Whole Wheat Spaghetti With Swiss Chard and Pecorino Cheese

My husband and I enjoyed this dish for dinner on New Year's eve. It was a nice break from all the rich and unhealthy foods we had been eating throughout the holidays. This recipe came from Giada's Family Dinners.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons pine nuts
• 1  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2  onions, thinly sliced
• 2  bunches swiss chard, trimmed and chopped (about 14 cups)
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  crushed dried red pepper flakes
•  salt and pepper
• 8  ounces  whole wheat spaghetti
• 1⁄4 cup  pitted kalamata olive, coarsely chopped
• 2  tablespoons  freshly grated  pecorino cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place the pine nuts on a heavy baking sheet or in a pie tin. Toast nuts in the oven, stirring occasionally to ensure they brown evenly for about 10 minutes or until they are brown. Set the nuts aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the chard and saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, the wine, and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down and the chard is very tender, about 5 minutes. Season the chard mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
3. While performing step 2, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain. Add the spaghetti to the chard mixture and toss to combine.
4. Transfer the pasta to bowls; sprinkle with pine nuts, olives, and cheese on top and serve.