I freaking love greens. Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens. I love them all. I’ve had some damn good greens in my life, but I’ve had some damn awful ones too. Good greens are hard to come by and this recipe is one recipe that i’m asked about over and over again and it’s really not that difficult to make but for some reason peeps are intimidated by making greens. So here is a simple but delicious pot of gold! Let’s dig in!
Southern Greens with Louisiana Hot Links can feel like an intimidating dish to a home cook since they’re such a tough and fibrous green when you buy them at your grocery store. But please trust me, this is doesn’t mean you are in for a difficult cooking process. The hardest part about the recipe is waiting for the delicious end result.
When I can’t find sexy fresh greens, I do use “cheater greens” in the bag, already chopped, washed and bagged. Don’t judge me. So feel free to use whatever greens you can come across and if you’re one of those people who are not sure about greens because you’ve had some bad ones, do give these a try. They’re healthy, they’re easy, and they’re delicious.
HOW TO MAKE COLLARD GREENS
- Add olive oil, cook the links on medium heat until it begins to crisp up.
- Add onion, frying it for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Afterwards add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds before adding in the collard greens.
- After you stir the greens together with the onions and garlic, add in the chicken broth, brown sugar, salt, pepper, essence and red pepper flakes. Stir well, reduce heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes until the collard greens are tender.
WHY SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS ARE THE BEST COLLARD GREENS
Any denizen of the South would tell you that if you’re simply steaming these leafy greens plain, then you’re doing it wrong. This recipe is actually part of a New Year’s Day tradition (enjoy it with a traditional) where eating collard greens for the first time in the new year is supposed to give you good luck for the 364 days ahead. And YES, I make them every New Years!
All you really need to do to make Collard Greens more than just a glorified bowl of steamed spinach is to add onion, links here but bacon is the traditional way, and a little bit of brown sugar to tie everything together. You can alter some of the flavor notes to this dish by using apple cider vinegar, or you could throw in some black-eyed peas to complete the dish with a legume-based protein! Don’t limit yourself on how you eat these, the possibilities are endless. I like them in a large bowl with tons of pot liquor so I can dip my cornbread in it. Or over rice. Or over rice or grits with a fried egg for breakfast. Make hash out of it. They are very versatile and they freeze really well!
All is so Good!
Southern Greens with Louisiana Hot Links
–
servings15
minutes1
hour–
kcalIngredients
8 sliced hot link sausage
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound collard greens, cut into 2” chunks
4 cups chicken broth
2 TBS brown sugar
½ TBS essence seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 stalks of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
½ TBS apple cider vinegar
Directions
- Coat dutch oven with olive oil then add sausage, cook on medium heat and cook it until crisp.
- Add onions, and garlic on low heat, cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
- Add the collard greens, thyme and bay leaf to the pan, stirring them well to coat them in the oil and onion mixture.
- Add the chicken broth, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to the dutch oven, stir well and cover.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes until the collard greens are tender to chew when tasted.
- Add essence seasoning and apple cider vinegar.
