Southern Collard Greens Recipe
My collard greens recipe has the right amount of garlicky flavor and is well seasoned with just a few dry spices and fresh veggies. Plus, the red and orange bell peppers add such a vibrant color to make this dish pop.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches Collard greens
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup diced onions
- ½ cup diced bell pepper (I recommend using orange &/or red bell peppers)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 fully cooked smoked turkey leg
- ¼ tsp Garlic salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- Garlic powder (Season for taste)
- Onion powder (Season for taste)
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Note: Start out by adding a small amount of the dry seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder); then throughout cooking time - make adjustments on seasoning the greens. It’s based on your taste preference.
Instructions
- Prep & clean the collard greens beforehand.
- Chop up the onion, bell peppers, and minced garlic. Then set the veggies to the side.
- On medium high heat, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and bell peppers. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, add the minced garlic and sauté the garlic for a minute or until the garlic is fragrant. (Note: don’t burn the garlic)
- Add the chicken broth to the pot & add all the dry seasonings except for the red pepper flakes.
- Allow the liquid to come to a boil & add the smoked Turkey leg.
- Simmer the smoked Turkey leg for 1 hour & 30 minutes on medium heat.
- Then, remove the turkey leg from the broth and cut the turkey leg into small bite size pieces.
- Add the turkey leg pieces and skin back to the broth. Add the cleaned collard greens and the crushed red pepper flakes to the pot.
- Stir everything together, the collard greens will start to wilt down.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook the greens for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes or more.
- The cooking time is based on your preference & the desired tenderness of the collard greens. I usually allow my greens to simmer/ cook for 2 to 3 hours on low medium to medium heat.
- Make sure you stir the greens throughout the cooking time. (If you need to add water, you may do so)
- Once the greens are almost done, do a taste test and adjust or add more seasoning if needed.
- Serve the collard greens with vinegar, hot sauce, & buttered corn bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Prep the collard greens before cooking:
Feel free to use whatever method you prefer to clean your greens, but these are the steps to how I clean my greens.
Note: You can buy fresh collard greens, or you can use bagged collard greens for this recipe.
Steps:
First, if you’re using fresh collard greens- remove the stems from the greens. Chop the greens into smaller pieces.
Clean the collard greens in a sink full of cold water or in a very large bowl.
Add vinegar & salt to the water, then add the greens to the vinegar salt water solution.
Allow the greens to soak for 1 hour, throughout this time scrub the greens a few times as they soak.
After 1 hour drain the water. Refill the sink or bowl with plain cold water only & let the greens soak for an additional 30 minutes.
Drain the water for a second time. Afterwards just rinse the greens off a few times under running cold water.
Here’s a collard greens wash solution that I use:
- 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons salt