I have a real admiration for collards and other greens because they are survivors. Tomatoes, eggplants, and other warm-weather vegetables are delicious, of course, but they have it easy, basking in the sun all day and not being expected to withstand repeated freezes. And while Mississippi isn’t exactly known for its cold weather, this year, like much of the country, we experienced one of the harshest winters on record.
At the coldest point, the temperature stayed below freezing for days on end, breaking waterlines in the city where I live, shutting down schools and leaving us without drinking water for about a week. Since December, it’s snowed more times that I can remember, which is amazing when you realize that we usually see snow maybe once every 5 years, so we remember even the faintest flurry by the year it happened, not the month.
So my collards made it through some real winter weather this year. At the height of the big freeze, I went outside to check on them and they were literally frozen solid. During the heaviest snow, they were buried in white for a couple of days, until I finally thought to go out there and dig them out so the leaves could get some light. But did the winter weather faze them? No, they shook it off and emerged just as vibrant as ever, perhaps even stronger for having endured:
That’s how they looked right after the coldest weather, before I started stealing some of their largest leaves to cook with. That’s another great thing about collards; unlike head lettuces or cabbages, you can cut off what you need, and the plant will keep growing.
When the weather really starts to get warm, the collard’s central stem shoots up and sprouts clusters of florets that look a little like broccoli. Eventually those florets bloom into little yellow flowers, which are pretty, yes, but signal the end of the growing season for the collards. The leaves become more bitter once the plant has flowered, so I try to harvest the leaves before that can happen. In this I almost never succeed. Currently my collards have stalks about 4 feet tall and more flowers than leaves.
I’ve been been racing against summer to use all the collards, adding them to as many meals as my family can tolerate. The simplest (and to my taste best) way to cook them is in the pressure cooker, as a side dish for beans and rice. But this time, I wanted to do something a little more ambitious, so I wrapped the beans and rice inside the collard leaves and baked them with a simple tomato sauce. In the words of my husband, “This one’s a keeper.”
Collards Stuffed with Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked brown rice --I used brown jasmine
- 1 1/2 cup cooked small red beans
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 1 green or yellow bell pepper chopped
- 2 ribs celery finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1/2-1 tablespoon Tabasco or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 12 leaves collard greens
Instructions
- You will need cooked rice and red beans, so before you do anything else, make sure you have those prepared. I pressure-cooked 1 cup of small red beans for 25 minutes (natural pressure release) and had about 3/4 cup of beans leftover after making this recipe.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray or wipe it with olive oil, if you like. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring regularly, until it begins to brown. Add the green pepper and celery and cook, adding a little water if it starts to dry out, until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Remove 3/4 of a cup of the vegetables from the skillet and mix them in a bowl with the fire-roasted tomatoes and a little salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- To the skillet, add the rice, red beans, the seasonings, and 1/4 cup of bean-cooking liquid or vegetable broth. Reduce heat to very low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly and adding additional liquid if it starts to dry out. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Wash the collard leaves and cut off the stems level with the bottom of the leaves. Turn them with the coarse stem-side of the leaf up, and holding a very sharp knife parallel to the leaf, trim off part of the thickened central rib. Be careful not to cut through the leaves. If leaves are very large, you can just cut out the thickest part of the central rib.
- In two batches of 6, place the collard leaves into the boiling water, pressing them down gently to make sure all leaves are submerged. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse in cool water. Repeat with remaining leaves.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- To assemble, spoon half of the tomato mixture into the bottom of a long, oiled casserole dish. Place a collard leaf in front of you, trimmed side up and stem closest to you. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the rice mixture (2 for small leaves, 3 for larger) about a quarter of the way from the bottom.
- Fold the side edges over the middle. Fold the bottom (stem end) over the filling, tucking it in behind the filling. Roll up tightly, and place each roll into the casserole dish. Spoon the remaining tomato mixture over the rolls, and cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
The Ordinary Vegetarian
This is fantastic! I love the technique of removing the thickest part of the stem, I never thought of that. Well done.
Brenda W.
Susan … I loved learning about the growth cycles of collard … I had no idea about the little flowers, and the little broccoli-like clusters (fabulous picture of that, btw).
And, thanks for another great recipe!
Janet
I can't say that I've ever had collard before. Shameful, I know! But I'm intrigued…this recipe looks delicious
Andria
Susan –
That looks great! I have a question. I bought a pressure cooker and you mentioned you cooked the beans for 25min.
Do you find it necessary to soak the beans?
I'd like to avoid soaking if possible, because I never remember to do it!
Thank you!
Valentina
I bet boiled briefly leaves of cabbage can be used if you don’t like collard greens.
SusanV
Andria, I have the same problem. Often I do a quick-soak: bring the beans up to high pressure, remove from heat, and let the pressure come down naturally before draining and cooking them for the soaked amount of time.
This time, I used small red beans (larger than adzukis and smaller than kidneys) and did not soak at all. At 20 minutes, they were not quite done, so I put them back on for 5 more minutes at high pressure. I was really happy with them because they were tender but still intact.
Mary Ann
I'm delighted by your description of how well the collards fared during the winter. I can't wait to try your recipe!
Janet
I never soak beans because I never think that far ahead. Have had no problems with gas or anything else. I have a great book, Cooking Under Pressure, that has a chart in the flyleaf for all beans and grains with the time needed for soaked or unsoaked, natural release or forced release (running the cooker under cold water to bring the pressure down faster).
Jess
…I JUST made a similar recipe from the McDougall cookbook! I REALLY wish I had seen your version, because yours seems like it would have had more flavor. Mine was good, but a bit on the bland side.
Also, I needed a tutorial on wrapping the collared greens, I royally botched that one up.
The McDougall recipe called for azuki beans, which through much searching, are also called 'adzuki' and 'aduki' beans (I found mine canned). I thought these particular beans lent a really great, almost sweet flavor, so I highly recommend them over say, kidney beans. I'm printing your recipe, and inserting it in the cookbook, so I can use your version instead. Thanks!
Ms. Bake-it
Although I live in the South, I do not eat collards very often (not sure why not). I am always willing to try new recipes and this one sounds great. I am sure I will love it because I love stuffed cabbage. Thanks!
~ Tracy
Kalyn
I love collards! I already bought some seeds and am going to try growing them for the first time.
Tom
Brilliant!!! Never thought of baking the boiled collards. Love the idea and mind expansion!!! Thanks Susan.
Moon Cat
Wow, that looks amazing and so southern!! Can't wait to try it.
Colleen
Looks great! Have you ever tried cutting off the flowering stems to lenghthen the growing season? The plants might keep growing longer if they can't flower… 🙂
SusanV
Hi Colleen–cutting off the stem does work. I've heard that some people keep collards growing year-round, though they don't produce well until the cooler months. The trouble is, I have limited garden space (really just a few square feet) and need to get the collards out before I can plant my summer vegetables (which are supposed to go into the ground this weekend). If I had the space, I'd try to keep them as perennials.
ashley c.
Can you use another type of green for this. I like all kinds of greens EXCEPT collards. I unfortunately can't even be in the house when they are cooking. I wish I liked them but I don't. This sounds wonderful and I would like to try it if another green would work.
Valentina
I bet boiled briefly leaves of cabbage can be used if you don’t like collard greens.
Dutch
I have never tried collard greens. I think I need to try them now since this recipe sounds delicious.
Kathleen
Wow! This looks great! I think it will be part of my Easter dinner.
Cheryl Chaffee
These look fantastic! And, BONUS, I just happen to have some collard greens in my fridge……
Melhe
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your blog and posts. Your presentation and comments always inspire me. Thank you for just being you. MLMckelvy
Twyla
So, kinda like vegetarian cabbage rolls where the "cabbage" is the collard greens? What are collards anyways, the flowers make it look like something in the mustard/rapeseed category ?
Kellie
Perfect! I was just seeking collard recipes today as I got them in my CSA box recently. This sounds lovely!
Kim
And me with a whole row of collards in my garden just begging for a great recipe!
Christine
Wow the picture looks great. I love how you presented it wrapped in yummy green leaf. I love red beans..like mexican food. yum!
Rachel
These look BEAUTIFUL. WOW.
And add me to the list of those who have never seen a collard flower before–amazing picture. Thanks!
Zoa
What gorgeous photos, and the dish looks wonderful. The collard leaves are so fresh and green, it's worth the extra effort of serving them this way for cheer value alone.
SusanV
Ashley, sorry I didn't notice your question until now. You can use cabbage or, I'll bet, any green that has big leaves (not spinach, in other words).
evelyn
These look great. Can they be served at room temp? They look good for Easter but I don't want to have to reheat
Lex
Just what I was looking for!
Jessica
Wow, I didn't know that collards were so tough! I love spinach, but I do believe that collard greens are my favorites! Mustard greens are too spicy for me by themselves, but added to turnip, collard or spinach they're good!
jessyburke88@gmail.com
Elizabeth
I just made these and they were amazing! I've never made a stuffed anything, but they were much easier than I thought. I'd never had collard greens until I moved to Mississippi, but I grew to love them and other greens. I no longer live in MS, but when I found some collards at the local farmers market this morning, I knew what I was making tonight. SO good.
James Reno
I love wraps made with greens. Can't wait to try this, looks great!
James Reno
Raw-Food-Repair.com
jacqueline
i want to eat that!
sacramento seo
My wife is a vegan and will love your site. I'm a carnivore but I married a veggie! Ha!
chiropractor greenville
I love your site. The recipes are great. Thanks.
Brett Sutcliffe
Amazing. Even the color of this dish. I love it.
Morgan--
What a great recipe! I love it, definitely trying this one!
The Healthy Apple
This sounds amazing, Susan…I love making stuffed collards…it's one of my favorite go-to lunches! Thanks for the fabulous idea to pair it with red beans and rice!
Anonymous
ashley c. said…
"Can you use another type of green for this. I like all kinds of greens EXCEPT collards. I unfortunately can't even be in the house when they are cooking. I wish I liked them but I don't. This sounds wonderful and I would like to try it if another green would work."
What about chard? Swiss chard, or red chard? Kale? Kale leaves are often curly or very textured, tho…but would be an interesting taste…
ashley c.
Thanks. I've never used chard before. I'll have to see if I can find some in my taste bud challenged town. I do have kale on hand though. (I think)
Heather Loves Healthy Vegan Recipes
Love the pictorial of preparing the collards, including the stem thinning – this is the stuff most people don't get from the recipes! Loved the story of their growth, and this recipe looks fantastic!