I think I have a new favorite – stuffed collard rolls! I recently posted a recipe for a Vegetable Lentil Quinoa Loaf where I confessed that it really doesn’t become a “loaf” until the next day after the quinoa absorbs all of the liquid so it can set up properly. I wanted to come up with a way to serve the dish right away without things falling apart on the plate.
Solution – stuff the mixture into collard leaves, making nice individual servings. The collards are sturdy, filled with all kinds of nutrients, look great and are delicious! I also tried this with chard leaves, but I find the collard leaves are easier to work with. As you can see from the pictures, the collard leaves are much bigger and hold more stuffing (although I’ve seen some gigantic chard as well). Both collards and chard have a slightly bitter, peppery taste which mellows out when cooked. Try it both ways to see what you prefer!
Ingredients
1 bunch organic collard greens (washed, ribs removed, and cut in half length-wise)
1 onion, diced
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 can lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked quinoa
½ cup frozen peas
1 carrot, sliced
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 26-ounce jar tomato sauce, or 1 recipe All Purpose Tomato Sauce
1 cup finely grated parmesan (optional for vegetarians)
2-3 tbsp. canola oil
1 ½ tsp. red chili pepper flakes
sea salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a sauce pan, put ½ cup dry quinoa, 1 cup water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with fork. Makes approximately 2 cups cooked. Leave covered and let rest until ready for use.
- In a large soup pot, bring 3 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil.
- In a separate pot, heat chili pepper flakes in oil for 1 minute. Then add diced onion. Cook about 3 minutes until onions start to soften. Add garlic and cook another minute.
- Add carrots and cook another 2 minutes until carrots start to soften.
- Add diced tomatoes, lentils, quinoa, peas and parsley. Cook 3 minutes. Salt & pepper mixture to taste. I like mine really peppery!
- In the large soup pot with boiling water, dip the collard leaves in one at a time, fully submerging them, count to 5 and pull out with tongs. Place flat on paper towel and lightly blot dry. Continue until all leaves are done – you’ll need about 10 large leaves. This makes the leaves pliable and easy to roll without ripping.
- Spray a baking dish with a light layer of cooking spray. Place ½ of tomato sauce on bottom.
- For each collard leave, place about ¼ to ½ cup of mixture on the end of a leaf (depending on its size), leaving about 1 inch from the edge. Carefully roll the leaf and place in baking dish. I actually used 2 smaller baking dishes, one of which is pictured below. Use whatever you have available.
- After all leaves are rolled and placed in baking dish, cover with the remainder of the tomato sauce, making sure every leaf is completely covered.
- Vegetarian option – spread thin layer of finely grated parmesan cheese on top of sauce.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Let cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
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