Southern-Style Collard Greens
Collards simmered low and slow with smoky bacon, onion, garlic and a splash of vinegar until silky and tender, with plenty of savory pot likker.
Nutrition per serving
¾ cup- Net carbs
- 4.9g
- Calories
- 114kcal
- Protein
- 9.1g
- Fat
- 4.7g
- Total carbs
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 6.4 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Vegetarian (smoky): Olive oil, vegetable broth and smoked paprika bring the smoky depth without any meat.
- Soften the onion in the olive oil instead of bacon fat, add the smoked paprika with the garlic and use vegetable broth.
With smoked sausage: Coins of smoked sausage simmered with the greens make a hearty one-pot meal.
- Brown the sausage with the bacon, then carry on with the onion. It simmers with the greens and seasons the pot likker; check the label for added sugar.
Mixed greens: Half collards, half mustard greens — the peppery mustard greens cook faster and add a pleasant bite.
- Simmer the collards for 25 minutes before adding the mustard greens, then cook 20–30 minutes more, until both are tender.
- Nice to have (optional)
-
6 slices baconleave out - Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $8.75 for 6 servings ($1.46 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Wash the collards in a sink of cold water, lifting them out so the grit stays behind; repeat if the water looks sandy. Strip the leaves from the thick center stems, stack them, roll them up and slice into 1-inch (2.5 cm) ribbons.
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In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon 6–8 minutes, until browned and the fat has rendered.
-
Add the onion and cook 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes for 30 seconds.
-
Pour in the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil. Add the collards a few handfuls at a time, stirring each batch down as it wilts.
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Cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, stirring now and then, until the greens are silky and tender with no chewiness left.
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Season with salt and pepper and serve in bowls with some of the pot likker, with extra vinegar and hot sauce at the table.
Tips for success
-
Collards are tough when raw and need a long, gentle simmer to turn tender — taste a piece before you call them done. - The broth they cook in, called pot likker, is full of flavor. Serve it with the greens, or sip it from a mug.
- Many Southern cooks add a spoonful of sugar to round out the bitterness; the vinegar and bacon do that job here. Serve with pulled pork, crispy chicken and keto "cornbread".
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Reheat in a covered pot over medium-low heat, or microwave with some of the pot likker.
Prep tip: Freeze in portions with plenty of pot likker so the greens stay moist.
Collards taste even better the next day. Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze them with their liquid for up to 3 months.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosVegetarian (smoky)
DietOlive oil, vegetable broth and smoked paprika bring the smoky depth without any meat.
- chicken broth → vegetable broth
- + 2 tbsp olive oil
- + 1 tsp smoked paprika
- no bacon
5.4 g net · 107 kcal · 5.2 g protein · 5.6 g fat · ≈$1.41 per serving (+0.5 g net carbs vs the original)
With smoked sausage
ProteinCoins of smoked sausage simmered with the greens make a hearty one-pot meal.
- + 12 oz smoked sausage
5.4 g net · 289 kcal · 16 g protein · 21 g fat · ≈$2.03 per serving (+0.5 g net carbs vs the original)
Mixed greens
VeggiesHalf collards, half mustard greens — the peppery mustard greens cook faster and add a pleasant bite.
- collard greens → collard greens
- + 2 bunches mustard greens
5 g net · 111 kcal · 8.9 g protein · 4.6 g fat · ≈$1.57 per serving (+0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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