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Collard Greens with Bacon

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Collard Greens with Bacon is a favorite collard greens recipe. I saute some bacon, onion and garlic, then add some chicken broth which I reduce into a delicious sauce, before adding the collards and allowing them to wilt down in the sauce.

Collard Greens with Bacon

Collard Greens with Bacon

Southern collard greens with bacon is a delicious vegetable side dish that is packed full of flavor and can be served with a variety of meat and seafood based main dishes.

Old fashioned collard greens with bacon is a dish you will find being cooked in many kitchens across the Southern states of the US. They taste great with chicken, turkey, pork, beef, or seafood.

There’s very little hands on preparation when making easy collard greens with bacon, and once you have the bacon cooked and the sauce reduced, its simply a case of cooking the collards long enough until then have wilted and become tender.

I like to add apple cider vinegar and a dash of hot sauce to season the greens once they are cooked. This adds acidity and just a touch of heat to the dish. This step is entirely optional and you can leave out if you prefer.

Collard greens are high in fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals. This is a leafy green vegetable we should all be including in our diets.

Collard greens with bacon is a low carb dish. You can also cook gluten free collard greens by ensuring you use a gluten free chicken stock.

Collard Greens recipe ingredients

  • BACON: I used 4 strips of thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
  • ONION: I’ve used a yellow onion, but a red onion would work here too.
  • GARLIC: For the best flavor use fresh garlic cloves, although garlic puree will work in a pinch.
  • SEASONING: I seasoned the greens with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • SUGAR: Granulated sugar is added to the dish to balance out the bitterness from the collards.
  • HOT SAUCE: I like to add a few dashes of hot sauce to add a bit of spice.
  • VINEGAR: Apple cider vinegar adds balance and acidity.
  • COLLARD GREENS: I used 2 pounds of collard greens, stems removed, and sliced into 3-inch-wide strips.
  • BROTH: I add chicken broth or water to the dish. Vegetable broth would work here too.

How to make Collard Greens with Bacon

Collard Greens with Bacon
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon in the skillet until it just begins to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the onion and cook until it’s softened and just starting to brown.
  • Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.
Collard Greens with Bacon
  • Add the chicken broth and simmer until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
  • Return to a simmer. Reduce the temperature to medium-low.
Collard Greens with Bacon
  • Add the collard greens to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until the collard greens have wilted and lost their brightness.
Collard Greens with Bacon
  • Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce.
  • Serve with some of the juices from the pan.

Flavor variations

  • This recipe would work with a variety of other leafy greens. A good substitution for collard greens would be kale, chard, mustard greens or turnip greens. Adjust the cooking times depending on which vegetable you are cooking.
  • If you have roast ham leftover from the weekend’s roast, that would be a great substitution for the bacon and there’s no need to fry it first.
  • Apple cider vinegar adds acidity to the dish, white or red wine vinegar would be good substitutes.

Serving suggestion

Serve my collard greens with a variety of mains including both meat and seafood based dishes. Great with my Garlic Butter Oven Baked Salmon or Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon.

Try it with my Ground Turkey Meatloaf, Crispy Buffalo Spiced Chicken or Honey Pecan Chicken. It would also be fantastic served along with Easy Crock Pot Round Steak or my Oven Baked Chicken Fried Steak.

Recipe hints & tips

  • Leftover collard greens can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove-top or microwave when ready to enjoy.
  • This recipe is easily doubled up if feeding a crowd.
  • For gluten free collard greens ensure you use gluten free chicken broth.
Collard Greens with Bacon

FAQs

Are collard greens the same as kale?

No, they are different plants, but both are part of the brassica family, along with cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli.

What do collard greens taste like?

Collards are a leafy green vegetable, with an intense flavor that is similar but stronger than cabbage, and bitter like kale.

Are collard greens healthy?

Yes, collards are a super healthy vegetable. They are high in fiber and have more calcium and iron than either kale or spinach. They are also high in magnesium and potassium, making them a nutritious leafy green to include in your diet.

Can you freeze collard greens?

Yes, once cooked and cooled, place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before warming through.

Try these great tasting recipes featuring green vegetables here at When is Dinner

Yield: 6

Collard Greens with Bacon

Collard Greens with Bacon

Collard Greens with Bacon is a great tasting and nutritious side dish combining sauteed bacon with wilted collard greens in a chicken broth based sauce.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Several dashes hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, more to taste
  • 2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips (can substitute kale or chard)
  • 1 cup chicken broth, or water

Instructions

    1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon in the skillet until it just begins to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally.
    2. Add the onion and cook until it’s softened and just starting to brown.
    3. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.
    4. Now add the chicken broth and simmer until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
    5. Return to a simmer. Reduce the temperature to medium-low. Add the collard greens to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until the collard greens have wilted and lost their brightness.
    6. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce.
    7. Serve with some of the juices from the pan.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 89Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 292mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 5g

Nutritional information provided is approximate and for guidance only.

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