I’ve never prepared a sweet potato collard greens recipe before, but today, I woke up and decided that I was going to put my cooking skills to the test and play around my kitchen. I went to my local Walmart, picked up a few ingredients and started brainstorming.
If you have been following my blog for the past 5-ish years, you would know I’m a sucker for anything that generally has collard greens. So, making this recipe, I already knew I would end up loving the final result.
This recipe turned out so good. I ended up making a new batch the next morning, because It was so delicious.
One thing I really liked (and I know you will like) about preparing this meal is simply the fact that it can be made in one pan. I like simplicity in my cooking, and sticking to one pan made it so much quicker and easier to prepare.
And so to bring you guys into my kitchen today, I decided I would show you how I prepare this awesome sweet potato collard greens recipe using just a few basic ingredients.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Collard Greens
Sweet potato: One large sweet potato. You will need to peel the skin off and dice the sweet potato.
Collard greens: I used one bunch of fresh collard greens. But canned collard greens will work as well.
Onion: I used half of a large onion. If you have a small onion, just use the whole thing.
Garlic: Minced or fresh chopped garlic.
Oil: Any cooking oil of your choice will work. I personally used avocado oil, which I love so much for cooking.
Paprika: This is totally optional, but I use it to a smoky flavor to dishes.
Cumin: Since cumin has a strong flavor, half of a teaspoon is all you need.
Salt: To taste.
Black pepper: For a nice kick, and to taste.
Vegetable broth: Feel free to use chicken broth if that’s what you have. I have prepared this with chicken broth in the past, and it tasted great.
Red pepper flakes: Totally optional, but adds a nice kick to the dish.
Oregano: If you don’t have oregano, thyme or Italian seasoning is a great substitute.
Stock Cube: Don’t skip the stock cube, it’s essential for this recipe. Trust me. I used Maggi (which I love), but any stock cube will work.
How To Make Sweet Potato with Collard Greens
Making this sweet potato with collard greens is pretty easy. Follow these steps to ensure a great tasting meal.
Step 1: Prepare and Chop the Vegetables
Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small, bite-sized cubes. Then wash the collard greens thoroughly, remove the stems, and roughly chop the leaves.
Step 2: Sauté The Aromatics
In a large skillet or pot, heat your oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion, and sauté until it starts to become translucent, typically about 3-4 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant, making sure not to burn the garlic.
Next, add the diced sweet potatoes to the skillet and incorporate your seasonings (smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt, black pepper, oregano, stock cubes).
Step 3: Cook the Sweet Potatoes and Add The Collard Greens
Cook the sweet potatoes, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to get tender.
Next, add the chopped collard greens to the skillet along with the vegetable broth. The broth should help deglaze the pan and provide the steam needed to cook the collard greens.
Stir everything together, ensuring the greens get submerged in the liquid.
Cover the skillet or pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let everything simmer together for about 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and the collard greens are tender.
Check occasionally and stir to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Step 4: Serve Your Sweet Potato Collard Greens
Remove the lid and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. If you like a bit of heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Serve your sweet potato collard greens hot. They can be enjoyed as a side dish or a vegetarian main course, perhaps accompanied by a grain like quinoa or brown rice for a complete meal.
Expert Tips For Great Tasting Sweet Potato Collard Greens
I chose to use sweet potato instead of regular potatoes because I felt this meal just needed a bit of sweetness to it. Regular Yukon or Russet potatoes can taste very bland when combined with veggies, so choosing sweet potato made a huge difference in the flavor.
Adding stock cube as one of my major spices also made this meal have a bit more richness in taste. If I stuck to regular salt and pepper, I feel like the results would have turned out different. So I’m glad I threw some stock cube into the mix.
Variations To Try
I’ve tried this recipe with bacon and it was SO GOOD!
For my meat lovers out there, you need to try this with bacon, or smoked turkey.
If you’re wondering how to incorporate meat into the preparation, simply precook the meat and set it aside, then add it after you’ve made the sweet potato collard greens.
It’s a great way to add more protein to this meal, which I love.
Let me know in the comments if you try out this dish.
Sweet Potato Collard Greens Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato - large, diced
- 1 bunch collard greens - ribs removed, leaves chopped
- 1 onion - small onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tbsps oil - any oil of your choice
- 2 tsps salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika - optional
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes - optional
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 stock cube
- 2 cups vegetable stock - or chicken stock, unsalted
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small, bite-sized cubes. Wash the collard greens thoroughly, remove the stems, and roughly chop the leaves.
- In a large skillet or pot, heat the oil over medium heat.Add the diced onion, and sauté until it starts to become translucent, about 3-4 minutes.Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant, making sure not to burn the garlic.
- Add the diced sweet potatoes to the skillet. Then sprinkle in your seasonings (oregano, cumin, stock cube, salt, black pepper, paprika) and combine.
- Cook the sweet potatoes, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to get tender.
- Add the chopped collard greens to the skillet and pour in the vegetable broth. Stir everything together, ensuring the greens get submerged in the liquid.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let everything simmer together for about 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and the collard greens are tender. Check occasionally and stir to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Remove the lid and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. If you like a bit of heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Serve your sweet potato collard greens hot. They can be enjoyed as a side dish or a vegetarian main course, perhaps accompanied by a grain like quinoa or brown rice for a complete meal.
Video
2 Responses
Thanks for that recipe, Eleanor. I just tried it and liked it. I kept the stems in and added a kielbasa (in hopes my 13-year old would then eat it – maybe wishful thinking).
Thanks again
Thomas
PS: Just listening to The Beatles Red Album and Eleanor Rigby is on. Coincidence?
Glad you liked it Thomas. And yes, that’s a coincidence haha.