Easy Vegetarian Collard Greens recipe, these are the best! Healthy collard greens are simmered in a brown sugar vegetable broth making them full of flavor! Only 68 calories a serving.
With lots of greens to pick in the garden we are having a side dish of collard greens weekly at the dinner table. I love these collards so much I’ve been making a big batch to take to work to eat for lunch a few times a week.
And I love that these collard greens are super fresh, straight from our garden….
To the table!
How to Make Collard Greens Vegetarian
So many Collard Greens recipe call for chicken broth and bacon, but in this recipe I’m using vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian dish. I’m adding a little bit of brown sugar into the vegetable broth to balance out the natural bitter flavor that collards give, but not making it too sweet.
These Collard Greens are so good, you won’t even miss the meat element of the recipe! The vegetable, brown sugar broth is the perfect liquid for these collards to simmer in.
Vegetarian Collard Greens Ingredients
- olive oil
- butter
- red pepper flakes
- minced garlic
- collard greens*
- vegetable broth (did you know you can make your own from broccoli leaves or carrot tops?)
- brown sugar
- salt and pepper
* Tip: If you don’t have a full pound of collard greens, don’t worry. If you have kale, add that in. Sometimes I’ll do 1 pound of collards, sometimes I’ll do 12 oz collards/4 oz kale, sometimes I’ll do 8 oz collards/8 oz kale, it all really depends on what we’re growing in the garden.
How to Cook Vegetarian Collard Greens
You’ll want to start by heating olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Next add red pepper flakes and garlic to give them some flavor. The collard greens are going to cook down a lot so don’t worry if the pot seems super full when you add them!
Next, cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, during this time the greens will become tender.
I hope you enjoy this Vegetarian Collard Greens recipe! Serve them as a side dish to just about anything, from fancy holiday dinners (always on our table for Thanksgiving!) to sloppy joe sandwiches.
Other Vegetarian Recipes You Might Like:
Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes
Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna
Roasted Vegetable Sandwich
Tomato Soup with Cauliflower
Zucchini Tots
Pin for later:
Vegetarian Collard Greens
PrintIngredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 pound collard greens stem removed, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in large pot over medium high heat.
- Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add collard greens to pot and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spoon.
- Add vegetable broth and brown sugar, mixing so the sugar is combined.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cover pot with lid and reduce heat to a low simmer for 45 minutes.
- Season with salt + pepper when serving.
Bethany says
I made these with BBQ wings and my family was begging for the recipe! THANK YOU!
Birt says
Veggie Beth’s vary ingredients. Which brand do you use?
Birt says
Veggie broths
Pamela says
Hey Birt, I like Pacific and Knorr broths.
Janice Short says
Hi Pamela, these collard greens are amazing, the best I ever had! I sauteed a Vidalia onion before adding the garlic, and even the onions taste sweeter than ever. Served this with well- buttered jasmine rice and had an easy to make and delicious lunch. Yum yum yum. Thanks for the great recipe! Janice
PS I also have five cats. Your Fifi looks a lot like my Tinklepuffs, and I’ll bet she’s extra special!
Laura | Food Fun Family says
Looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing with the Delicious Dishes Recipe party this week!
Lisa says
I love collard greens and this recipe sounds so delicious! I think my family would enjoy these! Pinning!
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
I love making collard greens, but have never added brown sugar. Can’t wait to give these a go (Wish I could grab some right out of my backyard 😉 )
Susan says
I’ve never tried collard greens! I do love chard greens and wonder if it tastes similar? The recipe sounds wonderful with the brown sugar added.
Valentina | The Baking Fairy says
This sounds amazing! Love that this is a vegetarian version. I feel like every recipe I find for collard greens always calls for a pound of bacon (or ham). Pinning!
Sophie says
I made your lovely recipe & loved it. I was a bit curious about the sugar in this recipe but it worked out well!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
This looks like a great way to use greens. I have been eating a lot of greens recently, but having them plain – I need to try this!
Monica says
Vegetable stock and a little brown sugar sounds like a great way to cook collards. I’d be happy to eat the whole pot for you!
Alicia@Eco Friendly Homemaking says
Looks so delicious!
Suzanne says
I love collards but often times they are just prepared with too much sweet. Love your gently sweetened approach and that it’s vegetarian. I could have this every day easily.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Delicious!! I wish I lived closer, so I could help you pick the veggies :-)))
Lori I E Koss says
My son is a vegetarian, but grew up on his grandmother’s hamhock greens. I’m going to make this recipe for him. I know he will love them.