Southern turnip greens with turkey bacon are the perfect side to any southern meal. They can be served with mac and cheese, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, and homemade peach cobbler for the perfect meal!
4bundles or 3.5 - 4lbs Turnip greensrinsed and chopped
1tablespoonbutter
18 oz package Turkey bacon, 8 slices
1large green bell pepperdiced
1small yellow oniondiced
1 ¼teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
1teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoononion powder
¼teaspoonground paprika
¼teaspoonground turmeric
¼teaspoonmustard powder
½teaspoonred crushed pepper flakes
⅛ - ¼teaspooncayenne pepper
1tablespoonghee or vegetable oil
olive oil
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Instructions
Cleaning and Chopping the Turnip Greens
Start by cleaning and chopping the turnip greens. Cut about an inch off the stalks. Rinse them in the sink. Then fill a large bowl or stockpot with water, and add in ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Soak the turnip greens for 10 - 15 minutes to clean the dirt and grit off of them. Finally, rinse them off thoroughly.
Next cut the turnip greens into 1 inches pieces and the stalks into ½ inches pieces. Put them in a large bowl or stockpot and set them aside.
Cooking the Vegetables and Turkey Bacon
In a large pot, heat the ghee or vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until it is brown. There will be brown bits or the fond at the bottom of the pot. The bacon is done when it starts to make a loud crackling noise and starts to get crispy.
Next, add in the diced green bell peppers, and yellow onion. Cook the vegetables until they start to soften, 5 - 7 minutes. Then add in the spices - salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground paprika, ground turmeric, mustard powder, red crushed pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper.
Cooking the Turnip Greens
Turn the heat down to medium-low.
Add the turnip greens to the pot with all the other ingredients. All the greens may not fit at once, but the greens will cook down quite a bit.
Mix and cover the pot. Allow the green to cook on medium heat for 1 hour or until they are soft and tender.
Add in a drizzle of olive oil. Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary. Serve with Rosemary Polenta Cornbread. Enjoy!
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.