I put together a delicious soul food dish that everyone will love this holiday season with this Southern Collard Greens and Cabbage with Smoked Turkey wings Recipe. The smoked turkey is cooked for a good 2 hours giving you the fall-off-the-bone tender meat that will intensify the flavors in our dish.
The holidays are here and it’s that time of the year where there will be countless family events, potlucks, dinner parties, etc. There are some recipes that just have to be on my table during the holidays, and collard greens are definitely one of them.
This recipe is the bomb and full of flavor. It has collard greens, cabbage, smoked turkey, chopped veggies, and seasoning.
This recipe is different from my traditional collard greens recipe because I added cabbage. Mixed greens are a delicious way to enjoy collard greens. The cabbage adds a nice flavor and mixes perfectly with the collard greens.
What is Collard Greens?
Collard greens are a leafy vegetable that is more common in southern food culture. It’s a staple “soul food” dish that is served in households and restaurants all over the United States. It has long leaves and stems, and while most people cook them with the stems, my method of cooking it-which was taught to me by my mother does not use the stems.
Health benefits of collard greens
- Anticancer. Collard Greens have been proven since the 1980s to prevent colorectal and lung cancer. Glucosinolate found in collard greens has been proven to reduce cancer at multiple stages of development in the prostate, lung, breast, and colorectal cancer.
- Lowers diabetes. Collard greens contain large amounts of fiber which lowers type one and type two diabetes. Collard Greens contain lipoic acid and antioxidants which studies have shown to lower blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity.
- Improves digestion. Collard greens are high in fiber and water content which leaves good digestion
- number four great for hair and skin. Color greens are an excellent source of vitamin A vitamin A is responsible for seven productions which is responsible for healthy moisturized hair. Vitamin A is great for your skin as it is responsible for all body tissue regeneration.
- Increases mood and better sleep. Choline, folate and homocysteine. Bounding polar Greens have been proven to increase mood and sleep.
Ingredients needed
- 1 -1.5 pound smoked turkey wings
- 2 -3 pounds of collard greens, cleaned and chopped
- 1 small head of cabbage, sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
- 2 teaspoon jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 3 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
How to cook Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey
1. Add about 10 cups of water to a large pot and boil the smoked meat for 2 hours
2. Remove from heat then remove the smoked meat from the pot and set it aside
3. When the meat is cool, remove the meat from the bones, chop it, and set it aside
4. Reserve 3 cups of the liquid from the pot (we will be using it for the greens) and discard the rest of the liquid
5. In a large pot, heat olive oil for about 2-3 minutes then add the garlic, onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper
6. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until it’s tender
7. Add collard greens and reserved liquid then stir well
8. Add the smoked meat and vinegar then stir well
9. season with seasoned salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder then stir well
10. Allow the greens to cook for 30 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring every 10 minutes
11. Add chopped cabbage and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes
12. Taste the greens and determine if they are seasoned to your liking, if not add more seasoned salt and pepper
13. Cook for another 15-20 minutes then remove from heat
14. Serve and enjoy!
How do you clean collard greens?
After cutting them, Wash the collard greens in water and vinegar 2-3 times to get all the grit and dirt off the collard greens -drain and set aside. The water should be clear -that is how you will know they are clean
What goes well with these Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey?
Recipe substitutes and variations
- You can use pork, turkey necks, and turkey legs to replace the smoked turkey wings
- You can use chicken broth or stock instead of water.
- Jalapeno flavor can be replaced with chili flakes
- You can mix your collard greens with kale.
Storage: Put your leftover collard greens with smoked turkey in an airtight container, they will stay in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Storing raw collard greens
Wash your greens (I shared how to wash them at the top of this post), and pat them dry with a paper towel. Roll them up then cover them with a new dry paper towel then secure that with a rubber band and put them in your fridge.
To freeze them, put a paper towel at the bottom of a ziplock bag then put them. The reason for the paper towel is for it to absorb any water from the leaves and avoid freezer burn or ice crystals. When sealing the bag, make sure to take out as much air as you possibly can.
FAQ
Collard greens can be cooked for 45 to 60 minutes. Some people cook it longer than that but there is no need.
They are consumable either way. They make a delicious crunchy leafy green salad, that can also be cooked and added with other vegetables and meats.
Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 -1.5 pound smoked turkey wings
- 2 -3 pound Collard greens, cleaned and chopped
- 1 Small head of cabbage, sliced
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 tablespoon Red onion, diced
- 2 teaspoon Jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 3 tablespoon Red bell pepper, diced
- ½ tablespoon Garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoon White vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Seasoned salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add about 10 cups of water to a large pot and boil the smoked meat for 2 hours
- Remove from heat then remove the smoked meat from the pot and set it aside
- When the meat is cool, remove the meat from the bones, chop it, and set it aside
- Reserve 3 cups of the liquid from the pot (we will be using it for the greens) and discard the rest of the liquid
- In a large pot, heat olive oil for about 2-3 minutes then add the garlic, onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper
- Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until it’s tender
- Add collard greens and reserved liquid then stir well
- Add the smoked meat and vinegar then stir well
- season with seasoned salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder then stir well
- Allow the greens to cook for 30 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring every 10 minutes
- Add chopped cabbage and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes
- Taste the greens and determine if they are seasoned to your liking, if not add more seasoned salt and pepper
- Cook for another 15-20 minutes then remove from heat
- Serve and enjoy!
Can I cook this in the crockpot?
Hi, I have never heard a crockpot for this recipe and recommend using a regular pot
Would any of the timing adjust if kale was used?
I would lessen the cook time if using kale