Southern Collard Greens
Authentic Southern collard greens slow-cooked in a savory, spicy broth loaded with ham hocks and delectable seasonings is comfort in a bowl. Satisfying goodness all the way to the last drop of broth boasts health benefits. Healthy and delicious couldn’t get any better.
Not only are collard greens an essential soul food ingredient, but anywhere you find an African influence, you’ll find this superfood. Feijoada in Brazil is just one example. Plus, it’s the perfect canvas for the smoky goodness of ham and bacon.
Collards are traditional for a soul food Thanksgiving, expressing gratitude for all the nostalgia of sharing with family. And it’s a must-have at New Year’s because they bring good luck and represent wealth for their folded money-like appearance. One of my favorite West African collard recipes is sukuma wiki, and we usually eat it with ugali.
What Makes Collards Great
Ever since kale became famous for its health benefits, collards kinda got shoved to the side. However, they taste better and do the exact same thing for you that kale does. So let’s give these dark leafy greens a little love.
Collards, kale, mustard, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage all belong to the same family, Brassica. While we always knew in our hearts they’re good for us, now scientists and doctors agree.
How to Make Southern Collard Greens
- Boil the ham hocks in a pot of water for 1½-2 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Or speed the process up in a pressure cooker. Bring it up to pressure, cook for 12 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. Let the ham cool, remove it from the bone, and cut it into bite-sized pieces. (Photos 1-2)
- Remove the hard stems from the greens, rinse them, shake the water off, and chop them. (Photos 3-4)
- Fry the chopped bacon for 6-7 minutes or until browned and crisp. (Photo 5)
- Sauté the onions, garlic, and ham hocks for 3-5 minutes. Toss in the tomatoes, paprika, Creole seasoning, and pepper flakes, and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. (Photo 6-7)
- Add the collard greens, chicken bouillon, and lemon. Pour in chicken broth or water. Lightly salt, if desired, or wait till the last few minutes of cooking. (Photo 9)
- Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the greens are tender. (Photo 10)
- Serve warm with hot sauce and cornbread.
Tips and Tricks
- Collard greens tend to trap a lot of dirt. So wash them thoroughly in salt water. Or rinse the leaves individually under running water to wash away dirt.
- A squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar reduces the bitterness of the collard greens. It also adds a subtle tang to the dish.
- A little sugar also helps cut down the bitterness of the collards. The bitterness is actually good for you, but I understand if it’s not your favorite flavor.
- Save the stalks in the freezer for a delicious, nutritious stock. The flavor is milder than cabbage and broccoli.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can make these ahead and store them in the fridge (4-5 days) or freezer (6-9 months). They are even better reheated.
What Goes With Collard Greens
For Thanksgiving, the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and candied yams are a winner. For a classic soul-food New Year’s menu, serve them with ham, Hoppin’ John, and cornbread.
More Soul Food Dishes to Explore
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Southern Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1-2 small ham hocks (about 2 pounds)
- 2-3 bunches collard greens (about 2 pounds or 900 grams)
- 2-3 strips thick-cut bacon
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) cooking oil (omit if you have enough bacon grease)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon (15g) minced garlic
- 1-2 Roma tomatoes, diced (optional)
- 1-2 teaspoons (3-6g) paprika
- 1 teaspoon (4-5g) Creole seasoning (adjust to taste)
- 1-2 teaspoons (2-4g) red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon (12g) chicken bouillon powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 5 cups (1.2l) chicken broth (more as needed)
Instructions
- Bring the ham hocks in a pot fully covered in water to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 1½-2 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. (For a faster way, do this in a pressure cooker. It takes me about 12 minutes once it starts cooking.) Let the ham cool, remove the meat from the bones, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Remove the stems from the collard greens. Then wash, rinse, and chop. Discard the stems (or save them for broth) and reserve chopped leaves.
- Heat a medium or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and fry for 6-7 minutes or until brown.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of oil (if necessary) to the bacon grease in the pot. Add the onions, garlic, and chopped ham, then sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Toss in the tomatoes, paprika, Creole seasoning, and pepper flakes. Sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Finally, add the collard greens, chicken bouillon, and lemon. Pour in chicken broth or water. Lightly salt, if desired, or wait till the last few minutes of cooking.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the greens are tender.
- Serve warm with hot sauce and cornbread.
Tips & Notes:
- Feel free to replace the ham hocks and bacon with smoked turkey.
- Discard old leaves with large patches of yellow or brown.
- Save the ham hock bones for bone broth later.
- Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used.
This has turned into my favorite holiday dish and my neighbors love it. I’m a southern boy and it’s better than my moms!! Thank you so much IMMA! Happy New Year!
I’ll take that! Thanks so much .
Happy New Year to you too!
Wow! i!I was searching for a clear delicious old fashioned souther collard green recipe this was it
Great ! Glad I could be of help
I don’t eat pork so swapped out for smoked Turkey leg. I also did not add tomatoes. These greens were soo delicious!! At first I didn’t like the amount of juice the greens were in after cooking. I don’t like my greens in so much liquid, but the broth has such a fantastic flavor I’m literally sucking the greens with every mouthful!!
Thats the way to do it girl! Enjoy !
It’s unfair to rate a recipe when not followed exactly. I used hog jowl instead of bacon (mostly because of the money factor. I’d never used smoked pork neck bones, but I wanted to try so I used 1 ham hock and 2 necks. The necks are much more meaty. I didn’t use the tomatoes at first because they were optional. But as I tasted it during cooking I felt that they were necessary. I used the spices exactly as written but added a bit more lemon juice and even a dash of red wine vinegar.
I’m sorry that I made it according to my imagination, budget, and taste buds, but I’ve never made better collards.
collard greens can be made with fatback
So, I used half homemade chicken broth and half ham stock. I’ve been cooking collards all my life and never had family go crazy over them. They are requesting that I use your recipe for Thanksgiving. Thank you, new family favorite!
That’s great! am making the video for it today- love collard greens . Thank you so much for taking time out to share this with us.
So, what can I do with the stock that the hocks were cooked in?
You do not have to throw it out .Use it to cook the collard greens with it. I do it all the time- It’s just a matter of preference.
Hi, my first time cooking collard greens and I am so happy I found this recipe. It’s simple and easy. Next time I’m gonna try it with the water from the smoke neck bones instead of the chicken broth.
Hello Carlene. I am so glad you loved it! Thanks for stopping by!!
Oh my gosh I found this on pinterest and made it for my dad for Fathers Day…THIS WAS BOMBBBBB! It tasted better than any restaurant i’ve ever been to! Thank you so much for posting this, it was also my first time cooking greens and i couldn’t have picked a better recipe! This one is going in the books for the rest of my life!
Yaaay! Thank you for the glowing feedback.
Imma,
I would like your honest opinion so that this turns out as good as possible. What do you think of reserving the liquid from boiling the ham hock, and using that in place of chicken broth/water? Do you think that would be good, or do you think sticking to the recipe would come out batter. Thanks!
Hi Tom,
I usually make it with the liquid from the ham hock and it turns out just fine. No need for chicken broth. Do let me know how it works out .Thanks
I like using both as the favor from the cooking broth become the magister favorite drinking with meal. All these ingredients makes a wonderful liquid to cook meat and greens all in one. Oh how great it is to eat and drink.
Yes it is. Thanks for stopping by!
Please tell me how can I cook this without pork ? My husband loves greens I would love to make this recipe.
You can use smoked turkey instead of pork- omit the bacon.
You can just cook it with the chicken bouillon. Great taste!
Hi
How much chicken bouillon can I add to this recipe.
My new favorite website! Imma, I’m from Memphis and my parents are from Mississippi so I’ve been cooking and eating my grandmothers greens my whole life. I fixed your recipe for New Year’s Day good luck today and they are so stinking good! next year I’m making those black eyed pea fritters I just saw!
That’s wonderful to hear Jennifer! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this. Am sure you are going to enjoy the Black-eyed peas too . Happy New Year !
Hmm I like it! Already like things that’s slow to simmer and develope nice Flavors over time. It’s just about Collar Green seasons anyway too and for it to be all over the place. I’ll make some time to put this one on my Short Menu. But it looks awesome and luv the Flavors. Like the styling too!
Ah this sounds so delicious! I want to go to the store to buy all the ingredients to make this now, even though it’s just past midnight 😉
I love all the layers of flavor you cooked into those collard greens. That’s Southern comfort food at its finest.
This looks so comforting and delicious! The corn bread muffins would go perfectly!
Love the African style stew spinach. Thanks for the recipe.I usually add a little bit of ground melon seeds.
Nice addition Caroline. Glad you liked them
Oh ya,baby. You nailed this one. I love greens, your recipe and cornbread, too! Thanks.
This looks spectacular. Adding ham hocks gives anything such a major flavor upgrade. I would be totally happy making a dinner of this alone!
It’s unfair to rate a recipe when not followed exactly. I used hog jowl instead of bacon (mostly because of the money factor. I’d never used smoked pork neck bones, but I wanted to try so I used 1 ham hock and 2 necks. The necks are much more meaty. I didn’t use the tomatoes at first because they were optional. But as I tasted it during cooking I felt that they were necessary. I used the spices exactly as written but added a bit more lemon juice and even a dash of red wine vinegar.
I’m sorry that I made it according to my imagination, budget, and taste buds, but I’ve never made better collards.
No apologies necessary Liz! This is what cooking is all about, finding out exactly what works for you. I am so glad it turned out great! Thanks for sharing.