Southern Collard Greens
Southern style collard greens is an easy recipe that is healthy, spicy, and delicious. Learn how to make greens on the stovetop or crock pot with ham hocks, vinegar, and onions. This popular soul food makes a great Sunday dinner idea that the whole family will love.
Servings: 7 cups
Calories: 211kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pound fresh collard greens washed and chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups yellow onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste at the end
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 cups filtered water
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more if desired
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 3 ham hocks roughly 1 ¼ cups of meat (2 pounds)
- 1 cup smoked ham shredded (if ham hocks don't have enough meat)
Instructions
Prepping the Collards
- Fill a clean kitchen sink with slightly warm water, ½-1 cup (120-250 ml) of white vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Soak the collards for 10-30 minutes, then scrub each leaf with your hands to get the sand and grit off. Rinse well with cold running water and set aside.
- To remove the stem, fold the leaf in half lengthwise and cut the rib out with a sharp knife. Place the ribs into a freezer bag for future use.
- Stack 3 to 8 leaves high and cut in ½ to 1 inch thin, even pieces. Roll the leaves before cutting if desired.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the chopped onion until it's a nice golden brown, then add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Using the same pot, fry the cleaned, chopped collards in small batches over medium heat until they wilt. Put the wilted greens in a bowl and set aside.
- Add the wilted greens back to the pot. Add the chicken stock, water, cooked onions, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, and vinegar, and stir until well combined. Place the ham hocks in the pot, making sure they are surrounded by the greens.
- Cover and bring the pot to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for 1 ½ hours. Adjust salt to taste.
- After 1 ½ hours of cooking, remove the ham hocks and let them cool for 45 minutes as the collards continue to simmer. Shred the meat, discarding any fat and gristle.
- Add the ham hock meat to the pot. (Feel free to add an extra 1 cup of ham as well.) Simmer for 30 minutes, then adjust seasonings to taste.
- Remove the greens from the pot with a large slotted spoon, being careful to reserve the liquid (potlikker) to enjoy as well. Pour the potlikker on individual servings of greens and sop it up with cornbread.
- Serve the collards warm with cornbread, black eyed peas, or grits, or enjoy as a side dish along with other Southern favorites.
Crockpot Instructions
- Do step 1 of the stovetop instructions, then place the ham hocks, onions, garlic, water, and chicken stock in a 6-quart crock pot. Cover and cook on high for a total of 6 hours.
- After 4 hours, the ham hocks will be done. Use tongs to start pull the meat off the bones while it's still in the crockpot. Leave the meat and bones in the crockpot until the 6 hours are complete.
- After 4 hours of cooking, add the cleaned and cut collard greens, the spices (salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes), and brown sugar. Pour in the apple cider vinegar.
- Stir, cover, and cook for 2 more hours. Serve warm with extra ham, potlikker, and cornbread.
Notes
- In a hurry? Use pre-washed collard greens.
- Don't want to use ham hocks? Use ham bone, smoked turkey drumsticks, or bacon.
- Need this vegan? Omit the meat, use vegetable broth, smoked salt, liquid smoke, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce to taste.
- Want this as a main course? Increase the meat per serving, by stirring in more chopped ham.
- Want to increase the spiciness? Increase the red pepper flakes to ¼ teaspoon, or add ½ teaspoon of hot sauce.
- Can't find collards? This recipe work for mustard or turnip greens, too.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 421mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3516IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 1mg
