Collard Greens
Full of salty, sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors, this Collard Greens recipe is the perfect side dish for any meal! It is so easy to make and uses kitchen staples.
Servings 8 servings
Calories 122kcal
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh collard greens (2 1/2 pounds/1125g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- To strip the collard leaves from the stem, start by holding the stem at the base of the leaves with one hand, and pull the stem away with the other hand ripping the leaves from the stem. Or, you can fold the leaves in half so that the stem is on one side, and cut it off with a knife. To cut the destemmed leaves, stack a few leaves on top of each other. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Submerge the greens in a large bowl of water for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse again under running water.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, and cook stirring occasionally until crispy, about 7 minutes. Add the onion to the pot, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook an additional minute.
- In batches, add the collard greens to the pot, stirring and cooking until each batch starts to wilt before adding more. (It might seem like they won’t all fit, but you’ll see how much they cook down!) Add 4 cups of water, the sugar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the greens are desired tenderness, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in the vinegar before serving. Collard greens can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
Notes
- The longer the greens simmer, the softer they will get. If you like more bite to your greens, lean on the shorter end of the cooking time.
- Collard greens freeze wonderfully! Definitely make enough to store. Thaw in the microwave, stove-top, or by placing in the fridge for 24 hours.
- To make this a vegan or vegetarian collard greens recipe, leave out the bacon and substitute the water for vegetable broth for added flavor. You may need less than 1 teaspoon of salt, so keep that in mind when seasoning the greens.
Nutrition
Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 409mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2396IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 0.4mg