Southern Soul Food Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Turnip Greens
Turnip greens simmered low and slow with ham hock, chicken broth, and onion until tender and smoky, a staple Southern soul food side.
No common allergens detected
Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.
Good to know
- One-pot
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, then remove and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- 2
Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- 3
Add the turnip greens in batches, letting each addition wilt down before adding more.
- 4
Pour in the broth, add the ham hock if using instead of bacon, and bring to a simmer.
- 5
Cover and cook over low heat until the greens are very tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- 6
Stir in the vinegar and a pinch of sugar, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot with the pot likker.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
82/100
Good fit for most families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving350
Calories
42 g
Protein
21 g
Carbs
11 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Turnip greens slow-simmered with a smoked ham hock are a cornerstone of soul food, tracing to enslaved cooks who made nourishing meals from the leafy tops discarded by plantation kitchens. The flavorful cooking liquid left behind, called pot likker, is prized in its own right and traditionally sopped up with cornbread.
Listahan note
This version simmers the ham hock first to build a smoky broth before the greens ever go in, so the leaves cook in seasoned pot likker rather than plain water from the start.
Technique cues
- Simmer the ham hock long enough to render its smoke and gelatin into the broth, usually an hour or more, before the greens join, since the hock is what seasons the whole pot.
- Wash the greens in several changes of water and strip the tough center stems, which never soften the way the leaves do.
- Cook the greens low and slow until silky rather than chasing tenderness with high heat, which only turns them ragged and dull.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Wash and stem the greens while the ham hock simmers, so they are ready the moment the broth is built.
- Make-ahead
- Cook a day ahead; the greens and pot likker taste even better after a night in the fridge.
- Leftover move
- Reheat the greens with their likker and serve over rice or with a fried egg for a quick plate.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Strain and save the leftover pot likker in a jar before washing the pot so none of that broth is lost.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
Turnip greens
Main vegetable
Purpose: Their peppery bite mellows into a savory, tender green over a long simmer and gives the dish its identity.
Handling: Strip the stems and tear the leaves into pieces, then wash thoroughly to remove grit.
Adaptation: Mustard or collard greens work; mustard greens stay sharper, collards need longer cooking.
Ham hock
Smoky seasoning meat
Purpose: It supplies the smoke, salt, and gelatin that turn the cooking liquid into rich pot likker.
Handling: Score the skin so the flavor and fat release faster into the broth.
Adaptation: Smoked turkey wing or a chunk of slab bacon gives similar smoke; turkey is leaner.
Chicken broth
Cooking liquid
Purpose: It deepens the pot likker beyond water so the greens absorb savory backbone as they cook.
Handling: Use low-sodium broth so the salty ham hock does not push the pot over the edge.
Adaptation: Vegetable broth works for a lighter base if you are also swapping the hock for turkey.
Onion
Aromatic base
Purpose: Onion sweetens the pot likker and rounds out the smoke and the greens bitterness.
Handling: Slice or rough-chop it so it dissolves into the broth over the long simmer.
Adaptation: A few smashed garlic cloves alongside the onion add depth without changing the character.
Technique notes
- Finish each bowl with a splash of pepper vinegar or hot sauce, the traditional acid that brightens the long-cooked greens.
- Pull the meat off the cooked ham hock, chop it, and stir it back into the greens so nothing is wasted.
- If the greens taste flat, the fix is almost always more salt or a little of the hock fat, not more cooking time.
Ingredient swaps
- Lower-sodium direction
- Use a smoked turkey wing instead of the cured hock and low-sodium broth, then salt to taste at the end.
- Vegetarian direction
- Skip the hock, use smoked paprika and a little oil for the smoke, and simmer in vegetable broth.
- Quicker direction
- Use frozen chopped turnip greens to skip the washing and stemming, shaving the simmer down considerably.
Serve alongside
- Skillet cornbread
- Black-eyed peas
- Candied yams
- Fried chicken
- Iced sweet tea
- Lemonade
- Cold buttermilk
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate greens in their pot likker for up to 4 days.
- Reheat gently on the stove in the liquid until hot through.
- Freeze with the likker for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Equipment
- Large stockpot or Dutch oven
- Salad spinner or large bowl for washing
- Tongs
- Slotted spoon
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