Collard Greens

This dish, flavored with achiote seeds, garlic, and spices, is based on chicken pibil, from Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Traditionally, the chicken is baked in banana leaves, but here we've used collard leaves because they are more readily available. They add moisture and a bit of flavor but do not get tender enough to eat.

This can be served immediately as a warm salad or made ahead and served chilled.

If you're from the South, you're probably used to collards cooked long and slow. What makes this simple, flavorful Brazilian dish unusual are greens that are finely sliced and barely cooked. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

(Gumbo with Mixed Greens and Red Beans) Louisiana's "gumbo z'herbes", from the French gumbo aux herbes, was developed in Roman Catholic communities as a meatless dish for Lent. Traditionally, the number of guests determines how many types of greens go into the pot, but, if you wish to use only a few greens, just increase their amounts to equal the total quantity called for. Red beans are added to make this gumbo a more complete vegetarian main course.

At Thanksgiving, rice stuffings are standard on many southern tables. This one, a combination of white rice and wild rice, gets more regional notes from collard greens, pecans and ham.

Somewhere between a soup and stew, this spicy chicken bouyon is a family favorite.

Muối mè is a 3-ingredient sesame salt mix, which instantly changes the mundane into something special. Sprinkle it over vegetables, rice, and more.

Peanut butter lends its nutty, creamy texture to this hearty one-pot chicken and greens dish with an irresistible sauce you’ll want to serve over plenty of rice.

Transform store-bought dumplings into a restaurant-worthy meal using wilted greens, creamy garlicky yogurt, and plenty of chile butter.

Savory, lip-smackingly rich, and meltingly tender—you’ve never had greens quite like this before.

An equally simple and stellar dish, callaloo has variations across the Caribbean and its diaspora. This version from Brigid Washington subs collards and spinach for harder to find taro leaves.

Tamarind concentrate gives this chicken its sticky, glossy quality, not to mention its sweet-and-sour flavor.

This mix of hardy greens, pickled fennel, and spicy coconut vinaigrette brings a lightness to decadent meals.

These collard greens are great to make for a dinner party when you need to keep your oven and stovetop free.

This satisfying veg-forward dish proves that sometimes the role for meat is as a supporting actor helping to make green things shine.

Coconut oil and milk are the magic ingredients in this sweet potato recipe.

Cornmeal thickens this soup and gives it a silky texture, and the combination of smoky andouille and greens packs in more flavor than you could imagine from a one-hour recipe cook time.

Garlic and collard greens make a healthy addition to this porridge recipe, but you can use any leftover greens you have on hand.