Instant Pot Collard Greens The Soul Food Way
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Collard greens, a long-standing staple in Southern cooking, particularly in African American recipes, are renowned for their nutritional benefits. When seasoned with ingredients like onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, they transform into a savory broth, turning their once coarse and bitter flavor into a delicious and healthful dish.
The Instant Pot transforms the cooking of collard greens, making it a quick and efficient process. This versatile kitchen appliance enables you to enjoy nutritious meals without the lengthy cooking times typically required by traditional methods, giving you more time to focus on anything else you want to do!
Can you cook collard greens in the Instant Pot?
Collard greens and the Instant Pot form a perfect union, creating quick meals and straightforward recipes that honor soul food flavor traditions. The greens retain their unique taste, texture, and flavor, proving that you can enjoy the essence of Southern cooking without sacrificing time or effort.
Traditionally, cooking collard greens on the stovetop can take up to three hours, following the classic method often used in Black cuisine. However, with the Instant Pot, you can prepare collard greens in just 45 minutes from prep to serving, saving you hours in the kitchen!
What you need
To make collard greens in the Instant Pot, you’ll need a few key ingredients, starting with fresh collard greens free of blemishes. Gather garlic, onions, diced tomatoes, honey, hot sauce, seasonings, salt, and peppers to achieve that authentic, soulful Southern flavor.
An options for this recipe includes adding an already seasoned and cooked turkey leg to the Instant Pot for enhanced smokey and meaty flavor. If you’re looking for a vegetarian alternative, substitute vegetable broth for traditional chicken broth to maintain the essence of soul food while accommodating dietary preferences.
How to make Instant Pot collard greens
Instant Pot recipes transform traditional Southern cooking, such as collard greens, by providing quicker methods while retaining the same classic soul food deliciousness and flavors. Cooking greens with the help of the Instant Pot’s precise timing preserves their nutrients and taste, resulting in a healthy side dish option that won’t be overcooked.
Here’s how to do it:
- Clean and cut the collard greens and remove the stems.
- Add the greens and other ingredients to the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, followed by a 15-minute pressure release, then serve and enjoy!
How long does it take to pressure-cook collard greens?
Cooking collard greens in an Instant Pot is quick and easy! In just 15 minutes, you can have them ready, followed by a 15-minute natural pressure release.
During the pressure release, you don’t do anything else except wait at least 15 minutes (the Instant Pot keeps up with the time) after cooking to allow the pot to release the pressure inside automatically. This means you no longer have to spend all day at the stove to enjoy this classic dish.
Storing and reheating leftovers
This recipe includes perishable vegetables, so cooked collard greens can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. When you’re ready for a leftover serving, you can quickly reheat the collards in the microwave.
Additionally, you can freeze cooked collard greens in an airtight container for up to 90 days. Frozen collard greens are a great example of how this vegetable can retain its quality and flavor for months in the freezer. If you’re using the Instant Pot to reheat a batch, select the “keep warm” setting instead of using the pressure cooking feature.
Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds collard greens 3 bundles
- 1 turkey leg pre-cooked/smoked (this ingredient is optional)
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 4 cups chicken stock use vegetable stock to make vegan and vegetarian-friendly
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce or sriracha sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Clean the collard greens, stack several leaves on top of each other, and cut off the stems.
- Roll the leaves up lengthwise, tightly like a cigar. Using a knife or kitchen shears, cut the rolled collard greens into half-inch ribbon strips.
- Open the Instant Pot lid and add the wet ingredients (chicken stock, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and hot sauce to the stainless-steel inner pot.
- Next, add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, Old Bay or Cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and stir to combine the ingredients.
- Finally, add the collard greens, followed by the optional cooked turkey leg.
- Press down to sink the greens as much as you can into the liquid broth.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Serve this soul food collard greens right away and enjoy!
I love how much time I save making collard greens in the Instant Pot. It’s an easy dump recipe and a one-pot recipe!