Southern Collard Greens (2024)

A favorite and easy recipe these Southern Collard Greens take minimal ingredients and cook low and slow making a delicious and tasty side dish.

These Collard Greens are by far better than anything you can get at a restaurant.Or, any restaurant that I have had them at, that is.

Normally when I order them they end up coming out flavorless. Even at one of my favorite southern restaurants, Cracker Barrel where you would think they would nail this one.

Now, no offense to any of you that like this sort of thing, it just isn’t what I fancy. So here I have a flavorful Southern staple my way!

Call me picky, but trust me once you try my Southern Collard Greens you will never want to make them any other way again!

I love how super simple they are and how you really just have to let everything simmer with minimal work but you have an amazing dish at the end.

Some of my other favorite southern type recipes I have on my site include Fried Chicken, Southern Style Green Beans and Mini Banana Puddings.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

• Minimal ingredients are all it takes for this recipe.
• It cooks low and slow to create that delicious flavor you’re looking for.
• You can use fresh or bagged and chopped collards for ease.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):

• Ham hocks
• Vegetable oil
• Unsalted chicken stock
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Collard greens
• Seasoned salt
• Pepper
• Unsalted butter

HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS:

1. Score the ham hocks in a diamond pattern, cutting through the skin to expose the meat.
2. In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and sear the ham hocks on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
3. Add the chicken stock, garlic powder, and onion powder, stir in the seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Take the ham hocks out and place them on a plate to cool.
4. While the ham hocks cool, add the collards to the pot. Stir in the seasoned salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Once the ham hocks are cool to the touch, pick the meat off the bone. Discard the bone, skin, and gristle. Add the meat to the pot with the collards at any time then add in the butter.
6. Stir everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

WHAT ARE COLLARD GREENS?

If you aren’t familiar with collard greens, collards are a member of the cabbage family and are traditionally used in southern cooking.

They contain dark green leaves with hard stems that are broken off before cooking or consuming. They have a flavor that is reminiscent of kale or Swiss chard.

IS FRESH OR BAGGED BETTER?

Either is perfectly fine for this recipe. Bagged is so much easier as everything is broken down for you and cuts down on the prep work. Bagged collard greens are still fresh, just cut up and ready to go!

But if you would rather use fresh or whole leaves, that is perfectly fine, we have used both for this recipe many times as it is a staple and sometimes we can find one and not the other.

WHERE CAN I FIND HAM HOCKS?

Usually, these are easy to find at your local grocer next to the ham steaks. If they are not there you can check at the butcher counter.

HOW TO STORE:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator and they should keep for up to 3-4 days for maximum flavor.

These can also be frozen! Let them completely cool then place them into an airtight container and place them in the freezer

Collard greens will last in the freezer for up to three months.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• We used bagged and chopped collard greens for convenience, you can use fresh as well.
• Do not forget to score your ham hock, this will help your meat come loose when removing.
• Use unsalted stock and butter, this will be salty enough with the ham and seasonings added.
• This can be frozen, see my tips above.
• These are cooked low and slow, do not try to rush this recipe.

Looking for an easy and delicious side dish then you absolutely have to make these Southern Collard Greens! You won’t be disappointed.

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic Butter Sauce
• Roast Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

If you’ve tried these SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENSlet me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!