Usually collards cook for an hour or more but I wanted them with a bit more texture and color. I cooked three strips of bacon in a skillet, removed the bacon, and sautéed the collards in the bacon fat. I made cheddar cheese grits, but time got away from me and before I could finish the dish, the grits were too firm. This is what I call a happy accident. I decided to make polenta instead. I used a ring mold to form the polenta then fried it in a little olive oil. I topped the polenta with the collards, a poached egg and bacon bits.
Polenta with Collard Greens and Poached Egg
Giving polenta a Southern twist with collard greens and a poached egg on top.
Equipment
- Skillet
- Paper towels
- Small saucepan
- Ring mold, if you have one.
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon diced
- 1 small bunch collard greens about 8 leaves, cut into strips
- 1 shallot sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup Yellow grits cooked per package directions
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 2 TBS butter
- 3 TBS half and half
- i TBS olive oil
- 2 poached eggs
Instructions
- Cook diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until brown. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel, reserving the bacon fat in the pan. Add the collard greens and shallot to the skillet and sauté over medium heat until the shallots are translucent and the greens are soft.
- Prepare the (polenta) grits according to package directions. While still hot, add the cheese, butter and half and half. Allow to cool until thick. Use a ring mold to form the grits single serving size circles. Remove the polenta from the ring mold and cook in 1 TBS olive oil over medium heat. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Place the polenta on a serving plate. Top with the hot collard green, a poached egg and bacon bits.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Polenta with Collard Greens and Poached Egg
Amount per Serving
Calories
361
% Daily Value*
Fat
25
g
38
%
Saturated Fat
14
g
70
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
8
g
Cholesterol
240
mg
80
%
Sodium
352
mg
15
%
Potassium
194
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
21
g
7
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
13
g
26
%
Vitamin A
1091
IU
22
%
Vitamin C
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
174
mg
17
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Mary says
That sounds good! I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for visiting.
ReadingMom says
If you like or love collard greens as I do...I'll share my favorite recipe with you. When I lived in Russia I eat a lot of cabbage rolls and learned how to make them very well. Then when I came back home, I discovered the cabbage here is very different from the one there (the one in Russia is almost like parchment paper). So, I started using collard greens! what a wonderful way to use collard greens. All I do is, deep the greens 2 or 3 at a time into boiling water and it wilts very quickly, remove and continue doing lots of greens (they freeze very well). When you're ready to wrap remove the big vein and overlap and put you filling and wrap. Then arrange in a big dutch oven and add chicken stock,let it come to a boil, cook for 5 min. and it's ready. My filling is:ground turkey,garlic,onion,carrots,cooked white rice, lots of dill, salt, pepper
Your collards look beautiful. I can never find anything that looks like that....so, i'm planning on growing my own sometime in the future!