Confession: I used to shun the chard.

Bulky and mysterious (like its fridge-hog friend, collard greens), chard made it home with me only when the swap box overflowed at the end of pickup day.

Not anymore.

Thumbing through Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty last winter, when the Swiss chard was a weekly sharebox occupant, I ran across a preparation that, after a few tweaks, quickly became a household staple—as in, I make a batch just about every other week.

We’ve used it as a side (try it with these yogurt-marinated chicken thighs) and as a main (on its own or over brown rice or farro). Bonus: if you prep the greens ahead of time, it pulls together in under 20 minutes, plus it’s a healthy gem in tomorrow’s lunchbox.

These days, I actually swap for chard. Crazy.

Chard, Carrot & Chickpea Sauté

Serves 4. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, sub in some mint and/or parsley.

• 1 bundle of Swiss or rainbow chard (about a pound)
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus a drizzle at serving
• 1-1/2 cups diced carrots (roughly 2 large or 4 medium)
• 1 13- to 15-oz can of chickpeas (about 1-1/2 cups), mostly drained
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• juice of half a lemon
• plain Greek yogurt
• salt and pepper, to taste

Set a pot of salted water to boil.

Meanwhile, trim and halve the stalks (just so they fit comfortably in the pot), but keep the leaves whole for now, since that makes them a little easier to deal with later on.

Blanch the stalks for 5 minutes. Halfway through, add the leaves.

Drain everything into a colander (in the sink, please), and run cold water through until the greens are cool enough to handle. Squeeze out as much water as you can, then give it all a rough chop. Set aside while you get the carrots working.

In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots and caraway seeds; sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and their liquid, plus the coriander and cumin. Stir to incorporate the spices, then add the chard (both leaves and stems), and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for just a minute or two more. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.

Serve with a dollop or two of the yogurt, another drizzle of good olive oil, and a big pinch of cilantro.