Collard greens have grown to be one of my favorite vegetables to make! When made correctly, they’re absolutely delicious. I could seriously eat an entire batch of these southern collard greens with fire roasted tomatoes! The tomatoes definitely give them a little extra flavor that’s soooo welcomed!
I’ve made southern collard greens in the past, but never in the slow cooker, so I thought it would be worth trying. Especially with the holidays coming up! I know it’s only August, but Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year will all be here before we know it, so we’d better go ahead and get our ducks in a row!
My Crockpot (or slow cooker) is probably one of the most underutilized tools in my kitchen, so I’m trying to change that. I love that with this recipe you can basically set it and forget it! These southern collard greens with fire roasted tomatoes are cooked and ready to serve in two hours and you don’t have to worry about one more thing taking up space on the stove.
How to Wash Collard Greens
I’ll be honest with you, I never really understood why people made such a big deal about washing collard greens. It’s not difficult at all. I’ve always found success washing them just as I would any other vegetable. How you ask? Like this!
First, I wash out my sink with warm water and dish soap, followed by a good rinse of hot water. Next, I fill my sink up with room temperature water (about 1/2-3/4 full) and pour a good amount of apple cider vinegar in. I don’t measure it, but if I had to guess I’d say about 1/4 cup. Now it’s time to add in the greens. I submerge them into the water (they will float back to the top) and let them sit for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
After the greens are done soaking, I lightly scrub each leaf with a vegetable brush, rinse them one last time with warm water and set them aside.
How to Cut Collard Greens
Cutting the greens to make these southern collard greens with fire roasted tomatoes can be achieved in a variety of ways. I’ve seen people who shred them by hand or even cut them into very narrow slivers. I like to keep things simple and quick! I take each collard green leaf and remove the center stem. I do this by laying the leaf flat and going along the outside of the stem area with a knife. Then I give a final tug to the stem to remove it completely.
From there, I cut the leaf in half and roll it up like a cigar. Then I cut it into about 1/2-1 inch pieces which result in small collard green pinwheels. From here you have the choice of leaving them as is, or cutting the pinwheels in half to create shorter pieces. The choice is yours!
Cooking the Collard Greens in the Slow Cooker (Crockpot)
Cooking these southern collard greens with fire roasted tomatoes in the crockpot is reaaaaally easy! Once all of your ingredients are prepped and measured out, the only thing that you’ll need to do is simply add all of them to the slow cooker and give them a stir so that all of the ingredients are able to combine as the machine heats up.
Tips for Making Easy Southern Collard Greens:
- Cut up all of your ingredients at the same time (collards and onions)
- Measure out all of your seasonings at the same time. This way you can dump them all in at once.
- Don’t forget to plug the crockpot IN! This sounds like a no-brainer, but I definitely did this myself. If your crockpot is like mine (nothing fancy, just basic), it doesn’t have a light or indicator telling you it’s actually on. Because of this, I didn’t realize mine wasn’t on until an hour and a half after “setting” it! Don’t be like me folks!
What to Pair with Collard Greens:
- 4 Cheese Vegan Baked Mac
- Spicy Chicken Fried Cauliflower
- Easy Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
- Black-Eyed Pea Fritters
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Crispy Baked Breaded Tofu
- Easy Vegan Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins
- Southern Black-Eyed Peas
I know you’ll love these slow cooker southern collard greens with fire roasted tomatoes! They’re super easy to make and flavorful! Your family won’t even know they’re vegan! Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!
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Easy Southern Collard Greens with Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh collard greens washed, stems removed, and cut
- 1 15.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup white onion diced
- 1½ tbsp organic cane sugar
- 2½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker and stir to combine them.2 lbs fresh collard greens, 1 15.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 cup white onion, 1½ tbsp organic cane sugar, 2½ tsp sea salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp paprika, 1 tsp liquid smoke, 1½ cups vegetable broth
- Securely cover the slow cooker with its lid, then set to high and set your own timer for two hours.
- After one hour, remove the lid and stir to combine. Cover again with the lid and allow to cook for another hour.
- Once finished, adjust the setting to keep warm or off (depending on personal preference).
- Serve and enjoy!
These meat-free greens were so soft and flavorful. Any meal that I can prepare using my slow cooker is a winner!
I love this meatless version of collard greens, thank you! The steps on how to prepare & clean collard greens is so helpful as well.
I have been looking for a way to cook greens on a vegan diet! Will definitely have to try this out!
I never thought to add fire roasted tomatoes to collard greens! It’s so good!
Ok, so I slid this recipe in on my family and absolutely no one was checking for the fact that it was meat-free! I’m definitely keeping this recipe in my back pocket!
This looks terific. I am adding whole roasted garlic cloves and using ancho chili powder instead of paprika. Happy Thanksgiving!
I live for a fantastic veggie recipe! In Kenya coma we call Collard Greens skuma wiki. I’ll definitely try this out!
I’m so happy I found this recipe! I have a few family members that are vegetarian/vegan and this was the perfect recipe to make for them.
These greens are fantastic. The addition of fire-roasted tomatoes added so much flavor!
These collard greens are so tender and flavorful! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
I’ve never used liquid smoke before but made this for a vegan friend of mine and she absolutely loved it and eventhough I am not vegan with the smoky flavor, I did not miss the meat at all.
I have NEVER made my collard greens with tomatoes and now I feel as though my whole life is a lie. This was so perfect and tasty!
Truly an amazing recipe! I couldn’t believe it was meat free too!! Will be making this again during thanksgiving 😊
First of all the graphic for this poat grabbed my attention right away! I love how you broke down everything from cleaning, to cutting, to cooking! This was super easy to follow and the greens were delicious!
Adding a recipe rating to the comments above!
I really liked the cane sugar and liquid smoke in this recipe it elevated the flavors of the collard greens! This paired great with my 10 spice rub roasted chicken!
I love this recipe. I’ve made it a few times already. Its been my go to comfort food recipie.
I finally made some collard greens for Thanksgiving! This recipe was easy but full of flavor. I love the kick of spice too! I think I had way more than 2 pounds of greens but we stuffed it in the crockpot and let it cook longer and it was fine. My mom loved them which was the ultimate praise! Will definitely be using this recipe again!
I’ve made these collards 4 times now and everytime they are so flavorful! Very easy recipe (also easy to make a half batch for 2 people) and I love that I can use my slow cooker.
How many carbs, fibre protein are in a serving?
Very good and tasty! Love that it’s made on the slow cooker
These greens where so delicious and flavorful. The liquid smoke took them to the top for me! I cooked them on the stove and almost burned them, but they still came out good🤦🏾♀️ Next time, I’ll try the crockpot.