Best Collard Greens Recipe

Name: Collard Greens
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons bacon fat; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons onion, chopped; 1 large garlic clove, minced; 2 pounds (900 g) collard greens, tough stems discarded, leaves chopped; 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil ( Dynasty or comparable brand); Chili pepper flakes, a pinch; Salt, a couple pinches; Sugar, a couple pinches; Barbecue sauce (optional)

My brother Eddie was over for dinner a while ago one fortuitous night when we happened to be having collard greens. I say fortuitous because Ed introduced us to a wonderful new way to serve these healthful, somewhat bitter greens—with barbecue sauce.

Huh? Barbecue sauce?

Ed explained that whenever he had collard greens it was with barbecued ribs, and the sauce from the ribs would make its way over to the collard greens, making them taste oh so good. Well, that was enough incentive to try it, and I must agree, collard greens are excellent served with a little BBQ sauce.

They are also pretty good on their own with onions and garlic. Our recipe works great as a base; feel free to add the BBQ sauce!

Best ever collard greens cooked on the stovetop and served in a bowl — Elise Bauer

Shopping for Collard Greens

Collards are in the same family as kale, mustard greens, and other hearty greens. The leaves are dark green and the stems are tough.

Look for collards that have an even green color and look fresh. Avoid collards that have browned or wilted leaves or show other signs of age. They will keep for several days in your fridge.

Prepare collard greens by trimming out the stem — Elise Bauer

How to Prepare Collard Greens

To prepare, cut away the tough stem and slice the greens into thick ribbons.

Cook the greens in plenty of fat until they are tender and silky. Young, fresh greens are usually ready in about 15 minutes, but older, tougher greens can take up to 45 minutes.

More Recipes With Collards and Kale:

Collard Greens

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Servings 4 servings

We use bacon fat here primarily for flavor. Bacon fat provides an excellent balance to the natural bitter of the collard greens. That said, you can easily skip the bacon fat and just use a little more olive oil.

2 teaspoons bacon fat
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 pounds (900g) collard greens, tough stems discarded, leaves chopped
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil (Dynasty or comparable brand)
Pinch chili pepper flakes
Salt, a couple pinches
Sugar, a couple pinches
Barbecue sauce, optional

Cook onions and garlic:

Use a large skillet with a tight fitting cover. Melt bacon fat and heat olive oil on medium heat.

Sauté onion until transparent, a couple of minutes.

Add garlic and and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Cook the collards:

Mix in the greens, sesame oil, chili pepper flakes, salt, and sugar. Cover and cook until tender, 8-15 minutes. (Note that young collard greens will cook up relatively quickly. Older greens may take upwards of 45 minutes to tenderize.)

If you want, serve with barbecue sauce.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
188	Calories
14g	Fat
14g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	188
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g	18%
Saturated Fat 2g	12%
Cholesterol 2mg	1%
Sodium 103mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 14g	5%
Dietary Fiber 9g	33%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 42mg	208%
Calcium 320mg	25%
Iron 3mg	14%
Potassium 279mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.