Collard greens with Ham hocks in the Instant Pot. A smoky green vegetable that is not only good for you, but we show you how to make it quick and so tasty.
Good for You Greens in a Hurry
Green, leafy veggies are a MUST in everyone’s diet. The problem is, most are bland and do very little in the way of enticing people to eat them. Most green vegetables get a bad wrap as a bland, good for you only, tasteless food.
I am here to tell you that Collard greens are an excellent source of so many things that are good for you. Fiber, Antioxidants like Vitamins A and C. They are also rich in Vitamin K as well as B vitamins and calcium. You can do your body a great service by including more leafy greens like Collards in your diet.
Plus, they are a staple Southern Food. Just like BUTTERMILK BISCUITS and CORNBREAD DRESSING, these are a must make recipe for every good Southern cook.
How to Make It
But how do you make Collards taste good? That is one of the most common questions about almost any leafy green vegetable. Lucky for you, I am about to tell you how!
~Ingredients
- 1 to 2 large bunches of Collard Greens
- 1 to 2 smoked Ham Hocks
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 & ½ cup vegetable broth
- Red Pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
~Method
- Wash your collards at least 2 times to make sure you get all of the sand off. I typically wash mine once still on the stem. Rinse them and tear them off the stem and soak the torn pieces again and rinse and drain.
- In a 6qt or larger Instant Pot, place your onions, garlic, ham hock, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and broth. Place the torn and washed collard greens on top. I usually have to pack mine in pretty good. It’s important to note here that I can usually only get 1 bunch of collards in my 6 qt IP. If you have a larger Ultra or 8 qt, you may need more.
- Seal the lid, close the vent and set the Instant Pot to manual or pressure cook for 30 minutes. When the cook time is up, allow to NPR (natural pressure release) for about 10 minutes. Carefully open the vent to release any remaining pressure and remove the lid. Remove the ham hock and discard or remove flesh from bone and put back in. Add in the apple cider vinegar and stir well.
Tips and Tricks
Yes. The contain lots of vitamin A, K and are rich in Iron. A pretty tasty way to get those alphabet vitamins. When you add the apple cider vinegar, be sure to use the kind with the Mother for its added health benefits.
Sure! Smoked turkey or turkey bacon really adds so much flavor. The possibilities are endless with adding protein and flavor here. I say follow your cooking heart!
Of course! Whatever gets you in the kitchen and cooking. Today's cooks have such an advantage that grocery stores help do the heavy lifting so we can get out of the kitchen and enjoying time with our families. Do those things!
Get Those Greens!
So there it is. The secret to making something so good for you even taste better!
Now feel free to cook them on the stove the same way, just be prepared to cook them for a longer amount of time. The addition of the ACV is the same. It cuts the bitterness of the greens and help smooth the balance between the bitter and the smokiness of the ham hock.
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Instant Pot Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 large bunches of Collard Greens
- 1 to 2 smoked Ham Hocks
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 & ½ cup vegetable broth
- Red Pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Wash your collards at least 2 times to make sure you get all of the sand off.
Rinse them and tear them off the stem and soak the torn pieces again and rinse and drain. - In a 6qt or larger Instant Pot, place your onions, garlic, ham hock, red pepper flakes,
salt, pepper and broth. Place the torn and washed collard greens on top. I usually have
to pack mine in pretty good. It’s important to note here that I can usually only get 1 bunch
of collards in my 6 qt IP. If you have a larger Ultra or 8 qt, you may need more. - Seal the lid, close the vent and set the Instant Pot to manual or pressure cook for 30 minutes.
When the cook time is up, allow to NPR (natural pressure release) for about 10 minutes. - Carefully open the vent to release any remaining pressure and remove the lid. Remove
the ham hock and discard or shred meat off bone and add back to pot.
Add in the apple cider vinegar and stir well.
Lois M Watts
You can fit two lg bunches in a six qt pot! I learned how to prepare greens from a blind old black woman. She took out every vein while they were dry, and said, 'this is how you get all the sand out!' I also rinse but deveining makes for much smaller pieces in the pot.
My six qt fits two easily.
Brooke Burks
Yes! Great advice!
Samantha
please fix the "print" button on this recipe
Brooke Burks
Got it fixed! You should be able to print now!
Patty
can i substitute mustard or turnip greens for some of the collard greens? My grocery store only had a skimpy amount of collards, but had 2 big bags of mustard greens alread washed.
Brooke Burks
Yes! You can do it all the same! Let me know how they turn out!!
Michelle Daniel
Can I substitute vegetable broth with chicken broth?
Brooke Burks
You certainly can! Same amount is fine. Enjoy!