Easy turnip greens recipe without meat

Cocotte with garlicky sauteed turnip greens.

5 from 1 vote

Easy turnip greens recipe without meat

Whenever I get turnips from my weekly CSA, I remove the green tops, and make this recipe as soon as I get home. The turnip greens get wonderfully soft and tender.

This turnip greens recipe is quick & easy to prepare, and it can be tweaked to suit your tastes with dashes of hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice, a smidge of liquid smoke or apple cider vinegar, or by using smoked salt instead of sea salt.

Be aware that turnip greens shrink A LOT when they cook. Depending on your appetite, this recipe will serve 1 to 2 people. Feel free to double it to serve more (or add other greens like collards or kale).

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: gluten free, meatless, southern

Servings: people

Calories: 65kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

1 teaspoon avocado oil or other neutral flavored oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves minced
9 ounces turnip greens (roughly the amount of leaves from 3 large turnips)
Salt to taste
¼ cup water
⅛ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base

Instructions

Twist to remove the green tops from turnips. The greens can be sandy. So fully soak them in water in a bowl and swish them around for a minute. Then rinse and repeat until no grit is left in the bowl. (If your turnip greens aren't sandy, just rinsing under water with the faucet is fine.)
Move the greens to a clean, dry kitchen towel, and pat dry. Then remove the hard stems by hand or with a knife. (The tender center stems on each leaf are fine.)
Note: If you like texture in your greens, feel free to leave all of the stems.
On a cutting board, roughly chop the leaves.
In a medium-sized pot or skillet with lid, bring oil to a medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to a minute.
Add the chopped turnip greens and a pinch of salt, and combine it with the garlic.
Add water and Better Than Bouillon no chicken base. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Once it is simmering, turn the heat to low and cover, stopping occasionally to remove the lid & stir. Continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, until the liquid has mostly cooked off and the turnip greens have become soft to the tooth.
Taste and and more salt, if desired. (You can also adjust the taste by adding a dash of hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice, a splash of apple cider vinegar, or ⅛ teaspoon of liquid smoke.)

Notes

If you'd prefer, water + bouillon can be replaced with ¼ cup of vegetable broth.

Storage & reheating

Store leftover garlicky collard greens in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for about 4 days. Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave until warm.

Nutrition