Easy 5-Ingredient Sweet and Sour Greens

Southern greens with a Michigan twist! This recipe for Easy 5-Ingredient Sweet and Sour Greens features the earthy flavor of fresh greens, bacon, onion, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar. If you’re in the mood for Southern BBQ, these sweet and sour greens are the perfect way to round out your menu.

I will often pair these greens with my recipe for Balsamic BBQ Pork Tenderloin and Bold 30-Minute Baked Mac-n-Cheese. It’s a winning triumvirate of flavors. And don’t forget the sweet tea!

How does a Michigan girl come to love Southern Food?

I’m a Michigan native, but I love Southern food – especially greens. Whenever I try a new BBQ place I simply have to order them. Honestly, it’s a bit of a compulsion.

My love of greens first began when I lived in Virginia. My father’s work had taken the family there for two years when I was in high school. I instantly fell in love with greens. I loved their salty broth, their texture and bitterness. And of course, who wouldn’t love a treasured piece of ham if you were lucky enough to get one.

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Grits were a little harder for me to wrap my head around. Being from Michigan, I thought they looked a lot like Cream of Wheat Cereal. Naturally, the first time I ordered them in a restaurant, I immediately sprinkled some sugar and drizzled a little cream over them.

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The waitress was horrified. Eventually she overcame her shock and educated me on the difference between the two and the right way to eat grits. To this day, I remain grateful for her time and tutelage for it truly opened up my culinary world.

In my recipe for Easy as 1-2-3 Sofrito Cheese Grits, I build flavor by adding an aromatic base consisting of onions, pepper, garlic, tomatoes and herbs that is cooked down into a flavorful paste – a Sofrito. Although the early origins of Sofrito can be traced back to Spain, today you’ll see it most often used in Latin Carribbean cooking where it serves as a base for sauces, soups, and other dishes. And each country has its own spin on the combination of ingredients that goes into this flavorful foundation.

Easy 5-Ingredient Sweet and Sour Greens Credibility

Years ago, I catered a luncheon for a friend that featured pulled BBQ pork, cheesy grits, cornbread and this recipe for Sweet and Sour Greens – which earned me an impromptu marriage proposal from a kindly Southern gentleman in attendance that day.

Naturally, I declined his proposal, but I did share with him my recipe for sweet and sour greens when asked. After all, recipes are meant to be shared.

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Easy 5-Ingredient Sweet and Sour Greens

Recipe by Maria Ostrander Course: SidesCuisine: SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Fresh greens, bacon, onion, apple cider vinegar and a touch of brown sugar are what make these greens so addictive.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup bacon, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

• 1/2 cup red onion, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 lbs. total – collard greens, mustard greens or turnip greens (you can also do a blend of all three in equal parts)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large pot or deep-sided pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and brown. Remove the bacon bits from from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, saute the onions over medium heat in the bacon fat until translucent and just starting to brown around the edges – approximately 5 -7 minutes.
• Add the brown sugar and vinegar to the pan and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved into a sauce.
• Add the greens to the pan a little at a time, stirring constantly until all the greens are in the pan. As the greens release their water, your sauce will thin and that’s okay.
• Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until the stems are soft – approximately 15 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with the crisp bacon bits and serve.