Southern-Style Collard Greens Is The Most Searched Fall Side Dish Recipe

No, it’s not mashed potatoes.

Iain Bagwell

Fall is just around the corner (even if it’s still fairly hot out), and that means it’s time to start thinking about cold-weather cooking. Apples will soon take over the farmers’ market, so ready your favorite pie crust recipe. Aside from the sweets, we’ll also return to our favorite soups and stews, and comfort dishes like mac and cheese.

To go with all those autumnal dinners, you’ll need some savory and hearty fall side dishes to round out the meal. Among the many side dish ideas you’re searching for, like Southern Cornbread Dressing, there is one recipe people across the South are looking for the most. No, it’s not mashed potatoes, or even a sweet potato dish. In fact, it doesn’t feature root vegetables at all. The most searched fall side dish is Southern-Style Collard Greens, and with good reason.

Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Props Stylist: Christina Brockman

Southern-Style Collard Greens

Our Classic Recipe

This is far from Southern Living’s only collard greens recipe, but it is perhaps the most traditional of the bunch. We’ve developed recipes for Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks, Smoky Creamed Greens, as well as vegetarian-friendly recipes, but sometimes the classic version just can’t be beat.

The hallmarks of this recipe are a few key ingredients: Smoked ham, bacon, and apple cider vinegar. The double dose of savory pork products creates great depth of flavor, while the vinegar helps balance the richness they impart. All three contribute to a super flavorful pot likker, which you’ll want plenty of cornbread on hand to sop up.

Tangy, savory, and sweet, these greens are delicious as is, but served with a splash of hot sauce, or hot pepper vinegar, they’re practically perfect. The underlying acidity of these greens also makes them the perfect accompaniment for richer main dishes, like casseroles, pot pies, and pot roast, which is why fall is the perfect time to dust off the recipe.

What Readers Love About These Greens

This recipe has racked up quite a few five-star reviews and not without merit. As one review notes, “This is the perfect collard recipe, IMO. Everyone LOVES these when I make them.”

Part of what makes these greens so beloved is how customizable they are. Readers have noted that if you want a more pronounced collards flavor, you can use vegetable broth instead of richer chicken broth. One reader swapped the bacon and ham for smoked brisket, and said they achieved the same richness without using pork, while another reader used smoked turkey legs instead, and found that it created a wonderfully flavorful foundation for their greens.

Aside from the customizable nature of this recipe, the greens make such a great side dish because they actually get better after sitting for a few days. They reheat beautifully as well, so feel free to make a batch on a Monday, and pair them with different meals throughout the week.

Related: This Is The Most Searched Soup Recipe In The South

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