I debated on what to share first but over the past year, these garlicky greens have made their way into numerous recipes. These greens are a wonderful all-season addition to recipes. It’s simple: sauté your favorite greens with a little olive oil and garlic. I typically use kale because it has a bit of texture but chard, spinach, collards, or beet greens would work just as well.

Garlicky Greens
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
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Cook Time: 10 minutes
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Total Time: 15 minutes
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Yield: 2 servings
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Category: Component
Description
An easy component for more meals, these garlicky greens are easy to cook and work with many different types of greens like kale, chard, or collards.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale, collards, or chard (8 ounces)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the greens and roughly chop- set aside. Peel and mince garlic.
- Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil followed by the garlic. Cook for a minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant and browning.
- Stir in the greens and salt, reduce the heat, and cook until the greens have wilted to your desired texture. Stir often and/or cover the pan to help the greens wilt.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to five days.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: Save the stems for use in a stir fry, pesto, or pickles.
Different varieties of kale cook differently. I prefer lacinato kale for this but the curly kale will work. If the greens are having a tough time wilting, add a splash or two of water and cover to steam slightly.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: Kale, Olive oil, garlic
Nutrition: see the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 99
- Sugar: 2.6
- Sodium: 282
- Fat: 5.6
- Carbohydrates: 10.9
- Fiber: 4.1
- Protein: 5
Garlicky Greens
variations
Alliums: These garlicky greens work well with minced onion, shallots, or green garlic.
Ginger: I love to add a couple teaspoons of freshly grated ginger with the garlic. This variation is perfect for pairing with coconut milk or soy sauce. I love to use this in noodle bowls, soups, and in crepes.
Lemon: For a pop of brightness, add 1 teaspoon or so of lemon zest and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
How to use Garlicky Greens
Eggs: Tuck these garlicky greens in an omelette with a bit of feta, havarti, or gouda. These greens also work really well in an egg scramble.
Noodles/Pasta: Cook a batch of pasta or Asian noodles and toss the greens with the noodles. These garlicky greens work well with many sauces including a peanut sauce, tomato sauce, or cream sauce.
Grains: Toss the greens with cooked grains and legumes for an easy power-packed grain bowl. I like to drizzle the bowls with a bit of lemon vinaigrette.
Soups: Make a pasta or grain based broth soup and stir these greens in at the end of cooking. I also love using the ginger variation for a noodle-based soup (similar to this bok choy soup).
Pizza: Add the greens to a olive oil or tomato sauce-based pizza before adding the cheese.
Izzy Bruning says
YUM!
I cant wait to try this!!!
Sarah | Well and Full says
I love this idea of component cooking! When I think about it, most of my meals contain pre-made components that I use in different ways too… like spiced chickpeas or whole wheat pasta. I need to add garlicky greens into the rotation now!
Pip says
Simple & yum – either on it’s own or as a component in another meal. Also a great way to use up left over kale/greens.