Collard Greens are a staple here in the South. As a kid growing up in Oklahoma, collards weren’t regularly on our table for dinner. When I did see them at a friend’s house or at a restaurant, I never would try them. Then I moved to North Carolina and collards were everywhere. I always had in my mind that collards would be slimy and not taste good and boy was I ever wrong!! Collards are one of my favorite greens to eat these days.

How to Source the Best Collard Greens

You can probably find collards at your local farmer’s market. If not, I see them at my local grocery store year round. I do always make sure that I get organic collard greens. They are on the EWG’s 2021 Dirty Dozen™ list due to the high amount of pesticides on them.

What are the Benefits of Collard Greens

Collards are a cruciferous vegetable and according to the Nutritional Therapy Association, cruciferous vegetables contain the largest concentrations of health-promoting sulfur compounds, which increase the liver’s ability to produce enzymes that neutralize potentially toxic substances. I try to eat cruciferous vegetables 4-5 days per week.

How to Prepare Collard Greens

This recipe is not only easy to make but it’s very fast too. I use my Instant Pot and from start to finish, it’s about 20 minutes. That includes de-stemming, washing the greens and chopping them up!

Do you have an Instant Pot? If not, it’s worth the investment. You can get one HERE.

I start by de-stemming the collards. The is simply done by stripping the leaves off the stem. Give them a good rinse and chop them up into large pieces. Set them aside.

Turn your Instant Pot to sauté. Chop the bacon in small pieces and cook until crispy. I’ve started buying nitrate-free bacon and try to get pasture-raised pork too but sometimes that’s not always easy to find. But nitrate-free, organic bacon is readily available. While the bacon is cooking, dice half of a small white onion. When the bacon is crispy, remove it but leave the bacon grease. Cook the onions in the bacon grease until brown. Add all remaining ingredients and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Manually release the pressure when the 10 minutes is up. Poor the collards into a bowl and top with the crispy bacon. Voila, you have a healthy, balanced side dish on the table!