Make Southern-style collard greens with smoked turkey legs in less than 45 minutes (start to finish) using this easy pressure cooker collard greens recipe. Learn how to make this classic side dish faster with a handful of common ingredients. Plus, I’ll give you tips to eliminate collard greens’ bitterness. Don’t have a pressure cooker? Make these collard greens on the stovetop or set them and forget them by making slow cooker greens.
Collard greens are a staple of Southern cooking. These leafy greens have a slightly bitter taste that is perfectly balanced by simmering them low and slow with smoked meat. The result is a rich, savory side dish with deep smoky flavors. This soulful collard greens recipe made with smoked turkey legs is sure to become a new family favorite.
Overview of Collard Greens
Collard greens are a cruciferous vegetable that grows in a loose head like cabbage. They have dark green, very broad leaves with thick stems. Collards have been cultivated and eaten for thousands of years but are most closely associated with Southern U.S. cuisine.
These hearty greens have a distinctly earthy, somewhat bitter taste. They are often paired with smoked and cured pork like ham hocks, bacon, or salt pork. The smoky, salty pork balances out the bitterness of the greens. Slow cooking tenderizes the leaves while allowing them to absorb the rich, savory flavors of the cooking liquid known as pot likker.
Benefits of Collard Greens
Collards are highly nutritious, loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Just one cup of cooked collard greens provides 270% of your daily vitamin K, over 20% of calcium and vitamin C, and a hearty dose of vitamin A, potassium, manganese, and fiber.
The dark leafy greens also contain important antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. Their concentration of glucosinolates which release beneficial sulfur compounds when broken down give collards possible cancer-fighting effects.
Best Varieties of Collard Greens
There are many collard varieties, but the most common are
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Vates: This All-America Selections winner has tender blue-green leaves. It is bolt and disease resistant.
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Champion: One of the most popular collards with rich flavor and good cold hardiness.
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Georgia Southern: A heat-tolerant, fast-growing variety with tender texture and mild taste.
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Morris Heading: Forms loose heads like cabbage with delicate, tasty leaves. Good for coleslaw.
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Green Glaze: A hybrid collard bred for glossy, extra dark green leaves.
How to Choose Collard Greens
When purchasing collards, select bunches with vibrant, dark green leaves without signs of yellowing or wilting. Smaller leaves tend to be more tender. Avoid greens with insect damage, blotches, or sliminess.
How to Store Fresh Collards
Collard greens are highly perishable and will only keep for 3-5 days when refrigerated in a plastic bag. Remove any rubber bands or ties and loosely wrap greens in damp paper towels before bagging to retain moisture and prevent wilting.
How to Prepare and Cook Collard Greens
Step 1 – Prep the greens
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Remove thick stems by folding leaves in half lengthwise and slicing along either side of the center stem.
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Stack leaves and cut into 1-2 inch strips crosswise.
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Submerge prepped greens in a large bowl of cold water, swishing to release any dirt or grit. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then lift greens out and drain water. Repeat rinsing until water is clear.
Step 2 – Season and brown smoked meat
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Most collard greens recipes call for meat like smoked turkey legs, ham hocks, or salt pork to add smoky, salty flavor.
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Season meat with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
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Sear seasoned meat in a skillet with oil to enhance flavor.
Step 3 – Simmer greens
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Place meat in a large pot and cover with water by 2-3 inches. Add chicken broth or bouillon for extra flavor.
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Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until meat is very tender.
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Add chopped onions, garlic, hot sauce, and seasonings like red pepper flakes.
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Stir in greens and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour until silky and tender.
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Add apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, or hot sauce right before serving.
Step 4 – Adjust seasonings
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Taste test greens and season with additional salt, pepper, hot sauce, or vinegar to balance flavor.
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For a touch of sweetness, add a pinch of brown sugar.
Step 5 – Serve Southern-style collards
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Serve collard greens warm with pot likker drizzled over the top along with pieces of the tender smoked meat.
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Pair with classic soul food sides like mac and cheese, cornbread, black-eyed peas, potato salad, candied yams, or red beans and rice.
Collard Greens Variations
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Use smoked turkey wings, ham hocks, bacon, or neck bones instead of turkey legs.
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Mix collards with other greens like mustard, turnip, or kale.
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Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, or hot peppers while simmering.
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Stir in a spoonful of bacon grease or smoked turkey drippings for extra flavor.
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Garnish with hot sauce, BBQ sauce, or pepper vinegar.
Collard Greens Cooking Tips
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Simmer low and slow. Collards can take 1-2 hours to reach tender perfection.
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Check and stir greens frequently to prevent scorching. Add more water if pot likker evaporates.
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Cook just until greens are silky and tender but still have a slight bite. Avoid overcooking into mush.
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If smoked meat makes broth too salty, add water, potatoes, or beans to balance.
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Let flavors meld by making greens 1-2 days ahead. Just reheat and adjust seasonings before serving.
How to Freeze and Store Leftover Collard Greens
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Allow collards to cool completely before freezing.
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Portion greens and liquid into airtight containers or freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible.
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Label bags with recipe name and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Thaw frozen collards in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Why Make Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey?
Smoked turkey legs impart deep, rich smoky flavor to the cooking liquid that tenderizes the greens. The tender smoked meat can then be served as part of this hearty side dish. Try our recipe for Southern collard greens with smoked turkey legs and experience why they are so popular in soul food cooking.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Use smoked turkey leg: You can use leftovers from collard greens with smoked turkey leg to make jiffy cornbread dressing.
- Buy washed and chopped collard greens: Prepping collard greens is a lot of work, so buying them ready will save you time and energy.
- Buy a large turkey leg: This will provide enough meat for the greens and stuffing. You can also use the leftover pot liquor as a replacement for broth in most recipes.
- Add the seasonings with the rest of the ingredients: Pressure-cooking collard greens takes a short time. This means most of the flavor is preserved and, therefore no need to save the seasonings until later.
- Remove the stem ends: If you’re prepping the greens yourself, ensure you chop off the stem ends to reduce bitterness.
- Make in the slow cooker or stove top: You can make this recipe in the slow cooker or on the stove. For the stove: cook the meat and greens for 2-3 hours. For the slow cooker: cook on high for 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Traditionally, Southern collard greens go with pork (check out our collard greens with ham hocks recipe), but you can use other meats like smoked turkey, chicken, beef, and lamb. This recipe makes collard greens with smoked turkey.
Chop off the stem ends and add apple cider vinegar.
To tenderize the greens and eliminate the bitterness.
Other Collard Greens Recipes
Turnip greens are traditional veggies that go well with ham hocks and other meats.
These Southern greens have a unique tangy and peppery taste.
Southern Collard Greens w/Smoked Turkey Legs | Collard Greens Recipe
FAQ
What is the best meat to put in collard greens?
Should I rinse smoked turkey before cooking?
What do you soak collard greens in before cooking?
What sides go with smoked turkey?
How do you cook collard greens with smoked turkey?
Southern collard greens with smoked turkey simmered slowly with onions, garlic, red pepper, & vinegar leaving a delicious pot liquor Turn cooktop burner to highest settings. Place onion halved side down and burn to a char. Flip and char the other side Add 7-8 cups of water to a large stock pot.
How to freeze collard greens?
The best thing to do is to purchase frozen collard greens to get rid of some of the steps. If you have collard greens, you want to freeze you first want to partially cook them by steaming or boiling them in water. Make sure not to cook them too much because you don’t want them to be mushy. After they return to room temperature you can place them in a freezer safe ziploc bag and press out as much air as possible. You can then put them in the freezer, and they can last at least a few months.
Can I use smoked turkey legs for collard greens?
I only use smoked turkey legs or wings for my southern style collard greens because they are really delicious and less in fat than ham and bacon but feel free to use your choice of smoky meat. You can use a mixture of collards and other greens if you choose to. You can also use bacon grease in place of oil.
How do you cook collard greens?
This Southern-Style Collard Greens is cooked with smoked Turkey Legs, onions, garlic, and broth; cooking everything in a single pot means that all the flavors are retained. There is also a version of collard greens that I love so much. It’s the East African style collard greens called sukuma wiki – a very simple yet flavorful recipe.