Dirty Rice Stuffed Collard Greens

Collard Greens have to be one of my favorite things in the world.

They have been ever since I was little and I would eat them at my Grandma’s house.

My first memory of eating collards was me wanting to try them because my Dad was eating them.

I tried a lot of things when I was little just because my Dad liked them. Perhaps, even some things I shouldn’t have when he wasn’t looking!

I did a recipe for Collards called “Easy Peasy Collard Greens” a while back.

Check them out here if you missed them.

The other night for Valentine’s Day dinner, I decided to make a recipe I had done a while back.

I made The Neely’s, Dirty Rice Stuffed Collard Greens.

I love Dirty Rice.

To my surprise, it wasn’t hard to fix. If you have never had Dirty Rice and want to try it before you make it, Bojangles make a great version.

I decided to replace the regular white rice with brown.

Personally, I don’t think you can tell a difference and it’s better for you.

To assemble the Collard Greens, I took a 1/4 cup of the Dirty Rice and placed it in the center of the Collard Green leaf that I had simmered for 5 minutes to soften.

Fold over one side.

Then the other.

Then roll up.

This is what they should look like when rolled up. *Don’t be discouraged if you have some that tear.

As long as you get them into the pan semi together, you will be fine. I had one tear but it was fine.

Pour prepared tomatoe sauce (recipe to follow) into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

Line the rolled up Collard Greens into the pan on top of the sauce.

Top with remaining sauce.

And bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

As you can see, it doesn’t look much different than it did before you cooked it, but it is oh soooo good!

The sweet tomatoe sauce paired with the Collard Greens is AMAZING!

This was our Valentine’s Day dinner. I did Wine Braised Oxtail paired with the Collard Greens and some Artisan Bread.

The recipe for the Oxtails, I will never share.

I didn’t care for it even though the rest of the family did.

My oldest daughter looked like a Cave Man eating hers. (It wasn’t pretty!)

Just keepin it real because some recipes work out and some don’t and I don’t share unless it is a homerun.

I DO , however, hope you will try the Collard Greens.

This one, my friends, is a GRAND SLAM!

*Note: The recipe calls for Pork Sausage, but I’m going to try Turkey Sausage next time and see if it changes the taste too much. It is better for you and has less fat.

*If you have any questions about the recipe, please email me or leave a comment.

xoxo,

Esther

Recipe: Dirty Rice Stuffed Collard Greens

Total Time: 1 hr 45 min

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can plain tomato sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Filling:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound pork sausage, casing removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 bunch collard greens, about 12 leaves, stalks discarded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sauce:

Saute the onion in oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, until softened. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

Filling:

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown. Once browned, add the garlic, onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the chicken broth and cayenne. Stir in the cooked rice and parsley, mixing thoroughly and letting the broth reduce until there is no moisture left in the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, over medium heat, add the collard leaves and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Lay a collard leaf out on a flat surface and add 1/4 cup of the dirty rice into the center. Fold both the sides into the center and the top and bottom over the center. Roll into a cylinder and repeat with the remaining leaves. If there are any remaining leaves you can chop them up and add to the sauce.

Pour a 1/2-inch layer of sauce into a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish. Arrange the collard rolls, seam sides down, on top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed collards and cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

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