Oi Gente!!
This Brazilian collard greens with bacon recipe is a crisp, garlicky side dish full of bacon bits. This easy collard greens recipe is THE perfect mid-week side dish your familia will fall in love with.
Collard Greens & Brazilian Cuisine
Collard greens is one of the main essential vegetables of Brazilian cuisine, serving as base or accompaniment to many traditional dishes, from Caldo Verde soup to the traditional Feijoada (recipe coming soon).
Collard greens, or as we call it in Portuguese, couve, is not only delicious, but also low calorie, and out of control nutritional. They are filled with vitamins A, B, C, minerals, potassium, calcium, iron and tons of other great stuff.
Couve a Mineira – Classic Brazilian collard greens with bacon recipe
Couve a Mineira, how we call this classic collard greens with bacon recipe in Portuguese, is a real Brazilian national passion. The name of the dish is an homage to the state where it originated, Minas Gerais – the home of some of Brazil’s most known foods all over the world.
If you aren’t very familiar with or don’t eat collard greens regularly, give this easy collard greens with bacon recipe a try. Better yet, try it with this Brazilian Black Beans recipe and some Brazilian rice for a real Brazilian experience!
You and your family will love it!
Bom apetite!
How to prepare Brazilian Collard Greens
- Wash and pat dry the greens with paper towel
We don’t want the greens to be wet when they hit the pan as this would alter the end result of the dish. In this dish, the greens are gently sauteed to keep its texture somewhat firm. If there’s any water left in the leaves, the greens will steam instead and will become bitter.
- Cut off the thicker part of the stems
- Stack 2-3 leaves on top of each other, then roll them like a cigar, as tight as you can
- Then, thinly slice it into a chiffonade
This also step also helps prevent bitterness!
- Dice the bacon
Or not, if you need a vegan recipe, just skip this step!
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic
Or if you have that Brazilian sofrito ready in the fridge, use that and save a few minutes of prep!
Then, on to sauteeing it. Just heat up the oil, and cook the bacon until its crispy, then add the onion and the garlic until they smell oh-so-irresistibly delicious. And then… *drum roll*
The big secret for mastering this Brazilian collard greens recipe is…
Turn off the heat then add the greens to the pan! Then quickly season with salt and pepper and toss until wilted a little bit. This step will make sure your greens have a nice bite to it, and aren’t bitter.
This side dish is perfect for a quick and easy mid-week dinner. It tastes great with rice, beans, a nice piece of chicken, meat, or just eat the whole thing just by itself… straight off of the skillet, because… I’ve done it, so I won’t judge!
Bom Apetite!!!
Love couve? Check out these other collard greens recipes:
Caldo Verde – Portuguese Green Soup
Rosemary Honey Pork Loin & Warm Lentil Collard Greens Salad
Southern Collard Greens Recipe
Couve a Mineira | Brazilian Collard Greens with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of collard greens stems removed and thinly sliced
- 1-2 thick strips of smoked bacon diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 colves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium to high heat
- Add the bacon and cook until browned, about 3-4 mins
- Add the onions and cook until transparent, about 2 mins
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute
- Turn ff the heat and add the collard greens and toss gently until the greens wilt, about 1 minute
Great Recipe, thank you! My teenage boys and Hubbie…all linebacker size and meat eaters loved the recipe. I will double next time as requested by the family!
That’s so awesome!!! So glad you guys like it – thank you!!
I bet you they might also like my Everyday Black Beans then… check it out. It goes really well with these greens and some rice, and guess what!!? It has sausage and bacon! Suuuuper yum!! Let me know if you try 🙂
I love that you give the history! It looks delicious!
Yay!! Glad you like it!! Beijos!!
Omg I bet these are delicious and I am all in for that chiffonade texture!
Yes!!! It makes all the difference to slice it thin 🙂
This looks so delicious and easy! I can’t wait to try!
It is so easyyyyy!! You’ll get hooked, I’m warning you!! ahaha
I can totally smell it through my screen! Bacon AND garlic make everything better!
haha I know, riiiight!? What are we even doing if we’re not loading our food with garlic and bacon? LOL
Love how simple this recipe looks. I am going to try to see if I can some how make this vegan with vegan bacon. Not the same, I am sure, but gotta try find ways to veganize my food! Haha. Thank you for sharing.
Yes!!! Or just skip the bacon altogether… I do that all the time! It’s still super delicious xx
I love bacon added to cooked greens. I have never cared for collards, but your idea of the chiffonade to take away the bitterness seems like a great idea! I’ll definitely give that a try to give collards another chance.
Bacon makes everything better!!! And I hear this about collard greens all the time… people either love them or hate them ahaha I’m so happy you’re giving them another chance – keep me posted!!
I needed a quick recipe like this.. will make this collard greens as a side for my rice dish. Looks delicious!
Great idea!! I love it with rice AND beans! It’s a whole little meal 😛
You definitely can’t go wrong with adding bacon to collard greens! This looks great!
Thanks, Shanika! Bacon truly is magic lol
I am always looking for new recipes with greens and superfoods like these. Thanks for the step by step photos and tips!
You’re most welcome, Analida! So happy you’re curious about this recipe – it’s truly a good one to have!!
This side dish looks so delicious and nutritious. I love learning about other cultures and the history of their dishes. Oh, and PS I love Feijoada. Looking forward to that recipe!
Feijoada is so delicious and these greens are a perfect match for it. Enjoy!
I love that this dish is perfect for busy weeknights, ready in 15 minutes is excellent! Plus what better way to get your greens in than with some bacon?! Yum!
Exactly!!! When in doubt, add bacon ahahaha
I never cooked collard greens before but it looks very tasty. Plus, the bacon must give so much delicious flavor! It will be perfect as a side dish)
Girl, get on it! It’s so easy and delicious, you’ll love it! And yes, bacon makes everything better!
This looks exactly like something I tried at my friend’s house the other night. I wondered what it was but never had a chance ot ask. Well, I can make it myself now anyway! 🙂
I’m always looking for amazing side dishes that pack tons of vitamins, this collard greens recipe would work perfect for that.
I learned something new. I knew that southerners loved their collard greens but I didn’t know that the popularity went as far south as Brazil. My oldest son loves this dish and always orders it when it’s on the menu. I made your recipe and he couldn’t get enough. Will be making it again.
That’s so awesome, Marisa! So glad y’all liked it and have added it to your rotation!! Yesss!!
Oh heck yes! Sign me up! These collard greens look and sound more than amazing! Yum yum yum!
I’ve never had collard greens but have always wanted to try them. And with added bacon, what’s not to love? Can’t wait to give your delicious looking recipe a try.
So happy you’re excited to try them, Claire! Let me know how it goes!