Sausage & Greens – packed with nutrition and flavor and reminiscent of classic Southern fare. This dish can be served as a main dish or a side dish… or an entire meal in itself.
I really love greens done right. I just got back from 2 weeks in Virginia (where I grew up) – every time I go back there we hit our favorite bbq joint, County Grill, and we always order their collard greens as a side. It’s tender and flavorful with just the right amount of bacon. You rarely find collard greens on the menu in Colorado, but it’s on countless menus in Virginia. Uh, no… this isn’t a copycat of their recipe, but it is a bit similar.
Last week at Trader Joe’s, I picked up a 1 lb bag of their “Trader Joe’s Southern Greens Blend” – a mix of mustard, turnip, collards, and spinach. Perfect for a classic collard recipe. Some things you have to watch out for – some greens can be bitter and tough if not cooked right. With a half hour of cooking these were plenty tender, and they were definitely bitter until I added the balsamic vinegar – the perfect touch. Is there heat from the chiles? Nope, I could barely tell there were chiles in the dish, but I liked the flavor exactly the way it came out so I didn’t add more chiles.
I’m categorizing this mainly in vegetables, but with this much sausage, it could be either a main dish or a side vegetable. You can cut the amount of sausage to half (about 6 oz) and this will also be very good. You can also make this with any greens you choose – beet, spinach, chard, kale, whatever. It doesn’t have to be this Trader Joe’s blend. You can also make it with sausage links or bulk sausage. I actually used Italian sausage links and cut the casings off to turn it into bulk sausage. If you want slices, it will be just as good.
So how about trying a big mess of greens for dinner tonight?
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 lb package TJ's Southern Greens Blend (or any greens)
- 12 oz mild Italian sausage (bulk or links, sliced)
- 1 14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup diced medium hot green chiles
- pimentos for garnish
- Heat oil in very large skillet or dutch oven and cook onion until translucent over medium heat.Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add sausage (either link slices or bulk) and lightly brown. If using bulk sausage, break it up into small chunks as it cooks.
- Add greens and sauté until wilted. Add broth, cover with a lid, and simmer on low heat to desired tenderness, about a half hour.
- Add green chiles and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and blend well.
- Top with pimentos and serve. Enjoy!
I really love greens done right. I just got back from 2 weeks in Virginia (where I grew up) – every time I go back there we hit our favorite bbq joint, County Grill, and we always order their collard greens as a side. It’s tender and flavorful with just the right amount of bacon. You rarely find collard greens on the menu in Colorado, but it’s on countless menus in Virginia. Uh, no… this isn’t a copycat of their recipe, but it is a bit similar.
Last week at Trader Joe’s, I picked up a 1 lb bag of their “Trader Joe’s Southern Greens Blend” – a mix of mustard, turnip, collards, and spinach. Perfect for a classic collard recipe. Some things you have to watch out for – some greens can be bitter and tough if not cooked right. With a half hour of cooking these were plenty tender, and they were definitely bitter until I added the balsamic vinegar – the perfect touch. Is there heat from the chiles? Nope, I could barely tell there were chiles in the dish, but I liked the flavor exactly the way it came out so I didn’t add more chiles.
I’m categorizing this mainly in vegetables, but with this much sausage, it could be either a main dish or a side vegetable. You can cut the amount of sausage to half (about 6 oz) and this will also be very good. You can also make this with any greens you choose – beet, spinach, chard, kale, whatever. It doesn’t have to be this Trader Joe’s blend. You can also make it with sausage links or bulk sausage. I actually used Italian sausage links and cut the casings off to turn it into bulk sausage. If you want slices, it will be just as good.
So how about trying a big mess of greens for dinner tonight?
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