Collard Green Udon Noodle Soup
Flavorful meaty collard greens swimming in their own soup broth, with thick chewy udon noodles to sop up all that delicious liquid! There is nothing more comforting than a big warm bowl of soup like this one! If you have had collard greens like this, you know how good the broth, aka potlikker, can be. Turned into a soup with one of my favorite noodles, the comfort level is off the charts!
The inspiration for collard green udon noodle soup
I was thinking about how good the liquid, or potlikker, in collard greens is, so I decided I wanted to make a whole dish around it. Turning the collard greens into a soup was he obvious choice, so I added my favorite noodle – udon! During the two weeks that I have been developing this recipe, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I noticed a mini trend of people making ramen with their leftover greens. I am thrilled that this idea is catching on and I am happy to be a part of it!
Start with ham hocks
You could also use smoked turkey wings for this collard green udon noodle soup! Ham hocks are pretty traditional and date back to when Enslaved people in the South were using any bits of ingredients they had access to as flavoring components. Ham hocks were one of those typically thrown away pieces of the animal so they were used by resourceful Black cooks and chefs to create deep flavors in collard greens and beans!
Prepare the Collard Greens for the Udon Noodle Soup
While the ham hock cooks in broth for about 45 minutes, get the grens ready. If you have never cooked with collard greens, the first step is to wash them really well! I have fully washed greens before and still ended up with gritty bites, so make sure you are thorough! After washing, remove the stems and roll them up tight. Then slice one way to make strips, and a few cuts in the opposite direction so the strips aren’t that long.
Normally I wouldn’t do this part, but I was adding extra water to the greens so I needed to make sure it would be flavorful and not watered down. I added a bundle of the stems to the water so they could release some extra flavor into the broth.
Season the potlikker and add the collard greens
When the ham hocks are starting to become tender, season the broth and add in the collard greens! I did partly traditional seasonings, like worcestershire, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. I also did some non-traditional seasonings, like rice vinegar and soy sauce, because those are things I would put into an udon noodle soup.
Dump in all the collard greens, and the bundle of stems. Then add a little more broth to make sure everything is covered. Cover the pot and cook this another 2ish hours until the greens are tender but not mushy.
Process the ham hocks
The final step before you make the collard green udon noodle soup bowls is to get the meat from the ham hocks. Take them out, and pick off any bits of good meat. Some may be more meaty than others. I feel like lately there is less meat than there used to be, but who knows if that is actually true. If you do use smoked turkey wings for this, they are a bit more meaty. You could also do a mix of both! Put the meat back into the broth and stir it all together. Also remove the stems.
Build the collard green udon noodle soup bowls
I usually use pre cooked frozen udon noodles for this. Boil the udon noodles and add them to the soup bowl, then ladle on the broth and collard greens.
I drizzled on a little sesame oil and topped it with scallions. So good! This was the most comforting meal I have eaten this season!
The chewy udon noodles are SO GOOD in this collard green potlikker!
Next time I might put an egg on here.
Twists and Additional Info
For the base collard green recipe of this udon noodle soup, I used a combination of my mother-in-law’s recipe, and Jocelyn’s from Grandbaby Cakes. If you have never made collard greens before, that recipe is a great place to start! If you have your own family recipe, I would use that and just add more broth to it!
If you love udon noodles like me, check out my udon pork belly carbonara, pepperoni udon soup, or this carne asada udon noodle salad!
I just listed “broth” in this recipe, I mostly use a combination chicken bouillon and some roasted garlic better than bullion because I always have those on hand. You could use whatever broth you typically like!
Collard Green Udon Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 ham hocks
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups broth plus a few cups more
- 2 pounds fresh collard greens
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 24 ounces frozen udon noodles 4oz per serving
- scallions
- sesame oil
Instructions
- Add the ham hocks to a large pot and cover with the water and stock. Bring to a simmer and cover, lightly simmering, for about 45 minutes to an hour.
- While the hocks are simmering, clean and prep the collard greens. I like to wash each leaf thoroughly one by one with my hands. Then remove the stems. Roll up a stack of collard leaves, and slice them into 1/2 inch strips. Then go the opposite way with you knife a few cuts. For this recipe, I also used most of the stems. Stack them up together and use a butcher twine to tie them together.
- Add all the sauces and seasonings to the pot, along with the onions. Stir to combine. Then add in the greens. Tuck the stems in there, and add a few more cups of broth to cover everything. Get it back on the stove over low heat to lightly simmer for about 2 hours.
- When the collards are the right texture and not too mushy, remove the ham hocks. Pick all he god meat from each ham hock and add it back into the pot.
- Bring some water to a boil for the noodles. I buy mine frozen in 4oz packs, so you can cook as many as you need for each serving. Strain when warmed through.
- Put the noodles into a bowl and ladle on the greens with a lot of broth. Garnish with scallions and serve.