This simple recipe is a twist on cabbage rolls! It’s inexpensive, great for leftovers, nutritious and delicious! A great recipe for new vegans, penny-pinchers, and those who are short on time and like to keep the kitchen stocked with dinner-ready ingredients.
I love making this in the dead of winter when I want something warm and comforting to eat. The collards are in season and the rest of the ingredients can be found in your pantry! I added tomatoes because I had them on hand and they needed to be used, but you can certainly leave them out.
Hint: cook the rice and beans (if you’re not using canned beans) ahead of time so this recipe becomes a quick-throw-in-the-oven meal.
You can also change the entire flavor of this dish just my modifying the herbs and spices. I use cumin and chili powder in this recipe, but you can easily swap them out for Italian spices like rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil.

Stuffed Collard Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 15-oz can black beans (or 1 1/2 cup cooked from dry)
- 1 cup rice cooked
- to taste salt + pepper
- 6 leaves collard greens (approximately one bunch)
- 1 cup tomato chopped (optional)
- 1 can tomato sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium pot, saute onions in olive oil for a couple minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute for one more minute.
- Add spices, beans, rice and tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Add salt + pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil (to blanch the collards). Wash collard greens and pat dry. Slice either side of leaves away from stems, discard stems.
- Blanch the collards by dropping them into boiling water for 30-60 seconds and promptly removing with tongs.
- Lay a leaf on a cutting board, fill with ~1/4 cup of rice & bean mixture, roll up and place in a baking dish. Repeat until all of your leaves + filling are gone and you've filled up the pan.
- Pour tomato sauce over rolls in pan, covering them evenly and completely.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.
We had just a tiny bit of the rice & bean filling leftover, which was so delicious we couldn’t toss it. This mixture can serve as a meal on it’s own!
good recipe!
Thank you! 🙂