Collard Green Soup - Chef Abbie Gellman MS, RD, CDN (2024)

Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Published on March 4, 2018

Updated on May 20, 2020

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Looking for a delicious and different way to eat your greens? This Collard Green Soup is an easy and tasty way to get your daily dose. Loosely adapted from Rebecca Katz, this soup is delicious and nutritious. Just pair with some crusty bread and you’ve got a satisfying meal!

How To Make Collard Green Soup

Start by heating olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add in your onion, potato, and ¼ tsp salt and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for another 30 seconds. Pour in ½ cup of broth to deglaze the pot and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add in the collards, kale, and another ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir well to combine so that the greens will wilt. Then add the remaining 5½ cups of broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a blender, puree the soup until smooth. Blend the parsley into the last batch. The parsley brightens the color to a gorgeous green and adds a nice fresh flavor! Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Taste and add more lemon and/or salt as desired. Enjoy your Collard Green Soup!

Potatoes

Potatoes give my Collard Green Soup a thick, creamy consistency and a hearty, satisfying flavor. They are also full of good nutrition. One medium potato provides 18% of the recommended daily value of Potassium. Potassium is needed to regulate fluid and mineral balance, maintain blood pressure, and plays a role in muscle contraction. Potatoes also provide Vitamin C, a nutrient that acts as an antioxidant that stabilizes free radicals, contributes to collagen production, enhances iron absorption, and supports your immune system!

Potatoes also contain fiber, vitamin B6, and Iron. The fiber is found mostly in the potatoes skin, so don’t peel it away! Fiber helps you feel full for longer and helps maintain healthy digestion. Vitamin B6 is needed for carbohydrate and protein metabolism, and Iron is needed to carry oxygen around the body.

Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens are great sources of nutrition, but we often think we have to eat salads to eat large amounts of greens. This is not true! My Collard Greens Soup is a great way to get multiple servings of dark leafy greens in just one meal. Perfect for picky kiddos who refuse to eat veggies, or for adults looking for a creative way to eat more greens.

Why do we need dark leafy greens? For starters, they are packed full of Vitamins like Vitamin A, C, E and K. They also contain an important B-vitamin, Folate. Folate is necessary for DNA production, as well as healthy cell growth and function. It is especially important during the first month of pregnancy to reduce the risk of brain and spinal birth-defects. Dark leafy greens are great sources of antioxidants that protect against free radicals, are low in calories, and high in fiber. Enjoy your leafy greens in my Collard Greens Soup!

Similar Recipes

Looking for more soup recipes? Try my Cauliflower and Watercress Soup, Pumpkin Chili with Turkey, and Vegetable Curry!

Resources

“Dark Leafy Greens.”USDA ARS, Agricultural Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture, www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/gfnd/gfhnrc/docs/news-2013/dark-green-leafy-vegetables/.

“Potato Nutrition.”Maine Potato Board, Maine Potato Board, www.mainepotatoes.com/all-about-potatoes/nutrition/.

Green Soup

4.60 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Soup

Keyword: greens, soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 large potatoes diced
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
3 cloves garlic minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch collards stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch kale stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 cup parsley chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the onion, potato, and salt and sauté until ~ 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for another 30 seconds. Pour in ½ cup of the broth to deglaze the pot and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
Add in the collards and chard and another ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir well to combine so that the greens will wilt. Then add the remaining 5½ cups of broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for ~10 minutes.
In a blender, puree the soup until smooth. Blend the parsley into the last batch (this brightens the color to a gorgeous green). Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Taste and add more lemon and/or salt as needed.