Collard Greens with Bacon

I was having a hard time coming up with something to make for dinner so I asked my husband. He randomly suggested something with collard greens so I went with it. I found a recipe braising the greens with bacon on Simply Recipes that sounded delicious. I adapted the recipe to suit our tastes and to work with what I had on hand and we loved how it turned out. I made some smothered pork chops as the main dish for dinner, which is something I have also always wanted to try (recipe to post soon), and these collard greens with bacon. Why did it take me so long to try making collard greens? Seriously, I’ve never had them before and now I love them.  I really loved the bacon, garlic, onion, vinegar combination with the tender collard greens – we all thought they were delicious and they paired beautifully with the smothered pork chops. I will definitely be making this easy collard greens with bacon recipe again… soon!

How to Make Collard Greens with Bacon

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon pieces in the skillet until it just begins to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally – it will still look a bit raw.  Add the onions and cook until they have softened and are just starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

Add the garlic, sugar, hot sauce, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Add the chopped collard greens and the chicken broth then bring to a simmer. Reduce the temp to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the collard greens have wilted and have lost their brightness, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with additional vinegar, hot sauce, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Serve drizzled with the pan juices. Enjoy.

Collard Greens with Bacon

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by Simply Recipes

Equipment

• Large skillet

Ingredients

• 2 strips thick-sliced bacon sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• ½ small yellow onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ½ tbsp sugar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Several dashes of hot sauce
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 lb collard greens stems removed, chopped (can substitute kale or chard)
• ¾ cup chicken broth

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Cook the bacon pieces in the skillet until it just begins to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally - it will still look a bit raw.
• Add the onions and cook until they have softened and are just starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
• Add the garlic, sugar, hot sauce, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
• Add the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
• Add the chopped collard greens and the chicken broth then bring to a simmer. Reduce the temp to medium-low.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the collard greens have wilted and have lost their brightness, about 15-20 minutes.
• Season to taste with additional vinegar, hot sauce, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Serve drizzled with the pan juices. Enjoy.

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