Best Braised Collard Greens Recipes

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cut and trim the collard greens, removing the tough stems. Roughly chop the trimmed greens into 1/2-inch ribbons.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon to leave behind all of the delicious bacon fat to cook the collard greens in.
• Add the onions and red pepper flakes to the same skillet. Depending on the bacon you use, you may need more fat in the pan, so add the canola oil if needed. Saute until the onions are softened, fragrant and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat 30 seconds. Then add the collard greens, stirring constantly until softened. Pour in the chicken broth and wine and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the greens are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Once the greens are tender, return the bacon to the pan, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place ham hocks, salt pork, onion, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and sugar in a large pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
• Stir collard greens into the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, or until greens are tender. Season with red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high. When hot, add ham hocks. When they're sizzling, flip and crisp the other side.
• Add the onions and stir so they are coated in the fat and nestled under and around the hocks. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt and brown sugar, and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Pour in the chicken stock and hard cider and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, until the ham hocks are very tender.
• Remove the ham hocks and allow to cool slightly. Skim the fat off the surface of the stock. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone (discard the fat and the skin) and chop into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Bring the stock back to a boil, then add the greens in large handfuls, pressing them down to wilt in the hot stock before adding more leaves. Add the reserved ham hock meat.
• Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the greens are silky and tender. Season with salt and serve with hot sauce and a splash of apple cider vinegar, if desired.

COCONUT-BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Cut off and discard any dry or wilted bits from the collard greens and wash the remaining collards in cold water. Transfer to a colander to drain, then coarsely chop the stems and leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces.
• In a large wok or skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high until rippling. Add scallions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add collards and cook, stirring, just until wilted, about 1 minute.
• Add coconut milk and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until collards are cooked to your taste, about 7 minutes for bright and crisp greens or 10 minutes for darker, softer greens.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS, MUSTARD GREENS, AND RED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large pot heat oil and bacon over high heat until bacon is well browned. Stir in garlic and cook 45 seconds. Deglaze with chicken stock and vinegar. Add sugar and greens and partially cover. Lower heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

BOOZY BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Remove stems from greens and discard. Roll up like a cigar and slice into ribbons.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add bacon, onion, and garlic. Render bacon until crisp and the onion is tender, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in brown sugar, vinegar, broth, and bourbon. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir in the collard greens in batches. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours until tender and soft.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a deep saute pan on medium-high heat until crisp, then set aside, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon zest, and saute until fragrant. Add the collard greens and cook until they begin to wilt. Add the chicken stock and 1/2 cup water and cover, lowering the heat to a simmer. Let cook until the greens are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover, add back the bacon, raise the heat to medium-high, and reduce the liquid by one-quarter, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.

VEGAN BRAISED COLLARD GREENS WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Make the stock: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the rosemary and thyme, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf and dried shiitakes and stir so the vegetables are coated in oil. Add 5 cups water, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the rehydrated dried shiitakes. Cut the shiitakes into 1/4-inch cubes and set aside. Taste the broth and adjust salt as necessary.
• Make the collards: In a large pot with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add red-pepper flakes, sliced mushrooms and reserved shiitakes from the broth. Cook until mushrooms are deeply brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the salt, onions and smoked paprika and cook until soft, about 5 more minutes.
• Pour in the mushroom stock and bring to a boil. Add the collard greens in large handfuls, pressing them down to wilt in the hot stock before adding more leaves.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low to simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the greens are silky and tender. Stir in soy sauce, starting with 1 tablespoon, and maple syrup. Taste the greens and adjust salt and sweetness as necessary. Serve with lemon wedges for a sour finish.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Strip the collards off the stems and tear into pieces. Discard the stems.
• In a large stock pot, sauté the diced bacon over medium heat until it has rendered out most of its fat and has browned.
• Add the onions to the pot and sauté until browned.
• Add the greens a handful at a time, and sauté over medium heat, while stirring. Once one handful wilts, add the next handful. Continue until all the greens are wilted.
• Add the sliced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds - just until it becomes fragrant.
• Add 1 quart of the stock. If this is not enough to cover the greens, keep adding stock (or water, if you don't have any more stock) until the greens are covered.
• Add the bay leaves, sugar, pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt. A NOTE ON THE AMOUNT OF SALT TO USE: I use home made ham hock stock to make this, and the saltiness of the stock depends on the saltiness of the hocks they are made from (this can vary considerably). Because of this it is important to always taste the stock you are working with before adding any additional salt to the dish. If you are using store bought chicken stock, I would not add any salt at this point. I would cook the greens for 2 hours, and then taste to see if you need any additional salt. Store bought chicken stock is very salty, even the "less sodium" kind. You can always put more salt in, but you can't take it out, so go easy here.
• Bring to a boil and stir well. Lower the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
• Remove the bay leaves and taste the greens. If you think they need more salt, now is the time to add it.
• IF YOU ARE MAKING THE GREENS AHEAD OF TIME:.
• Leave the bay leaves in the pot. Taste and add more salt IF NEEDED. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you are ready to serve, re-heat the greens on the stove over medium heat. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

COCONUT MILK BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the collards, coconut milk and 5-spice powder, season with salt and cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced and creamy, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and serve.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger and a few grinds of pepper; stir until combined.
• Add the collard greens, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the collards wilt, about 5 minutes.
• Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the collards are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the squash, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and toss to coat. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice or hot sauce if using.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger and a few grinds of pepper; stir until combined.
• Add the collard greens, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the collards wilt, about 5 minutes.
• Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the collards are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the squash, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and toss to coat. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice or hot sauce if using.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Remove the tough stems from the collardleaves. Finely slice the stems crosswise.Stack a few leaves on top of each other andcut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces. Repeat with allleaves. You'll have 8 packed cups.
• Heat a 10-inch saute pan over high heat.Swirl in the oil and add the onion, bacon,and red pepper flakes. Fry until the onion issoft and the bacon is beginning to renderits fat and crisp up, about 13 minutes.
• Add the greens, 2 cups at a time. Stir into theonion mixture as you add. They will collapseand shrink in the heat.
• When all the greens are in the pan and theheat has returned to sizzling high, pour inthe vinegar. Stir to evaporate. Cover andlet the greens cook over low heat until justtender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add a bit of wateras needed to keep the greens from burning.Add salt to taste and serve.

BACON AND BROWN SUGAR-BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside.
• Add onion and garlic to drippings in pan; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in crumbled bacon, 2 cups water, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper). Gradually add greens. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender.

SPICY BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until just crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings and lower the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
• While the bacon and onions are cooking, prepare the greens. To remove the thick, woody stems that run down the center of the leaves, hold the base of the collard stem in one hand. Wrap your other hand around the bottom of the stem, directly under the leaf (like you are holding a baseball bat). In one firm motion, quickly slide your hand up the stem, removing the leaf in one swift movement. To chop the leaves, stack a few on top of each other and roll up like a cigar. Slice the roll into 1-inch pieces, rotate, and give another good chop. Continue until all the greens are chopped.
• Increase the heat of the Dutch oven to medium-high. Add a few large handfuls of greens at a time - stirring constantly to allow each batch to wilt for a few moments - until you can fit all of the greens into the pot. Continue to saute the greens for 3 to 5 minutes, until bright green and wilted. Season with a very generous pinch of kosher salt and a few big grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken stock, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes to the greens and stir until combined. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Add the cooked bacon to the greens and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning (don't be afraid to be generous with the salt). Serve with hot pepper vinegar on the side.

COLLARD GREENS & HAM - BEER BRAISED

Steps:

• 1. If using fresh collard leaves, strip the leaves from the center stalk and if some of the larger leaves have thick veins, strip the green parts away. You can either do like I did the first few times and tear each leaf, one by one into 2 inch pieces, or you can do it the fast way.
• 2. First, whether using pre-washed greens in a bag, or fresh greens, wash well and rinse, wash again in fresh water and rinse again, and repeat one more time. Put the rinsed greens to a large colander and drain the water, then start stacking about 8-10 leaves on top of each other, roll them up and using a sharp knife cut the rolls into strips as narrow or wide as you like. This is called chiffonade (shif-a-nod.) To keep the strips from being too long, I also cut the rolls in half.
• 3. Now comes the good part. In a very large stock pot, heat the bacon grease (or margarine) and olive oil, add the onions, salt & pepper, saute until onions begin to soften and just starts to caramelize. (Note, if you are using a smoked ham hock, you must cook down the hock first in water and onions for 1 hour. This is another reason I like the cured ham bone because I prefer the chicken stock and a less smoky flavor.)
• 4. To the softened onions add the ham bone, 4 cups of chicken stock, beer, garlic, pepper flakes, and sugar. Add as many green as you can get into the pot, cover and let cook down about 5 minutes. Add more greens, repeat until all greens are in the pot. Let them cook down for about 15-20 minutes.
• 5. Add the ham chunks and both Tobasco flavors, if using, stir well and simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Check liquid level while they're simmering and add remaining chicken stock if needed. Taste pot liquor and adjust seasonings if needed.
• 6. Stir, cover and simmer another hour or more as needed to reach the desired tenderness of greens that you like. Taste again and re-season if needed. Serve with pepper vinegar for extra kick and hot buttered corn bread.
• 7. *NOTES: If you like smoked ham hocks then by all means use that. I prefer ham chunks from a cured ham. If you don't have olive oil use butter or margarine. Tobasco is optional, sometimes I use it sometimes I don't. Sometimes I put chopped bell peppers in with the onions, depending on my mood.
• 8. You can pressure can these for enjoying all year long. Follow the directions on your pressure canner. DO NOT use a hot water bath method.

BRAISED SMOKED COLLARD GREENS WITH PEPPER VINEGAR

Steps:

• To make the pepper vinegar: Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil and stir to dissolve. Add the chiles and cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours to overnight.
• Smoke the collards in 2 batches: Preheat the oven to 200°F. To create a smoker, use two large aluminum pans. First, heat the wood chips in a cast-iron pan over hight heat, until they begin to smoke. Remove the cast-iron pan from the heat and place the hot wood chips in one of the aluminum pans. Then, using a small but sharp knife, punch holes in the bottom of the second pan and place it on top of the first pan with the wood chips inside. Add the collards to the top pan, place in the oven, and smoke for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• In a Dutch oven, sweat the red and white onions, leeks, and shallot with 2 cups of the olive oil and a nice pinch of salt. Add the smoked collards in increments until they cook down, then add more. Once all of the collards are in the pot, add the remaining oil and 8 cups of water. Cook, covered, on low heat, until done, about 1½ to 2 hours.
• To serve: Dress the collard greens with the pepper vinegar to taste.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS ON GRITS CAKES

Steps:

• Butter a half-sheet pan (about 12 by 17 inches), line it with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper. Set aside.
• Bring the broth, salt, white pepper, and cayenne to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. With broth mixture at a boil, gradually pour in the grits, while whisking constantly. After the grits are incorporated, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring constantly, until the grits are thick, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Spread the grits in an even layer about 1/2-inch thick in the prepared pan and refrigerate until set and firm, at least 1 hour.
• Bring the smoked turkey stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the greens and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender and liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and add the cider vinegar. Keep warm while frying the grits cakes.
• When the grits are set and firm, turn the grits out onto a clean cutting board. Using a 1 1/2-inch round or square cutter, cut the grits into small cakes. Put some instant flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned flour. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and fry the cakes, in batches, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Top each grits cake with some of the braised greens and serve.
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• Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add all the ingredients, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the broth into a large bowl or plastic container. If not using immediately, fill the sink up with ice water to come about halfway up the sides of the container. Nestle the broth in the ice bath and stir it periodically to cool it down. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Yield: approximately 2 1/2 quarts

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in large stockpot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, and reduce heat to low.
• Simmer until greens are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve greens with a slotted spoon, topping with a little of the pot liquor (the broth from the pot). The pot liquor may be used for dipping cornbread, or as a flavorful and highly nutritious soup.

BRAISED COLLARD GREENS WITH CRANBERRY BEANS AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• 1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and garlic, and cook, stirring, until sausage is golden and garlic fragrant, about 3 minutes. 2. Stir in the broth and beans; simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Stir in the collards and continue to simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender and liquid has thickened, about 30 minutes longer. Season with salt, to taste. Serve with hot sauce, over rice.

BOOZY BRAISED COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Remove stems from greens and discard. Roll up like a cigar and slice into ribbons.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add bacon, onion, and garlic. Render bacon until crisp and the onion is tender, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in brown sugar, vinegar, broth, and bourbon. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir in the collard greens in batches. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours until tender and soft.