Simple Southern Style Braised Greens

Servings: 8 Prep: 20 min Cook: 10 min Total: 30 min

There are far more elaborate and time consuming versions of this dish. You can add all sorts of other riddles and games, such as chilies, beer, molasses, ham hocks, vinegar, onions, apples, nuts, etc. While these things are all great (REALLY great, on occasion!), I’m going to go with a “quick and dirty” version, comprising of … greens and … bacon! Nothing else!

Ultimately, what we have here is a bitter green. You can use any of the following for this recipe: kale, beet greens, chard, collards, mustard greens, or any other hearty green. With some kind of fat and the liquid that comes out of the greens themselves, the greens will wilt and mix with whatever you add to them. They lose a lot of their aggressive bitterness and become a very nice, soft and VERY healthy dish. Serve as a side dish, as the base for a meat, as a snack, as a component for a future dip, etc.

A vegan variation might use something like: olive oil, greens, garlic, apple cider vinegar, a cinnamon stick, toasted pecans and apples!

*Ahem* … because I generally like to keep it simple and believe in the healing power of bacon …

Simple Southern Style Braised Greens

0 from 0 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Author: DJ Foodie

Ingredients

• 8 slices raw bacon chopped (for bits)
• 1 1/2 lbs hearty leafy bitter greens washed and cut into bite sized ribbons
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cook the bacon in a (fairly large sized) pot deep enough to cook all the greens, at once (with a lid).
• When crispy, strain the bacon bits and set aside. Save fat for another day. Do not clean the pot.
• Add all the washed, cut and dried greens to the pot and thin layer of bacon fat.
• Return the bacon bits to the pot.
• Season with a small amount of salt and pepper and cover with a lid.
• Let the greens steam themselves, over a medium heat, until they begin to wilt. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the greens, to allow them to continue steaming evenly. Cover and let steam for a further 5 minutes.
• Adjust the seasoning and serve!

Never miss a recipe! – get the free Keto App

STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only ever endorse products that are in alignment with my ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers.

* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …