Let’s talk about greens for a minute. Hearty greens, like mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, and sure, kale too. These are some of the few vegetables that actually benefit from what would normally be considered over cooking. Simmering these vegetables low and slow makes them become soft, drab green, and honestly pretty ugly. But guess what? They taste soooo good! And while they’re usually cooked along with a piece of smoked meat for extra flavor, you can also make a really rocking pot of vegetarian mustard greens.
What Do Mustard Greens Taste Like?
Mustard greens are part of a group of greens often referred to as “bitter greens” but as the greens simmer they become super tender, the bitterness mellows, and they take on almost rich flavor. Usually mustard greens, collard greens, and other hearty greens are cooked with some sort of salted pork, but you can still make a deep, smoky, rich pot of greens without the meat. A little bit of sugar is added to the greens to take the bitterness down just a little more, and the end result is a buttery rich and tender green that you’ll want to eat by the forkful.
How to Flavor Vegetarian Mustard Greens
To make sure these greens have maximum flavor without using smoked meat, I tossed in a hefty spoonful of smoked paprika for the smoky pork flavor, simmered them in vegetable broth for a extra depth, added a dash of sugar to balance the natural bitterness, and tossed in a pinch of red pepper flakes ‘cuz I love that kick! If you’re tempted to leave out the sugar, I’m going to have to plead with you not to do so on this one. It really makes a world of difference in the overall flavor.
What to Serve with Mustard Greens
I love mustard greens with anything BBQ flavored, so you can try them with BBQ Tofu Sliders, Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls, or BBQ Beef an Beans. I also love adding mustard greens to a big bowl of mac and cheese! Something about the creamy cheese and the greens just goes so well together.
Vegetarian Mustard Greens
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 cups vegetable broth* ($0.26)
- 1 lb. fresh mustard greens, stemmed and cut ($2.99)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.05)
Instructions
- If your mustard greens did not come pre-cut and with stems removed, run a sharp knife down the center of each leaf to remove the woody stems. Cut the remaining leaves into 2-inch strips. Rinse the cut leaves well in a colander.
- Slice the onion thinly and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic in a large pot over medium heat with the olive oil until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes). Add the vegetable broth and heat until steaming.
- Add the cut mustard greens, a couple handfuls at a time, stirring until wilted and there is room to add more to the pot. Once they’re all mostly wilted, add the smoked paprika, sugar, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired.
- Place a lid on the pot, allow the broth to come to a simmer, then turn down to medium-low. Let the pot simmer for at least 30 minutes, or longer if desired. Taste the greens and adjust the salt, pepper, or sugar if needed (if your broth is low-sodium, you may want to add salt at this time). Serve the greens with a slotted spoon to leave the excess broth behind.
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Notes
Nutrition
Love hearty greens? Try our Classic Collard Greens, Slow Simmered Black Eyed Peas with Greens, West African Peanut Stew, Colcannon, or Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta.
How to Make Mustard Greens – Step by Step Photos
I don’t know if this is only available in the south, but these massive bags of pre-cut mustard greens (they also have collard greens and kale) are super cheap and make preparation so easy. If you can find frozen mustard greens you can use those as well, although they are already partially cooked, so you mot likely will not need to simmer for 30 minutes. If you can only find fresh greens, remove the woody stems, then cut the leaves into 2-inch sections. Rinse the greens well in a colander.
Thinly slice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic in a large pot over medium heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil until the onions are soft and transparent (about five minutes).
I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my broth because it’s inexpensive, you can make as much or as little as you need (unlike with cubes), and this little jar lasts just about forever in your fridge.
Add two cups of vegetable broth to the pot and heat it through until steaming.
Begin to add the greens to the pot. They probably won’t all fit at once, so add about 1/3 of the bag and stir until they wilt, then add more and repeat until it’s all in the pot and mostly wilted (like above). Then add 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1/2 Tbsp sugar, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.
Place a lid on the pot and and let the broth come to a simmer. Once it begins simmering, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer (with the lid in place) for at least 30 minutes. I find that it takes at least 30 minutes to become nice and tender, but you can actually let them go for quite a while. They’ll get sweeter and more tender the longer they’re cooked. Taste the greens and adjust the salt, pepper, or sugar if desired (using a low sodium broth may warrant adding a little salt at the end).
Greens are one of my favorite things to order when going to a “southern” style restaurant because they just let them cook all day and they’re absolutely glorious after simmering all day.
Despite cooking for a long time, they’re still high in nutrients like fiber, iron, and calcium. So, get your greens on! :D
Thank you so much for this recipe! It has become a staple for me. I make it weekly with collard greens and eat it with rice, sometimes for breakfast . :) I even have my parents hooked on this recipe and we are a southern raised family where there is always meat in greens. But your recipe is just that good! Thanks again!
This is a seriously delicious recipe. I found the most beautiful mustard greens from a local farm, and I used them for this. I loved it so much I’m making a triple recipe for thanksgiving. Thanks!!!
I’ve had a serious craving for collard greens this last week and then saw this post. I made this recipe as-is with collard greens for lunch today. The smoked paprika, sugar and pepper flakes make this dish pop! I ate it along with a scoop of black eyed peas and a slice of cornbread. So, so good!
I make vegetarian greens a few times a year. I sautéed a little onion, add veggie broth, some water, and a can or two of Rotel. The Rotel seasons them beautifully.
I know what I’m making next week!! I love greens but don’t know much about cooking them so I don’t often (much to my husband’s joy). Thanks for adding that info about nutrients too, I was actually just wondering about that last night while I was making dinner.
My family really liked this recipe. If I tried to replicate this recipe with collard greens instead of mustard greens, do I still need to add sugar?
I would. :)
I always cook endive “Greek style” with just salt and a bit of sugar….long and slow, then drain and add olive oil and lemon. Eaten with a hunk of feta and some good bread, it’s a wonderful meal.
Brilliant! We recently discovered that we loooove collards cooked with leftover ham bone. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many leftover ham bones sitting around, and I have a ton of greens in the garden.
I’m totally trying the smoked paprika.
You can pick them up for almost nothing at Honey Baked Ham
I’m in love with everything what is green. You are right, it tastes good. Also, it’s very healthy and rich in vitamins and minerals. Nowadays people eat very little greens, I don’t know why. It’s delicious, cheap and good for our health. It helps us keep in fit. Thank you for inspiration. Would you mind checking my website out? soup recipes healthy
For a vegetarian what would you recommend serving these with?
If you want that true southern experience, it would go great with Vegan Red Beans and Rice. :)
This is how I fix my greens too! I carmalize a whole onion then I add the garlic and smokey Hungarian paprika and stir for a few minutes then add my greens.
My Mom would fix a tray of beets, whole spring onions and tomatoes as a side for the greens.
Suggestion:drink the broth(pot liquor) with corn bread, delicious!!
Sounds SO good! Now I need to go make some cornbread. :)
Growing up, we always had hot water cornbread with a big bowl of pinto beans, greens, and sliced tomatoes and purple onion. If you’ve never had hot water cornbread, you really should…it’s my one “I hate to fry things” rule breaker (well, that, and salmon patties. Yum.) White cornmeal MIX, with a little bit of salt. Boil some water, and add it to the mix, until it’s the texture of mashed potatoes. Get a heaping tablespoonful, form it into an egg shape (careful, it’s hot!), and fry until golden brown. Kind of like hushpuppies, but simpler, and no onion in it.
I think I know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow now. Lol!
Sounds really good! And I feel ya on the “I hate to fry things” hahahah. It’s my least favorite way to cook. :)
I add toasted sesame oil to give them that little kick that is missing without the smoked meat my mother use to add.
This looks WONDERFUL! We get great greens from a local farm each spring and fall. Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for the vegetarian recipe … I do use meat sometimes, but mostly vegetarian.
Love your blog! :)
You can also use more water/broth and save the broth left behind after cooking–“pot liquor.” I pour it into a jar and drink it straight–it’s so good, and it’s supposed to be good for you too. Bonus!
Turnip greens especially benefit from a long boil. I tried just sauteing them once, and they were SO chalky from the calcium, they were practically inedible. Simmer it is!
My mom’s from Maryland and she has always adored kale. I think she just kind of boils/steams it by the bunch. I’ll eat kale, but I don’t love it, so I’ve never made it myself. Maybe I’ll hit the farmer’s market tomorrow to see what they’ve got.