Cooked Greens with Maple Glaze

Name: Cooked Greens with Maple Glaze
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Ingredients: 3 cups kale leaves, torn into 1-inch pieces; 1 cup swiss chard leaves, torn into 1-inch pieces; 1 cup red cabbage, shredded; 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce ((or tamari)); 2 Tablespoons maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke, pecan flavor

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Sweet/savory colorful & crave-able greens!

Oh my, these Cooked Greens with Maple Glaze are so very delicious! Have you wished you could find a way to enjoy the benefits and flavor of greens without the bitterness? Imagine warm, hearty, and colorful greens cooked just right with a lightly sweet yet savory finish. I'd venture to say these greens are even crave-able! Yes, sweet/savory, colorful & crave-able greens! 🥬

This recipe came about thanks to my wonderful husband, Nick. He's got quite the knack for throwing super flavorful dishes together on a whim. One evening, he served some greens much like this with our dinner and we were all absolutely ga-ga over the color, texture, and flavor. I immediately began taking notes, knowing I wanted to dial this one in to make it a Green Circle Kitchen recipe very soon.

...and here it is!

I'm so excited to share this fantastic recipe with you! 😁

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Sweet/savory colorful & crave-able greens!
Mise en place
Simply whisk
Cooking the greens and cabbage
Adding the glazing liquid
Frequently Asked Questions
📖 Recipe

greens, red cabbage, soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and spices on cutting board

Mise en place

To prepare this recipe, you'll begin by prepping some simple ingredients (mise en place). This recipe doesn't take long to prepare & it makes the most flavorful, healthful, and colorful dish. Oooooh... Ahhhhh...

kale (I used several varieties)
swiss chard
shredded red cabbage
maple syrup
low sodium soy sauce
onion powder
garlic powder
a touch of liquid smoke, pecan flavor

You'll de-stem the greens and tear or slice the leaves into small pieces. You'll also shred the cabbage. Then, measure out the rest of the ingredients for the sauce.

Sweet Maple Pecan Greens Sauce in Bowl with whisk

Simply whisk

Next, you'll simply whisk all but the greens and cabbage together in a small bowl and set this glaze liquid aside for later. You'll be tossing the liquid with the greens toward the end of cooking. This is where much of the flavor comes from. I can hardly wait for you to try it!

kale and swiss chard in nonstick pan with tongs

Greens with red cabbage added in nonstick pan with tongs

Cooking the greens and cabbage

Next, you'll be cooking the greens and cabbage in a pre-heated non-stick pan over medium heat. Begin with the greens, adding a touch (maybe a tablespoon) of water to the pan as they begin to cook. Toss frequently with tongs to allow for even cooking.

Once the greens begin to brighten in color and wilt (about 3 minutes or so), add the shredded red cabbage and cook for a minute or two more, continuing to toss frequently.

bowl of sauce poured over greens in nonstick pan

Sweet Maple Pecan Greens in pan with tongs

Adding the glazing liquid

Next, you'll be adding the glazing liquid. Pour the flavorful liquid over the greens and continue to toss. Cook for about one more minute. Tossing the greens will help to ensure even cooking while getting all of that wonderful flavor from the glaze into the nooks & crannies of the greens and cabbage.

After cooking with the glaze liquid for about a minute, you'll use the tongs to remove the Cooked Greens with Maple Glaze from the pan onto your serving dish. It's best to use tongs here so that any excess liquid from the glaze stays in the pan and doesn't overload the greens. I typically have about 2 tablespoons of extra glaze left in the pan when serving my greens.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of greens were used in this recipe?

I used a mixture of dinosaur kale, green curly kale, red curly kale, and swiss chard. Along with the shredded red cabbage, this brought about a delightfully colorful red, purple, and green dish.

How do you know when hearty greens are cooked?

In cooking hearty greens (like kale, collard greens, mustard greens, and swiss chard), I like to soften them lightly but still keep a bit of the texture of the greens intact. When the greens are done, they have brightened in color and have just begun to release their liquid and wilt without becoming too droopy and soft.

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