Collard Greens... Yum? Yes!!!

Ok… So- collard greens… People in Las Vegas generally do not cook them or eat them. They can be a bit bitter and are an acquired taste that we Southerners love. My husband, Andrew, does not love them. He is, if fact, fairly disgusted by them. So my goal for these Southern collard greens with a Southwestern twist is to get Andrew’s thumb’s up.

Here’s what I came up with:

Spicy Collard Greens Au Gratin


½ lb. bacon
1 large yellow onion, chopped
14 oz. bag washed and trimmed collard greens
1 jalapeno pepper, most of seeds and ribbed removed, diced
1 Tbsp. chipotle Tabasco sauce
2 ¼ cups chicken broth, divided
12 oz. bag baby spinach
½ cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup Panko bread crumbs


1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Fry the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan, leaving grease in pan. Crumble bacon and set aside.
3. Add chopped yellow onion to bacon grease and cook until soft and browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
4. Combine collard greens, jalapeno, Tabasco sauce and 2 cups of the broth in the skillet- allow greens to wilt over medium heat, cover and cook over low heat for 45 minutes, until most of liquid has evaporated.
5. Add the spinach and additional ¼ cup chicken broth and cook until wilted. Add cream and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Stir to combine.
6. Spray an 8x8 dish with non-stick cooking spray; add collard green mixture to pan. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.
7. Combine melted butter and bread crumbs, spread over cheese.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crumbs are lightly browned

This was so yummy. And, yes, the goal was accomplished: