Braised Bacon Collard Greens Recipe
It's not often you encounter a vegetable that is highly nutritious, and also prepared in an indulgent way. Collard greens are the exception to this phenomenon. According to Healthline, collard greens are extremely high in Vitamin K, and can benefit eye, heart, and bone health. With that amount of nutrients, it's ideal to seek out collard greens whenever and however you can. That means, if you must braise them in bacon grease, so be it.
Recipe developer and registered dietitian nutritionist Kristen Carli brings us this recipe for braised bacon collard greens. Carli tells us that "While this recipe is the ultimate comfort food, cooked up in bacon fat and served with crispy bacon bites, you may think these collard greens aren't healthy. However, the fat in this recipe is actually helpful, as we need to consume fat when we consume fat-soluble vitamins, like Vitamin K, in order to properly absorb it." We can stand by this stamp of approval.
Gather the ingredients for these bacon collard greens
To make these braised bacon collard greens, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need bacon, shallots, collard greens, red wine vinegar, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
Cook the bacon
Heat a large stock pot on the stovetop over medium. Add in the chopped bacon, and cook until crispy. This can take about 10 minutes. Once the bacon is cooked through, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pot, leaving the bacon grease behind. Set the cooked bacon aside.
Sautée the collard greens
Then, cook the diced shallot, and the chopped collard greens in the rendered bacon grease. Carli says to "Be sure to strip the collard greens from the tough parts of the stem, and roughly chop before placing in the pot." Cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes, until the greens have wilted considerably.
Simmer and serve the collard greens
Next, add in the vinegar, broth, salt, and pepper to the greens. Give this mixture a stir, then cover, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add in the reserved bacon, and cook for another 10 minutes. Then, you will be left with tender and flavorful collard greens that will be worth the wait.
- ¾ pound bacon slices, chopped
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 pounds collard greens, removed from stems and chopped
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- red chili flakes or hot sauce
- In a large stockpot over medium heat, add the bacon. Sautée and cook until the bacon is crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot, and set aside.
- Cook the shallots and collard greens in with the remaining bacon grease for 20 minutes, covered, until the greens wilt down.
- Stir the greens, then add in the vinegar, broth, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook for another 20 minutes, covered.
- Add the bacon back in, and cook for 10 additional minutes. Serve with optional red chili flakes or hot sauce.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 237 |
| Total Fat | 18.0 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5.8 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 29.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 10.4 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.1 g |
| Total Sugars | 2.6 g |
| Sodium | 484.5 mg |
| Protein | 9.9 g |
