Stuffed Collard Greens with turkey and quinoa are a spicy version of cabbage rolls that are hearty and healthy and a great way to change up dinner!
*This recipe was originally published in January 2018 and has been updated with new photos and text, as well as a few tweaks to the recipe.
Why you’ll love these stuffed collard leaves
- They’re great for meal prep. Just assemble the rolls and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
- They also freeze well, so you can store an entire batch in the freezer for 2-3 months, or freeze individual servings for quick meals.
- While there are a few steps to making them, these rolls are surprisingly easy to make.
- With a ground turkey and quinoa filling, they’re heartier than you think. Pair 2-3 rolls with a side salad and you have a complete meal.
What are collard greens?
Collard greens are large, leafy green vegetables, similar to cabbage leaves or kale. They’re normally dark green in colour, with thick ribs and a tough stem. The texture of the leaves themselves can be quite tough, so much so that they can withstand being boiled in water without falling apart or tearing.
The key to tender collards is cooking them low and slow. This helps soften their texture and even their flavour, as raw collards tend to taste a little bitter.
In this recipe, I’m using collard leaves in a pretty similar way as I would use cabbage leaves to make cabbage rolls.
Details on a few ingredients
Collard greens: Choose big, leafy greens that are dark green in colour. Also, avoid leaves that have tears or brown spots.
Ground turkey: The recipe calls for lean ground turkey, but you can also use ground chicken or lean ground pork.
Quinoa: I use tri-colour quinoa but red or white works too. You can also use brown rice or a rice blend. Whatever you choose will need to be cooked prior to being added to the stuffing mixture, so just use what you have on hand.
Tomato sauce: I like to use no-salt added tomato sauce and just add a pinch of salt and herbs. You can leave out these seasonings or add more to suit your taste. You can also use regular or seasoned tomato sauce and just leave out the added salt and herbs. Store bought or homemade marinara sauce would also work nicely in this recipe.
How to prepare collard greens for this recipe
- First, you’ll need to thoroughly wash the leaves. You can do this by placing the leaves under cold running water, or you can add the leaves to a large bowl of water and swoosh them around to help remove any dirt or grit.
- Next, assess the edges of the leaves, and if any are damaged or wilted, just give them a little trim.
- Cut off the stem at the base of the leaves and then shave off a portion of the thick rib running up the middle of the leaves (see photos above). This makes it easier to roll up the collards.
- To soften the leaves even more, they’ll need to be cooked in hot water until they’re tender and bright green in colour.
How to make stuffed collard greens with turkey
Prepare the filling
- Step 1: In a large skillet, add the ground turkey, salt, garlic and pepper and cook over medium heat.
- Step 2: When the turkey is almost cooked, add the chopped leek, onion, red pepper and jalapeño pepper.
- Step 3: Cover and continue cooking until the turkey is fully cooked and the vegetables have softened. Don’t over cook as the vegetables will get mushy.
- Step 4: Stir in the cooked quinoa and seasoned tomato sauce, and set aside.
Stuff the collard leaves
- Step 5: Place 3-4 tablespoons of the turkey mixture in the centre of a leaf.
- Step 6: Roll the top of the leaf over the turkey mixture.
- Step 7: Fold in the sides of the leaf.
- Step 8: Continue rolling until you reach the remaining part of the stem. At this point, you can cut off a little more stem, or just leave it as is. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
Arrange and bake
- Lay the rolled collard greens seam-side down in a greased baking dish (see above).
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls and sprinkle on some cheese (see below).
- Cover and bake on 350F for 35-40 minutes.
Storage, freezing and reheating
You can make these turkey collard greens in advance and store them covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Once cooked, store any leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days.
These collard green rolls freeze well. Just let them cool completely in the refrigerator. Then, portion them out into freezer safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat these rolls, you can warm them in the microwave or in the oven on 350F until heated through.
Additional recipe tips and substitutions
- If you like your rolls saucy, you can add a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish before placing the collard rolls in the dish.
- These rolls are a little spicy, so if you’re not a fan of spicy, just leave out the jalapeño.
- I added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to the tops of the collard rolls before baking, but if you need this dish to be dairy-free, just leave out the cheese.
- If you like things extra cheesy, feel free to add more cheese. Mozzarella or cheddar would work well too.
- To keep this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use quinoa and avoid grains containing gluten.
More ground turkey recipes
If you make these stuffed collard greens, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Stuffed Collard Greens (with Turkey and Quinoa)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 rolls
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Stuffed Collard Greens with turkey and quinoa are a spicy version of cabbage rolls that are hearty and healthy and a great way to change up dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound (454 grams) lean ground turkey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large leek, chopped (see note)
- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
- 1/2 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups no-salt added tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 10 large collard green leaves, washed and stems removed and trimmed (see tips above)
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 11 inch (or larger) baking dish.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil and then add the ground turkey, salt, garlic and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the turkey is almost cooked.
- Add the leek, onion, red pepper and jalapeño pepper. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat until the turkey is fully cooked and the vegetables have softened.
- Pour the tomato sauce into a small bowl and stir in the basil, oregano and salt.
- Add 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce and the quinoa to the turkey mixture and stir to combine. Cover and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the prepared collard green leaves. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until tender and bright green.
- Using tongs, carefully remove the cooked greens from the water, lay them out on a flat surface and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Place 3-4 tablespoons of the turkey mixture in the centre of a collard leaf. Roll the top of the leaf over the turkey mixture. Fold in the sides. Continue rolling until you reach the remaining part of the stem. Repeat until all the leaves are rolled with filling.
- Arrange the rolls seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls and sprinkle on cheese (optional).
- Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days.
Notes
- When chopping the leek, discard the root and dark green tops, and just use the white and light green portions.
- I use tri-colour quinoa but red or white works too. You can also use brown rice or a rice blend. Make sure whatever you use is cooked before you add it to the filling.
- To keep this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use quinoa and avoid grains containing gluten.
- If you like your rolls saucy, you can add a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish before placing the collard rolls in the dish.
- The recipe calls for no-salt added tomato sauce with a pinch of salt and herbs added. You can also use regular or seasoned tomato sauce or marinara sauce.
- These rolls are a little spicy, so if you’re not a fan of spicy, just leave out the jalapeño.
- I added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to the tops of the collard rolls before baking, but if you need this dish to be dairy-free, just leave it out.
- Be sure to check out the detailed sections above the recipe card for additional advice and suggestions for making this recipe.
Your stuffed greens make me think of my Mom’s cabbage rolls which I LOVE. I’ve got to try these soon! So full of goodness!
Thanks Katherine. They remind me of cabbage rolls my parents make too!
I could totally go for this! They sound so good and healthy! A great way to get in more collard greens!
Absolutely! Thanks Christie!
What a great idea! I love cabbage rolls, so I know I’ll love these!
Thanks Annie!
Love the quinoa and ground turkey in these stuffed greens! All the photos are so beautiful and have me craving this dish right now!
Thank you Tasia!
Such a great twist on the classic! They look delicious and such a hearty dinner, too 🙂
Thanks Jennifer!
Love this dish, Leanne! Such delicious little bundles of goodness! Wonderful flavors!
Thanks Kelly! Appreciate it.
Love reading this! and also those photos made me drolling! LIKE LITERALLY !! I’ve got to try this, sounds so so delish
Thank you so much Stefanija! I hope you like them! Let me know how it goes.
OMG these look amazing! And so healthy. I would need to make a few substitutions to adjust them to my low FODMAP diet. But they seriously look like a great treat. Yum 😉
Thanks! If you make this with some adjustments, let me know what you include. Would love to know! Thanks for stopping by!
What a great recipe! I love how you made this recipe so clean! I love cabbage rolls so this is a fantastic alternative.
Thanks for stopping by Christie! I love making some of my favourites dishes a little cleaner! And this one is on repeat in my house 🙂
These look absolutely amazing!! I definitely want to try them out. Thanks for the amazing recipe, Leanne!
Thanks Hallie! I hope you get a chance to try them :). Let me know if you do!
This looks delicious and you have a really nice blog Leanne! I’ll be visiting often from now on
Thanks HeeJee! You’re too sweet! Glad you stopped by 🙂
This looks incredible! What a great idea. Collard greens is something I haven’t explored much yet in the kitchen!
Thanks Cortney! I only recently started cooking with collard greens, but so far, so good!
These look delicious Leanne, I have never tried collard greens before. Is the taste similar to cabbage?
I am definitely going to be on the hunt for these in veggie section of the grocery store so that I can try it in this recipe. Looks really good 🙂
Thanks Ashika. I’m newer to collard greens myself, but they definitely have some similarities with cabbage. If you find some collard greens and try this recipe, be sure to let me know!
Cabbage rolls are one of those things I remember having only every so often, when my Mom decided to make them, but we always LOVED them. I need to try these!
Yes, I remember them in the fall of the year, but we never had them often. I’m enjoying the stuffed collard greens. It’s so much easier to prepare than I thought it would be! Enjoy the rest of your week Katherine.
I’m Hungarian and I grew up eating stuffed cabbage Leanne, so I know I will love these! Nice and healthy meals are just what I’m looking for these days! These totally fit the bill.
Thanks Mary Ann! I’ve been eating a lot of these lately. They’re definitely clean eating and super filling!
i can’t say i’ve ever had stuffed cabbage rolls, but i do love stuffed bell peppers, which are basically the same except for the surrounding vegetable. i feel like most of the time collard greens are just sauteed, so i love that you stuffed them!
Thanks Heather! I’ve never sautéed collard greens, but I love them stuffed!
There’s definitely something comforting about the foods we grew up eating. My mom’s chicken and dumplings is one of the most comforting foods on earth! And I don’t even eat chicken anymore. These sound awesome and I love that you used collards!
Thanks Kelsie! Foods from our childhood are definitely a special kind of comfort food! Chicken and dumplings sounds pretty comforting!;)
My grandmother makes awesome cabbage rolls and I’ve made a version in the past that doesn’t have a tomato based sauce. Love the idea of using super green collard greens! Each one tucked away in that pan looks SO good! Those healthy swaps are not only, well, healthy, but delish! Loves me some ground turkey – our freezer is always packed with the stuff. I know hubby would really enjoy these too 🙂 Great recipe, Leanne!
Thanks Dawn! I’m curious about your cabbage roll recipe without a tomato sauce base. Sounds great! Ground turkey is a staple in our house too. It goes with so many recipes! Have a great day!