Southern greens are essential when serving a proper southern meal with lots of vegetable options. And they can be made in the Instant Pot quickly or they can cook all day in the slow cooker – whichever is most convenient for the cook. Leftovers can be used in dozens of ways, but a favorite way to use them up is in the following brunch dish, Greens, Eggs, and Ham, which was adapted from a fun cookbook, Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest: Recipes and Stories Inspired by My Appalachian Home, by Lauren McDuffie. While I usually prepare this dish in individual baking dishes, it can also be prepared in a large, shallow baking dish which would be suitable for a buffet or crowd.

The Instant Pot is the quickest way to prepare the greens because it takes only 3 minutes cooking time, plus a little extra time to cook the bacon, assemble the ingredients, and come up to pressure; alternately, if I’m going to be gone several hours, the same ingredients in the slow cooker can cook all day with similar results. During the last hour of cooking, tilt the lid so that excess liquid evaporates. Here’s the link to the article: Instant Pot Power Greens

Although you can use any kind of greens – collard greens are traditional – power greens or kale work beautifully and are delicious. The power greens, a mixture of kale, spinach, and chard, are not only healthy, but very convenient because there is no need to cut out the thick stem, and they come ready to cook which is a big timesaver.

6 Servings

4 ounces bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups lean ham, cut into small dice

2 cups cooked southern greens, with liquid

6 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Spray six individual oven-proof dishes with non-stick spray, or brush with butter.
3. Cook the bacon in a large skillet, stirring often, until very crisp.
5. Remove the bacon from the pan, add the ham, and cook the ham in the bacon fat until warmed through and just starting to brown.
6. Divide the southern greens among the individual dishes, making sure there is some liquid in each; sprinkle with the ham and bacon.
8. Make a well in the center of each dish of greens and break an egg into the well; sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper.
9. Place the dishes on a baking sheet and bake until the whites are cooked through and the yolks are still a bit runny.
10. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 152 Calories from Fat 94
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 62% Protein 36% Carb. 2%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 233 mg
Sodium 537 mg
Total Carbohydrate 1 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 14 g

Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 13% Calcium 0% Iron 6%