This Family’s 150-Year-Old Recipe Is Still the Best Southern Side Dish

The Family Recipe Box

Every family has The One. That legendary recipe. The one that shows up at every gathering, passed down through generations and known by heart. At some point, it becomes more than just food—it’s a plateful of memories, a bowlful of love, a recipe for connection.

In our Family Recipe Box series, we celebrate a different Allrecipes Allstar each month by sharing the story behind their treasured family dish—along with everything you need to bring it to your table, too. Because recipes this meaningful deserve to be passed on. And at Allrecipes, you’re part of the family.

Name: Shelia Johnson
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Family recipe: Braised Collard Greens
Who developed the recipe: Shelia’s great-grandmother
When it became a family tradition: About 150 years ago

If you ask Allrecipes Allstar Shelia Johnson, the best stories—and life lessons—are shared on the porch while stemming collard greens.

As a little girl, Johnson recalls spending every Saturday evening sharing the meal prep duties with her mom, who regaled her with tales about what it was like growing up in the South, her upbringing in Ruston, Louisiana, and her first love. “During these times is where she gave me a glimpse of who she was as a woman, not just as a mama. She used this time as an opportunity to teach, impart wisdom, and reinforce her expectations.”

Initially, Johnson admits that she dreaded picking (pulling the leaves off) collard greens. As she grew older, though, she began looking forward to the conversations—and even “those times we picked collard greens in silence,” Johnson says.

The destination for the collards was a braised version of the greens—“Mama’s favorite food”—a recipe that Johnson believes may have been originally created by her great-grandmother. Until Johnson captured the recipe to share it with us, it had only been passed down verbally. The version below sticks closely to the original, except for Johnson’s preference to use turkey pieces instead of ham hocks for the savory flavor boost.

Chicken broth, bell peppers, garlic, seasoning salt, and a few shakes of a beloved Cajun seasoning blend—Original Slap Ya Mama—make these braised collards truly shine, she says. Since several components contain a fair amount of sodium, Johnson likes to break up the seasoning throughout the cooking process (and taste along the way) “to prevent overseasoning as the greens cook down.”

In the Johnson family, these braised greens are often one of the first solid foods the kids consume. Parents feed their little ones cooled-down bites of the “potlikker” portion of this dish, “basically the broth rendered from the greens,” Johnson says. And the veggie side dish remains a staple throughout their lives as part of everything from holiday feasts to weekend dinners. The entrée might change, but Johnson tells us in her family, the meal isn’t complete unless these collards are served with two accessories: homemade hot pepper sauce and hot water cornbread.

Of course, feel free to serve these savory, tender greens with any of your own family favorites. Johnson’s only other tip is to invite another loved one to whip them up with you: “Once I was an adult and had kids of my own, and now grandkids, too, I realized that Mama used the kitchen and cooking together as a platform to not only teach me how to cook, but to also teach me about life.”

Johnson Family’s Braised Collard Greens

Servings: 6
Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 pound smoked turkey tails, rinsed
15 cups stemmed and chopped fresh collard greens (from about 4 to 5 bunches)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons seasoning salt
2 tablespoons Original Slap Ya Mama seasoning
2 tablespoons black pepper

Directions

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add turkey tails, then cover with chicken broth. Cover with the lid, and allow turkey tails to cook for 1 hour. Check in every 15 minutes and add more broth if it falls below the top of the tails.
Add collard greens, a couple of handfuls at a time, then place the lid back on the pot. Allow to simmer long enough for greens to melt in, then add more. Repeat this until all collards have been added to the pot.
Stir in onions, half of the bell peppers, and fresh garlic. Put the lid back on, and allow greens to cook for 20 minutes.
Stir in sugar, 2 tablespoons seasoning salt, Slap Ya Mama seasoning, and black pepper. Put the lid back on and cook for 20 minutes more. At this point, greens should be tender. Stir well, then try a taste. Add more seasoning salt or other seasonings, if desired. Put the lid back on, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the other half of the bell peppers and serve warm.