vegetarian collard greens

These collard greens are quickly cooked in olive oil and finished with a squeeze of lemon juice. You're going to love these healthy, vegetarian collards! Recipe yields 2 side servings. To make multiples, simply repeat the ingredients and instructions below (cook each batch separately for best results).

Quick Collard Greens

(about 10 ounces) collard greens

olive oil

fine sea salt

garlic, pressed

red pepper flakes (optional, scale back

lemon wedges,

To prepare the collards: Cut out the thick center rib out of each collard green. Stack the rib-less greens and roll them up into a cigar-like shape. Slice over the &#8220;cigar&#8221; as thinly as possible (⅛″ to ¼″) to make long strands. Shake up the greens and give them a few chops so the strands aren’t so long.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, then add the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add all of the collard greens and the salt.

Stir until all of the greens are lightly coated in oil, then let them cook for about 30 seconds before stirring again. Continue stirring in 30-second intervals until the greens are wilted, dark green, and some are starting to turn browns on the edges (this is delicious). This will take between 3 to 6 minutes.

Once the collards are just about done, add the garlic and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir to break up the garlic and cook until it&#8217;s fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.

Immediately divide the cooked collards onto plates, and serve with a lemon wedge each.

I love collards but don't have the time to cook, so this was great.  I recently found a brand online called Rosey Bloom's collard greens and they're phenomenal! I literally ordered a few jars and ate two without even hitting them up. Absolutely delicious, fully seasoned, and quick. They even have vegetarian option!

Hey Kate! I’ve been making my collards like this for years and had no idea they were “a thing”.  They are SO delicious - not the soggy, over cooked “southern” variety. I do add a smidge of honey when I make mine and a little bit of Vegeta in place of the salt, since it’s pretty high in sodium. I would urge all your many fans to try cooking their collards this way. Super easy and by far my all-time favourite veggie!!

Easy and yummy - just purchased your cookbook

First time ever trying collard greens. This was delicious!! I followed the recipe except left off the red pepper flakes. It was good with and without a splash of lemon. Yum!

Hey Kate,
I just made this yesterday for dinner, have collar just about once a week and sometimes add kale which is so delicious.  Always trying your recipes. Keep up the good work
Veganroro

I bought prewashed and precut collards at our local grocery store.  I think I would have liked the recipe better if I'd cut the greens in small strips as stated in the recipe.  I had to cut out some of the tough spines and tore the leaves a bit smaller and the greens were still a bit tough.  We did like the flavor though and will try cutting smaller next time.

First time I have ever made collard greens..they turned out awesome,the recipe was easy and everyone loved them. I can also see how I can add my own spin,this basic recipe is simple and tastes great!

Tried these today without the red pepper flakes and drizzled red wine reduction over the top. Will definitely make this again!

Great didh and recipe. Interesting content. Hope you share more with us.

Holy Hannah! I like collard greens! I’ve tried a few times before but I just couldn’t get onboard. I saw your recipe and it looked so yummy I figured it was worth a shot. And it’s absolutely delicious. Anytime I find a new veggie I can add to the dinner rotation it’s a huge victory. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

The Quick Collard Greens recipe was perfect!  So tasty and delicious.  This is a recipe I will make again and again.  Thank you so much, Kate!

I made this tonight with jambalaya and it was a HUGE hit and so easy!  My 10 year old devoured hers before my husband got to the table and asked if she could have his.  She eyed them until he finally sat down and ate them himself.   Both my kids, my husband and I all finished our greens before touching our other food.   This will be a new staple in our house ... except that I'll make a triple batch!  Thanks for helping us diversify our vegetable repertoire!

I made it as shown in the recipe, and it was tender and delicious.  A far cry from the cooked to death bitterness of the traditional Southern style.  The oil saute method you show is much better.  We use the same technique for other bitter cruciferous greens such as rapini.

Made this.
Easy.
Delicious.
Healthy.
Thanks...

Just made collard greens for thr 1st time. Thanks for the recipe. Served it with some left over basmati rice. Just learning to cook and eat this way.

Excellent. I'd never cooked collards and associated them with southern, boil-until-they-are-dead cooking. I was so wrong. This recipe was easy and delicious. Who could ask for more? Oh. Yes. I did ask for more.

This turned out terrific. Collard greens are very hard to find in the store--maybe if people knew how good they are, there would be more of a demand for them, and more stores would stock them.

Mine needed to cook longer--in the time the recipe said, they were tasty but tough. I added some water, covered the pot, and let them steam another 15 minutes on low heat, and they were perfect.

This is also how I do my spinach. I planted collards for the first time this year and I cannot get enough of them either. I’ve been doing them just the way that you said and I love them .

I left out the red pepper flakes, and I added the garlic earlier. It was delicious!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/0wIXjwsL.mp4

Watch how to cook delicious collard greens in this short recipe video! These quick collards take after a simple Brazilian cooking method. 

Quick Collard Greens Recipe

Quick and Easy Vegan Collard Greens are simple enough for a weeknight meal, but pack enough flavor to serve to guests or as a holiday side dish.

Quick and Easy Vegan Collard Greens

collard greens

garlic (smashed and diced)

apple cider vinegar (to taste)

smoked paprika

Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven, heat 1-2 tablespoons of water over medium heat. Saute garlic 2-3 minutes.

Add collard greens and stir. Add water a tablespoon or two at a time, and cook, covered, over medium heat for 12-15 minutes or until no longer bright green/bitter. (I typically use about 1/2 cup of water throughout the cooking. See notes.)

When finished cooking, turn off heat. Add the vinegar and smoked paprika, stir well, and allow to rest, covered, 1-2 minutes.

Check seasonings. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste before serving.

Easy peasy and so tasty. We just added one small shallot, which added some more depth of flavor.  A squeeze of lemon was the finishing touch.

Hi/having returned to my macrobiotic journey after 4 decades -- it is just so delightful to find a bright, cheery approach to collard greens -- having it for breakfast with my porridge makes a joyful addition to my menu!!!

Thanks sooooooooo much!

Fantastic flavour- I modified simply based on what I had on hand and what I was already cooking. I already had two dishes with garlic and salt- so I omitted both ingredients. I chopped up some bok choy (on hand) and collard greens (loved it in the skinny shreds that you call for!). Added a slivered scallion and chick peas and red chili peppers. Poured on some lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon. Soooooo tasty! Very enjoyble.

Hello Kate,
We made this last two evenings in a row. It was so quick and we loved the taste. This recipe is a keeper!!

This was the first time I ever had them and I only had them because of a mistake in a grocery order. But I love this it was simple and they were very tasty with the lemon and garlic. Thank you.

Great recipe; I never thought I liked collard greens until I made your recipe. I like it better than kale, which I make in a similar way. Collards are not as bitter and not as tough!  The lemon juice makes it :-) Thank you!

I am making these tonight. I get collard greens in my farm box all the time and this is the first recipe that looks fresh and tasty. Thank you.

Wow, never had greens this way. Delicious.

So fast and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

This was such a simple recipe, but so tasty.  This was so fresh and delicious.  I don’t think I’ll cook collard greens or kale any other way now. Perfect 

A mysterious bundle of green leaves ended up in our grocery pickup this week. Upon realizing they were collard greens I was excited to try them. I liked the simplicity of your recipe - they were ready in no time and really tasty! I threw them on a scrambled egg sandwich on wheat toast with a bit of cheddar cheese. But they would have been delicious as a side dish or on their own, too! I’ll add these to our shopping list in the future so we will definitely use your recipe again!

Recipe is so delicious and so easy. Killer combination. Has become a family favorite.

Delicious and simple. Cooked a couple eggs and plopped on top.

This is great. I wouldn't buy collards, but got some in an Imperfect Foods box. The only thing I'd add is a few grates of a nutmeg, which I add to all my bitter greens. It adds a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that's had people ask for a recipe. A few grates of lemon zest and a drizzle of EVOO finishes the dish.

Had this with smoked pulled pork (hubby's thing) ... OM gosh! Love this! Perfect way to cook these amazing greens! Cheers! D

I’ve made this recipe over and over!  One of our new favorite ways to eat kale, and super fast and easy to make.

As a picky eater who especially hates veggies, this was really good! Thank you for this recipe! It makes being healthy much easier :) so easy too

This is my favorite recipe for greens--and I really mean that Collard greens with this recipe would be my number 1 choice of greens over all others.  

Thanks so much for the recipe--cooking them the Brazilian way is really a game changer.

I accidentally grabbed and planted two six pack of collards instead of kohlrabi.  I found your recipes online  and they sound perfect. Thank you so much for your post and  website.   I’ll be back  to try more recipes on  the  site.

Best collard greens I’ve had! I usually don’t follow recipes exactly, but I’ve made this one 3 times exactly according to instructions. Delicious and a new favorite in my family. It’s always requested at our summer bbq dinners.

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Top 3 vegetarian collard greens recipes from across the web

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