Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Greens or Kale with Smoked Turkey (Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30)

You can use kale or greens when making this easy slow cooker recipe. Both paleo and whole 30 compliant, this is a healthy spin on a southern classic.

Collards or Kale? I don’t know about you but growing up I never had kale. Greens on the other hand were a constant in my household. Collards or turnips it didn’t matter, my Mom made them almost weekly. Kale on the other hand I never had. Did it even exist in the 80s?? That’s a joke by the way. Greens and kale are both in the cabbage family and they have very similar nutritional value. They both also need to be cooked for a long period of time, usually on a low setting. Sounds perfect for the slow cooker huh?

This recipe is inspired by one found on Instagram. One of the people I follow posted his family’s collard green recipe that goes back 7 generations. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to make it. I asked him for the recipe and he kindly posted it. I tweaked the recipe slightly. You can find his original recipe here. I actually intended to use greens but I found lacinato kale instead. Lacinato kale (also known as dino kale) has hard, hearty dark blue-green leaves with a slightly wrinkled and firm texture. In particular, it tends to retains its firm texture even after it has been cooked.

Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Greens or Kale with Smoked Turkey (Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30)

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• Author: Fit SlowCooker Queen
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 5 mins
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 24 ounces kale or collards greens, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (omit for whole 30)
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)
• 1 tbsp brown mustard
• 1 medium smoked turkey neck, leg, thigh, etc
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp oil (for IP)

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Instructions

Slow Cooker

1. Add kale/greens to the slow cooker. Press them down if needed.
2. Place the chopped onions & garlic on top. Pour in the broth.
3. Add the mustard, salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce evenly, over the top. Place the smoked meat on top. Press down with your hands if needed.
4. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8. Stir it about 5 hours.
5. Remove turkey, shred meat, and place meat back in the slow cooker.

Instant Pot

1. Turn on the IP and select Sauté. Once hot add oil to the pot. Add the onion and garlic until cook , 2-3 minutes until soft.
2. Add the broth to the IP and using a wooden spoon scrape well the bottom of the IP to remove any bits that stuck to it, make sure you scrape it well to avoid burning during cooking. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, mustard, salt & pepper.
3. Add smoked turkey. Add the kale/greens on top. Do not stir.
4. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 35 minutes. Natural release pressure for 15 minutes then manually the remaining pressure. Remove turkey, shred meat, and place meat back in the IP.

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The kale greens will reduce down significantly so don’t worry if your slow cooker is full.

You can use the smoked meat of your choice whether it be smoked turkey or ham hocks like in the original recipe. You’ll know this is done when the greens or kale are tender and the meat is falling off the bone.