Homemade Perfectly Seasoned Collard Greens

Can we get real with each other for a moment, friends?

Confession time.

I’m not the most adventurous cook, baker, or eater out there. I realize I probably just messed up your entire persona of who I am, but that’s the truth.

I blog about food and other fascinating aspects of life like my beloved hens (who still spending their afternoons plotting their great escapes), but I tend to stick to the comfort foods I most love. Hello, I wrote two posts over the last week above potatoes alone. See comfort zone.

Potatoes are a big comfort zone.

I’m kinda jealous of the foodies I mingle with at the market every Saturday morning (read more about my favorite market). Each eagerly reaching for the big balls of kohlrabi, pale parsnips, endive, and odd looking spinach I can’t even pronounce.  They approach those foods with such confidence and ease. I just stand there watching, wondering what to do with a big ol’ root I can barely pronounce.  Do I chop it, slice it, cook it whole? Does it even get cooked? I am just not one to confidently purchase unusual food.

This year I vowed I was going to live life on the wild side and be adventurous with food.  I made a commitment to myself, my pots, my favorite wood cutting board, and my worn knives.  This year would be different. I vowed to take them on food adventures they’d never known.

Each week since that little commitment, I’ve been purchasing just one fruit or veggie or unusual cut of meat which I simply don’t know how to prepare. Something that’s in- season, inexpensive, and leaves me wondering, “What in the world am I going to do with this?”

Since taking that challenge in my small kitchen, I’ve been amazed at the creativity that has been nurtured. When you only have mounds that, I-still-can’t-pronounce-your-name, spinach in your fridge, and a hungry family needing to be fed, necessity becomes the mother of invention.

Today, I’m sharing a recipe that developed from that pledge, Collard Greens.

For years I have watched my family adorn the holiday table with this simple, traditional dish. Each year I have passed the big ol’ bowl of wilted greens, turning my nose at the unusual sight of the collard green.

With collards big and plentiful at the market this Fall, I took the plunge.  Oh my! The taste of freshly cooked collards perfectly seasoned with a beautifully-worn cast iron skillet and pastured bacon is a taste I will no longer pass up. Collards are no longer that feared bunch of unusual looking leaves, but a regular served at our table. One I believe you should fall in love with too. A dish not only to adorn your Thanksgiving table, but the perfect Fall and Winter dish as greens abound.

Didn’t I say I was going to be short and just give a small blurp about each of these holiday recipes I share. Oh, yes, I did say that here. Oops. Okay, wrapping it up.

Let’s get to the goodness, the tradition, the simplicity of well-cooked, perfectly seasoned collard greens.

4.70 from 10 votes

Homemade Perfectly Seasoned Collard Greens

Let’s get to the goodness, the tradition, the simplicity of well-cooked, perfectly seasoned collard greens.

Kristin Marr

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 452 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 bunch collards
• 1 small shallot finely chopped
• 4 bacon slices chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 TB apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Wash, trim, and chop the collards.
• Cook the chopped bacon in a deep skillet or Dutch Oven (like this).
• Add the shallot and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
• Add 1/4 cup chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any bits.
• Add the remaining broth, collard greens, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover.
• Cook for 45 minutes until the greens are soft and liquid reduced.
• Before serving add in the apple cider vinegar.
• Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 18gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 2639mgPotassium: 766mgFiber: 7gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 9535IUVitamin C: 85.4mgCalcium: 466mgIron: 1.7mg

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!