Quick Collard Greens

Enjoy collards any time with this quick collard greens recipe. Thinly cut ribbons of leafy greens sautéed with bits of bacon, onions, and garlic.

This quick collard greens recipe made me fall in love with collards. These are the best collard greens ever!

The collards are cut into then ribbons then sauteed with bits of smoky applewood bacon, onions, and garlic. This amazing side dish is a quick and easy way to enjoy collards any day of the week. 

In the South, you usually see collards make an appearance around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The greens are traditionally stewed (boiled to death) in a large pot with a ham hock. This method of cooking collards can take hours because you have to boil the leaves in pot liquor (or pot likker) to season them well with the ham and to get that bitter taste out of them. Boiling the collards also boils out all their nutritional value right out of them. 

You might assume that just because David and I were both born and raised in the South, we automatically love collard greens. David, yes, but not me. Until now, I’ve never really cared for collards. Southern collard greens are often bitter, and they can turn out really slimy when they are boiled. However, I’ve learned that when cooked properly, collards are delicious. 

Since collard season is upon us, I want to share this quick collard green recipe with you. I’ll show you how easy this recipe is and how good collards can be to get more green leafy vegetables in your diet.

There’s no need to boil them for hours. It only takes 20 minutes!

Let’s make some quick collard greens!

What Are Collard Greens?

Collard greens are loose-leaf vegetables that come from the same family of plants as broccoli, cabbage, and kale. They are grown and enjoyed all over the world from East Africa, southern and eastern parts of Europe, South America, and the southern United States. 

Health Benefits of Collard Greens

A collard plant can grow in stalks up to two feet high. The leaves are full of nutrients and minerals your body craves, such as folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium. Collards are also full of fiber and a powerful source of plant-based calcium.

How to Purchase Collard Greens

Fresh collard greens are typically found in your local grocery store year-round. Collard greens are freshest from fall through winter until spring, usually at the best price. When shopping for collards, look for the following characteristics:

• Choose bunches with small, thin leaves versus large, thick leaves. They have the mildest flavor and will not be as tough as the larger ones.
• Look for dark green leaves that are firm, tender, and perky. Pass up on bunches with lots of wilted leaves or ones that have a lot of brown spots or bug holes. 

You can store collard greens in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days before cooking them. Keep in mind the longer you keep them, the tougher and more bitter than can become.

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Quick Collard Greens

The recipe card at the end of this post lists the full ingredient list with measurements.

Collards: a bunch of fresh collard greens is usually about 8-10 ounces. You’ll need one bunch. You can also make this recipe with mustard greens or turnip greens.

Bacon: You only need about 5 strips of bacon. We love applewood smoked bacon because it has the best flavor. Use your favorite bacon.

Onions and Garlic: diced sweet onion and garlic add a savory-sweet flavor base to the collards.

Sugar: You’ll want to taste the collards before adding sugar. White sugar helps offset any bitterness that the collards may have.

Spice: If you want to add spice to contrast the sweet savoriness, you can add a pinch (or two) of red pepper flakes. You can substitute the pepper flakes with hot sauce.

Salt: Kosher salt can also help take away bitterness and bring all the flavors of the collards together.

How to Make Quick Collard Greens

Prepare The Collard Leaves

1. Take the bunch of collard leaves apart. Remove any yellow or wilted leaves within the bunch. The leaves have a tough stem. Cut the thick center rib out of each collard green leaf. 
2. Stack each stemless collard leaf in a pile and roll them up like you would a cigar. Slice the rolled leaves into ½-inch thick ribbons. Pick the ribbons up with your hands and shake them out of the rolls. Give the ribbons a few rough chops to make them shorter.
3. Put the collards inside the drain bowl of a salad spinner or a colander. Toss the collards under cold water to wash off the grit and dirt. Allow them to drain well or spin in the salad spinner. Make sure they are as dry as possible before cooking.

Cooking:

1. Add the diced bacon and onion to a heavy Dutch oven (with a lid) over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy and the onions are translucent; about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the garlic cloves and sugar, stirring constantly until fragrant (about 1 minute) before adding the collard greens. Toss the collard greens with the onions, bacon, and garlic. Place the lid on the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender in texture; about 5 minutes.

Seasoning & Serving:

1. Give the collards a taste and season with salt as needed. Stir in the red crushed pepper flakes to taste before serving for a little spice (optional).
2. Serve warm.

To get the most out of collard greens, try this recipe. I believe you will fall in love with them and enjoy them more often. 

Other Collard Recipes:

You can even eat collard leaves raw as a wrap in these Rainbow Rollups. This is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes. Check out the recipe [HERE]