Alright, so I had to tell you about this collard casserole I made the other day. It wasn’t planned, not really. I just had this massive bunch of collard greens sitting in my fridge, looking at me, practically begging to be used before they went all sad and wilty. You know how it is. Waste not, want not, or something like that my grandma used to say.
So, I pulled them out. First job, and probably the one I dislike the most, is washing the darn things. Seriously, collards can hold onto so much grit. I must have rinsed them three, maybe four times in the sink until the water ran clear. Then, it was chopping time. I didn’t get fancy with it. Just a rough chop. Laid the leaves on top of each other, rolled ’em up, and went at it with my big knife. Good enough for a casserole, right?
Next, I knew I needed some smoky flavor. Bacon! Of course, bacon. I grabbed about half a pack, diced it up, and threw it into my big cast iron skillet. Let that get nice and crispy. The smell already started to make the kitchen feel cozy. Scooped out the bacon bits, left all that lovely grease in there. Don’t you dare throw that out! That’s where the magic starts.
Into that bacon grease, I tossed a chopped onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, minced up. Let those soften up, get a little color. Then came the mountain of collards. I swear, it looked like it wouldn’t all fit, but I just piled them in. They always cook down so much, it’s like a magic trick.
I stirred them around a bit, letting them wilt in the heat and leftover bacon fat. Then I started thinking about the ‘casserole’ part. I needed some liquid, some creaminess. I grabbed some chicken broth from the pantry, poured in about a cup. Then a good splash of heavy cream. Okay, maybe it was more than a splash. I don’t really measure that stuff, just go by feel. Seasoned it up with salt, a good bit of black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I like a little hum of heat in the background.
Let that all simmer together for a bit, maybe ten, fifteen minutes, until the collards were tender but not total mush. The kitchen was smelling pretty amazing by this point. Then I stirred most of the crispy bacon bits back in, saving a few for the top, obviously.
Then, I grabbed my trusty old casserole dish. Dumped the whole skillet full of greens into it. Spread it out evenly. For the topping, I wanted some crunch. I had some panko breadcrumbs in the cupboard, so I mixed those with a little melted butter and sprinkled them all over. And cheese! You can’t have a casserole without cheese, in my book. Grated up a good handful of sharp cheddar and scattered that on top of the breadcrumbs.
Into the oven it went. I think I baked it at around 375 degrees F, for maybe 20 minutes? Honestly, I just waited until it was all bubbly around the edges and the top was golden brown and delicious looking. The hardest part is always the waiting when something smells that good.
And man, when it came out. It wasn’t the prettiest dish I’ve ever made, not like something you’d see in a fancy magazine. But it was good. So, so good. Creamy, savory, a little smoky, a little spicy, with that crunchy, cheesy topping. Pure comfort food. Sometimes those simple, thrown-together meals are the best, you know? No fuss, just good eating. And I used up those collards, so, mission accomplished.
