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This is my recipe for tender, flavourful and easy spring greens – also known as collard greens in the US. They’re cooked with a little stock, garlic and butter. A one-pan side dish, ready in less than 10 minutes.
“Looks a lovely recipe, right up my street 👌”
Nicky’s Notes
Spring greens are such a tasty, nutritious side dish. I love them served up with saucy dishes, or alongside pan-fried steak or chicken.
This method of cooking them is really quick. It’s kind of a combination of sautéing, boiling and steaming, this results in tender, glossy greens with extra flavour, plus a nice bit of cooking liquor to drizzle over when serving.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
- Spring greens – washed and dried
- Stock – chicken or vegetable
- Unsalted butter (you can use slated if you prefer and reduce the extra salt added
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Wash and dry the spring greens, then slice into strips. To a large pan (one that you’ve got a lid for) add stock, butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Then place the spring greens on top and give them a little mix with the liquid. Place a lid on, bring to the boil, then simmer until tender (this should only take a few minutes). Drizzle on a little lemon juice before serving.
Pro Tips
- You can add all of the ingredients to the pan, place a lid on and put to one side for an hour or two, then cook it all up when the rest of your meal is almost ready.
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve them with
I love to serve up these collard greens with comforting saucy dishes! Try one of these:
- Slow Cooker Smothered Pork Chops
- Creamy Chicken Dijon
- Slow-Cooked Steak Diane Casserole
- Chicken in creamy cider sauce
- Coq Au Vin Blanc
I love how bright and vibrant these greens are! What would you serve them with?
Easy Spring Greens Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1lbs) spring greens (collard greens) this is about two 'bunches'
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Give the spring greens a good wash under the cold tap and shake dry.500 g (1.1lbs) spring greens (collard greens)
- Slice the spring greens into thin (1cm) strips.
- To a large frying pan (one that you have a lid for* SEE NOTE), add the stock, butter, garlic, salt and pepper.120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken or vegetable stock, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Place the sliced spring greens on top and toss them in the liquid using a set of tongs.
- Place a lid on the pan and heat over a medium heat.
- As soon as you hear/see the liquid coming to a boil (this should take a couple of minutes), give the spring greens a toss again, place the lid back on and turn the heat down to low-medium.
- Allow the spring greens to cook for 4-5 minutes, until wilted.
- Turn off the heat and remove the lid. Drizzle over the lemon juice and toss again – they should be nice and glossy.1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Serve immediately, spooning over any liquid that remains in the pan.
Notes
- Make this side dish more substantial by adding
- A drizzle of double (heavy) cream
- Grated parmesan
- Crispy bacon bits
- Shop-bought fried onions
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Spring Greens recipe was first posted in Jan 2024. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍲 More Easy Sides
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Collard greens are entirely different from Spring Greens. Different type of plant. Collards are large and bitter. They require a long cooking time. Spring greens are simply a cabbage that hasn’t fully developed and has no solid head. Please don’t call them collards!
Great recipe. Loves it. Thanks
Really delicious 😋
Followed the recipe exactly and it’s bitter. What can be added to get rid of that taste?
Hi Nicky do you remove the stalk when slicing or leave it on? Thanks
Any other Aussies here who can tell me what ‘spring greens’ are please? Google is no help, saying “Collards are members of the cabbage family (Brassica oleracea), and a staple side dish in Southern cooking. They feature dark green leaves and tough stems that need to be removed before eating. The flavor of collards is a cross between cabbage and hearty kale, similar to Swiss chard”
I’m guessing I use a mix of spinach, silverbeet, and kale?
It looks so pretty I want to whip it up on the weekend.
I made this with savoy cabbage, it was truly amazing! My Husband adored it so no going back to the usual cooking method now!
Thank you Nicky!
Looks a lovely recipe, right up my street 👌
BTW you have a typo in it, rather than salted it says slated x