Here is yet another winter vegetable that I’ve never thought of fondly…collard greens. In all seriousness, I felt the same way about collard greens as I 
did about kale. I had never tried it before our switch to real food, and I certainly didn’t have any plans to run out and buy any. However, once I started to understand the importance of eating locally grown foods that are in season, my views changed. So I set out to find a way to make collard greens into a tasty dish that didn’t take all day long to cook (it only takes about 25 – 30 min).
This recipe is also a perfect example of flavoring your meal with meat rather than having meat as the main course. You could pair it with some baked sweet potatoes and whole-wheat biscuits to make one delicious, filling and healthy meal. I do want to preface this recipe though by saying that my children have been accepting of most of what I have posted so far, but as you can imagine this unfortunately is not one of them!
Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 bunch collard greens, we have also used a combination of collard and mustard greens, rinsed
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- salt, to taste
Instructions
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Remove the center ribs from the collard greens and discard. Cut the leaves into small strips (we used culinary scissors).
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Place the greens into a large saute pan fitted with a lid. Turn the heat to medium, add 2 - 3 tablespoons of water and cover. Cook for several minutes until leaves are wilted.
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Transfer the wilted collard greens to a plate and wipe the skillet dry. Turn the heat back on to medium and cook the bacon on each side until brown. Drain the bacon on paper towels, but leave the bacon grease in the pan. Break the cooked bacon into small pieces.
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Add the diced onion to the bacon grease in the pan over medium heat. Cook until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
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Add the collard greens back into the pan along with the vinegar, maple syrup, red pepper, and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes until the liquid reduces then add the chopped bacon to the pan and season with salt (if necessary).
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Jamie D
May 22, 2010 at 3:30 pmYum! Can’t wait to make these! Thanks for posting!!! :)
Lisa
May 22, 2010 at 8:46 pmI am so glad to hear someone actually be excited about collard greens! They were actually tastier than I expected with this recipe. Enjoy :)
Jennifer
July 16, 2011 at 11:26 pmWe’re way up north but 2 of my 4 love collards! I had some great ones at a friend house once. She said all she did was sprinkle with water and & steam in the microwave. Haven’t been able to duplicate that one though so we cook them the way you do.
Haley
September 5, 2011 at 11:58 pmI just made these tonight. My husband and I loved them! I had never had collard greens before and I was apprehensive about them but they turned out awesome! Thanks Lisa!
Shari
January 19, 2012 at 9:44 pmI saute them with garlic and a bit of shoyu or tamari, sometime throwing in garbonzos, cashews and a bit of cooked quinoa. Or I just saute them and have sweet potatoes and scrambled eggs on the side for breakfast. Delicious!
joylene
January 19, 2012 at 9:57 pmMy 20 month toddler loves collard greens. He first had them from my husband’s grandmother and gobbled them up. Maybe you need to start them young to enjoy greens. I’ve also skipped the bacon and used carmalized onions in their place with good results. Not bad at all.
Katherine
January 20, 2012 at 6:09 amI make mine in the pressure cooker with a bit of bacon, and the zest and juice of an orange. Oh, and a touch of garlic. Wonderful stuff. Add cornbread and beans and you have a whole meal.
Cristi
January 21, 2012 at 8:26 pmThese were wonderful! Thank you for sharing. I was out of cider vinegar so used balsamic instead. Yummy!
Melissa
April 7, 2012 at 1:51 pmJust tried this and it was very tasty. My husband and I live in the Caribbean and have never had collard greens in our life until now. A neighbor brought some over from his garden. Nice! Not bitter, like I thought..
Lario
January 10, 2013 at 10:07 amWhy discard the center ribs? I know they’re tough and unappealing however, I chop them up very fine and cook them for 10 minutes first. You can’t tell it and I’m thinking it must add some more fiber to the mix.
Waste not want not…
Laure
September 13, 2013 at 3:58 pmI made these last night and it was delish! DH usually hates greens and he had two servings and loved it!
Jamie Dunson
December 11, 2013 at 8:42 amThese are my newfound vegetable and favorite new recipe!!!! Thank you so much Lisa for posting this. I don’t like them sweet so I just omit the maple syrup and their fantastic.
Ros
February 8, 2014 at 10:59 pmI Love Collard Greens, i don’t even cook in some liquid first,I just saute with some oil, onion and Garlic..yummy! I’ll have to try this recipe too!! Thanks Lisa.
Muriah
February 21, 2014 at 11:32 pmMy family has a recipe where we cook a big batch of greens on top of chicken on the bones in a dutch oven- when the chicken is done, the greens finish cooking in the chicken juice while someone shreds the chicken to add back in. The only seasoning I think we use is black pepper and a little soy sauce- it’s one of my favorite dishes from childhood!
rebecca
July 7, 2014 at 10:41 amI have an amazing recipe for collard greens that my 14-year-old adopted daughter from China absolutely loves. If you ask her what her favorite American food is she will always tell you, “collard greens!”…and she’s only been in America for a year and a half:)
2 lb bag of shredded collards
2 (32 oz.) containers of organic, low sodium chicken broth
2 packs of good bacon, chopped
chopped onion
minced garlic
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
sprinkle of salt
in a big stock pot brown the bacon. add onion and saute. add garlic. add collards, broth, and the rest of the ingredients. cover and simmer at least 2 hours… the longer, the better.
You can even add a couple packs of chopped ham for more of a meal. the chicken broth gives it a yummy soup-like quality.
Thanks for all of the inspiration for better health! I frequent this blog and recipe file on a daily basis and have shared it with many people.
Delora
December 1, 2014 at 4:44 pmCollards are as southern as it gets. My kids love them they are 12 and 6 with a dash of homemade pepper sauce on top. I cook mine much the way that Rebecca does.
Beverly
January 31, 2015 at 6:44 pmI tried collard greens for the first time tonight as part of week 5 mini-pledge. This recipe was SOOOO GOOOD!!! OMG – this is my new favorite food! I’m doubling the recipe next time though – I only got 3 servings out of it.
Ashley
February 17, 2015 at 8:36 pmI thought I didn’t really like greens but maybe that’s because I’ve always had them out of a can. I made these for dinner tonight and they were fantastic. Even the husband liked them. Served it with your skillet cornbread and pinto beans. Glad to have a new vegetable side! Thanks :)
Ashley
February 17, 2015 at 8:37 pmForgot to rate it.
Linda
August 11, 2016 at 4:21 amBefore Food Network, I don’t think people in my region knew what collards were. I prefer Swiss Chard, which I know this recipe would work with. My mother used to make Wilted Lettuce, using leaf lettuce, cider vinegar, and bacon — no sweeteners.
Amanda R.
January 23, 2019 at 11:24 amMade this cuz I was craving greens. Delicious!! Served with pork chops and mashed potatoes.