Creamy Collard Casserole

Time :45

Yield :6 servings

Recipe Background

Our ultimate comfort food castaway dream? Being stranded somewhere quiet and lovely with an unlimited supply of this Creamy Collard Casserole! Guys, it's that good. The creamy, crunchy texture is out of this world, and the way the melted cheese brings it all together so perfectly will help you understand how we could eat this dish on repeat. Okay, well, we'd prefer to eat Creamy Collard Casserole in the comfort of our own home, but just know, this one is good enough to chow down on indefinitely!

Ingredients

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup olive oil divided
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic finely chopped, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt divided
1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
3 (8-ounce) bunches fresh Lacinato kale stemmed and thinly sliced
1 (1-pound) bunch fresh collard greens stemmed and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons water
6 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces fontina cheese shredded
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional, can substitute ground red pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
In a medium bowl, stir the breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt together.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the onion to the oil and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining garlic to the onion and cook, 30 seconds.
Add the kale, the collards, and the water to the onion mixture and cook, stirring often, until the greens are wilted and tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Add the cream cheese, the fontina, the half-and-half, the black pepper, the remaining salt, and the crushed red pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until just heated through, about 8 minutes.
Pour the casserole mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake the casserole until golden and bubbly, about 15 minutes.
Serve.