach is the perfect green to add to your favorite smoothie recipe without stripping it of its sweet flavor. One of the most nutrient dense veggies around, it's a must-have ingredient to work into your healthy meal plan.
And there you have it! A complete list of in-season fall greens and how you can add them to your favorite dishes. From creamy risotto to savory stir fry, there are countless ways you can work seasonal greens into your weekly menu items.
