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Close up of a serving bowl with sliced cooked collard greens topped with crisp, cooked bacon with a spoon resting in it.
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4.41 from 10 votes

Quick Southern Collard Greens with Bacon

Quick Southern collard greens with bacon have all the great flavor of traditional collards in a fraction of the time for a delicious, easy side dish!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3-4 slices bacon
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 large head collard greens, trimmed and julienne sliced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  • Heat a large pot over medium heat, add bacon slices (all 4 if they will fit) and fry the bacon until cooked and crispy. Remove bacon from the pan to a paper towel to drain then crumble and set aside. (Leave the bacon drippings in pan.) You can prep the collards while the bacon is cooking (see notes below).
  • Add the onion to the bacon grease and saute over medium heat until tender, about 2 minutes.
  • Add sliced collard greens to the pot and toss to coat in the onions and grease. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
  • Add ½ cup water and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. (Check after 10-15 minutes to make sure the collards have enough water. Add another few tablespoons of water if the pot is drying out.) 
  • Once the collard greens are tender, drain any excess liquid.
  • Add apple cider vinegar, stir to combine and simmer for 2 more minutes on medium low.
  • Serve hot with reserved, crumbled bacon on top.

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Notes

To prep your collard greens, remove the hard inner stem from each leaf and roll up the long strips of collard green leaves into a tight roll. Slice thinly — this is called a julienne cut — and they’re ready to go. (You can see the photo of this in the post above.)

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 402mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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