EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PREPARE A POT OF THE BEST SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS EVER!
Collard greens are such an incredible plant full of nutrients, and flavor and fun way to cook greens.
Let’s make a pot of the best collard greens ever. This collard greens recipe is super simple, and they just might become your favorite greens as well!
Now comes the fun part! Time to prepare our collard greens! This collard greens recipe creates the BEST pot of Southern Collard greens! The result is tender, savory greens and my family just loves them! I hope you and your family will too! Let’s get started!
SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS RECIPE
How to make the best Southern Collard Greens! Full of flavorful ingredients and easy to make
Course: Side Dish Vegetable
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Servings 5 people
Ingredients
Collard Greens Wash Solution
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
3 tablespoons salt
Southern Collard Greens
2 bunches fresh collard greens (see note)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup finely diced onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4-5 cups chicken broth (can replace 1 cup with water if desired)
1 fully-cooked smoked turkey leg or wing (about 13 oz)
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
Applewood smoked salt & black pepper, to season
Instructions
Prep The Collard Greens
Prepare the collard greens bath by filling your kitchen sink with cool water and adding vinegar and salt.
Remove the collard greens from the steams by folding them in half lengthwise and pulling the leaf away from the stem. (discard the stem or see note below on how to cook them)
Place the collard greens into the prepared water bath and swish them around several times, scrubbing them to help loosen up any dirt.
Let the collard greens soak for 15-20 minutes, giving them a scrub midway.
Drain the water and refill with plain water and allow the greens to soak again if needed.
Repeat as many times as needed until the water is free from any dirt or grit.
After the final soak, drain the water.
Next, rinse and scrub each leaf front and back with cool water to ensure they are squeaky clean.
Tear the greens into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
Cook The Greens
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until tender.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant.
Pour in the broth and add the turkey leg. Bring to a boil.
Add collard greens and reduce heat to a simmer.
Cover and cook collard for 1 hour (or longer depending on your desired tenderness), stirring regularly.
Once done, stir and then taste the broth and the greens. (add a little water if the broth is too bold for your liking)
Stir in vinegar and smoked salt, and black pepper if desired.
Serve collard greens with pieces of the smoked turkey leg and hot sauce if desired.
Notes
How much is a “bunch”? This recipe uses 2 bunches which were roughly under 2 lbs each before removing the stems. (There were about 20 leaves in each bunch. If you buy your whole collard green leaves from the grocery store, they are usually already in a bunch) After removing the stems, the leaves weighed a little over 1.5 pounds.
To cook the collard green stems: Dice them up and add them to a pot of water or broth. Simmer until very tender. Eat as is or stir it into the collard greens or other dishes.
A LIGHTER ALTERNATIVE
HOW TO MAKE COMPLETELY HEALTHY EVERYDAY COLLARD GREENS
Southern-Style Collard Greens is a special occasion side dish and not the only way to enjoy delicious collard greens! If you’re looking to add healthier collard greens to your weekly menu, try preparing them this way:
- Heat olive oil in a pot and add diced onions and diced red bell peppers. Cook until tender and add minced garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Season warm spring water with a dash of liquid aminos, nutritional yeast powder, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasonings, black pepper, lemon juice, and salt (if desired). Taste and adjust seasonings until it has a nice flavor. Pour liquid into the pot and bring to a boil.
- Add prepared greens (greens should have stems removed, wash and torn into pieces). Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour or until greens are tender.
- Taste and add additional seasonings like vinegar, salt, and pepper if needed.
VEGAN SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS
Going vegan does not mean sacrificing Southern-Style Collard Greens! Check out my tutorial below for a vegan collard greens recipe. Vegan collard greens use fresh collard greens, onion, garlic vegetable broth, and smoked salt to replicate the smokiness from meat.
And that’s it!! You have just created one amazing pot of Southern soul food collard greens!! Enjoy! Don’t forget to make a batch of cornbread or your favorite bread on the side!
And that’s it!! You have just created one amazing pot of Southern soul food collard greens!! Enjoy! Don’t forget to make a batch of cornbread or your favorite bread on the side!
The Naturally Blooming 