10 Delicious Ways to Eat Collard Greens (2024)

FAQs

10 Delicious Ways to Eat Collard Greens? ›

mix greens into scrambled eggs or fold into an omelet. Lose the Lettuce. Use collard greens instead of lettuce. Try it as a fresh salad base, on tacos, in wraps, or on top of sandwiches.

mix greens into scrambled eggs or fold into an omelet. Lose the Lettuce. Use collard greens instead of lettuce. Try it as a fresh salad base, on tacos, in wraps, or on top of sandwiches.

If you find the flavor of canned collard greens to be lacking, you can add a few ingredients to liven them up. Some options include adding a splash of lemon juice or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to add tanginess and spice.

This might seem like an unusual addition if you're new to making collard greens, but the vinegar adds a welcome tangy note that brightens the dish and balances out the salty, savory flavors. A tablespoon of sugar also helps balance out the greens' potential bitterness.

Collards taste sweetest when they grow in cool weather, especially in the fall after the leaves have been touched by frost. Spring-planted collards will grow through summer but they taste stronger when they mature in the heat.

Collard greens are an excellent source of dietary fiber. They can also help prevent leaky gut syndrome and strengthen overall immunity. They are rich in glucoraphanin, which protects the stomach lining and prevents bacterial growth.

A little bit of table or seasoned salt, some pepper, a pinch of sugar, a drop of vinegar, and something spicy like cayenne or red pepper flakes will help level up the flavor of your canned greens.

Baking soda is an alkali salt possessing the tenderizing and flavor-enhancing properties of regular salt. As an alkaline ingredient, it will make boiling water alkaline, effectively protecting the chlorophyll in green vegetables from breaking down.

Can you overcook collards? ›

It is important to not overcook collard greens or kale, as they tend to give off a sulfur smell and taste bitter. Cut the leaves into one-half inch strips and steam for 5 minutes on the stove. Collard greens make a great addition to eggs and bean soup or can be served alone as a steamed vegetable with a dressing.

The most authentic collard greens, in my opinion, are made with smoked ham hocks or bacon. But, as time has passed, society has gotten more health conscious. So, many families began using alternatives such as smoked turkey necks, wings, and tails.

Use salt.

Salt is a friend to bitter greens, whether you plan to eat them raw or cooked. Mellow the bitter flavor with a sprinkle of salt on endive or radicchio, or include anchovies or cured meat (like bacon, pancetta, or proscuitto) along with mustard, beet, or collard greens.

The vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber found in collard greens provide significant health benefits. Dietary fiber is important for helping maintain your digestive health. The soluble fiber in collard greens can help absorb cholesterol before it makes its way into your bloodstream, lowering your cholesterol levels.

While cooked collards do offer good nutrition, we tend to absorb a lot of the nutrients better when they're raw. If you generally enjoy your collard greens cooked into submission, you might still be on the fence.

You can eat collard greens raw, but the uncooked leaves tend to be slightly bitter and a bit tough. If you want to try them raw in a salad or smoothie, Feller recommends mixing just a few collard leaves in with a majority of milder greens, like spinach.

The green leaves turn dark green during this long cooking process, and the cooking water will be greatly reduced. Unfortunately, nutrients are leached out into the cooking liquid that many people pour down the drain. This cooking liquid or "pot likker," as it is called in southern states, is full on valuable nutrients.