The Best Collard Greens
I have been saving up this recipe for a few months anxiously awaiting to share it with you guys. The time has come, the best collard greens are here!
My obsession with collards came last year when I had some authentic ones down South. From there I was obsessed. I came home, got a few bunches of collard greens and promised myself I would try to learn to make them just as good (or at least close!). The outcome is a major mouth watering recipe. When I first made this exact recipe there was silence at the dinner table as we just wanted to savor the taste. Then a few days later they were requested again for dinner. Then a few days later, again. I’m at the point where I love these greens so much I would just have them for dinner, nothing else. They are so good. Just thinking about them gets me all worked up.
I’m kicking myself because we didn’t plant any collard seeds this year. What were we thinking? Don’t worry though, next season there will be collards. And lots of them!
Enjoy this delicious recipe and have a great weekend! Are you doing anything fun?
Looking for a vegetarian recipe? Try my Vegetarian Collard Greens!
The Best Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 slices turkey bacon or regular
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound collard greens chopped
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pot, crumble and return to pot.
- Add garlic to pot and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add collard greens and stir until they begin to wilt.
- Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and brown sugar. Stir.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Oh I love collards this recipe sounds amazing. I’m going to make it this weekend.
Enjoy Suzanne!
I like that you left everything looking light and leafy…Great dish!
🙂 ela
This looks very tasty, esp. for a huge fan of greens like me.
Have a great weekend!
Angie
I love collard greens (and all greens!), and with bacon and chili flakes, they are just the best!
Mmmm I have really fallen in love with collard greens ever since we moved to NC. They are everywhere around here … and I love it! haha Now I need to make them at home!
Great pictures! These look delicious 🙂
I love collard greens too! So healthy. You used turkey bacon, which I do like, but I might have to use the usual kind. But hey, nothing spells love like the smell of bacon wafting through the house.
And I’m so glad you like cats! Love the moving cats on the top of your site. Still trying to figure out how you did that =) I have a one-eyed cat, a coyote got him before we rescued him! My husband just loves that cat, don’t tell him I said that!!!!
Sorry about the two comments, but I love your site! Just liked you on Facebook =) And because my husband likes cats so much, I’m clicking his Like button too.
This looks delicious. Yum.
I could easily obsess over this dish too! Sooooo….flavorful!
You can’t go wrong by pairing these with bacon! I’ve never cooked collard greens at home but this is making me wonder why I don’t!
I’m a fan of collard greens but I’ve got to figure I’ve only eaten it a few times in my life. That needs to change. Great idea on using turkey bacon!
These look amazingly good. I’ve never tried them.
What a great and simple recipe. My husband adores collard greens!
Yum, how I would love to try your recipe. Unfortunately we don’t have them in the part of Mexico I live in. Will have to wait until I go to the States. Thanks for sharing and it really looks scrumptious!
I am very glad that you Yankee folks appreciate our Southern cuisine. However, I suspect that you would be hard pressed to find a native Southerner (NATIVE — not one of the HOARDES of Yankees who have migrated here) using turkey bacon in a mess of collard greens! More likely, the Natives would be using a smoked ham hock. AND, where is the coarsely chopped yellow onion, which is a prerequisite?
You may find that the authentic Southern version is light years ahead of nawthen’ versions.
Hi DocChuck, thanks for stopping by. If you browse around other recipes here you’ll notice my fear of onions.. I just can’t learn to love them! Next time I’ll try to add some onions from the garden for my husband, he will love it. Either way, this Yankee will be sticking with this recipe for years to come! 🙂
I’m going to file this away for when my CSA gives me collard greens! (I’ll probably use regular bacon!)
I have never tried collard greens, but you are making me want to try it!
I have never made Collard greens before! Would love to try this…
Mmmmmmm!!!!!! These look sooooooooo good and all I want to do right now is get my fork into that tasty little bowl of collard greens! *-*
I have never actually tried collard greens before.. but these look amazing. Thanks for sharing.
I have to giggle! We went to a restaurant over the summer, and my oldest ordered something that came with collard greens. They didn’t look appetizing (yours look amazing btw! Bacon stirred in – umm delish!) but we told her she needed to try just one bite. I have a photo of her eating them … she didn’t love them! And she made the most awful face!
I’m absolutely willing to make these – pretty sure your recipe will be given the thumbs up! 🙂
The dish looks very tasty but what are collard greens? Are they the green tops of Swiss chard & the tops of radishes & other veggies???
Hey Sophie, collards are their own vegetable in the Brassica family (that has in it cabbage and broccoli). They are big bushy leafy greens… very delicious!
I’ve only had collard greens a few times at Southern restaurants but I remember really liking them. This looks delicious, especially with bacon!
Girl you know how to make some greens!!! Wowza!
[…] collard greens for the first time this year and I’m hoping for success so I can make this recipe every single […]