Pot Likker Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to use pot likker? ›

Just like with chicken or beef stock, potlikker layers flavors and can be used as a base for everything from soups to gravies to dressings. Or you can simply eat it alone, dipping cornbread into the rich, savory elixir.

Or potlikker if you prefer, is not only delicious but also VERY nutritious, loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K and iron. Use it for soup, or cook beans in it, make sauce or gravy. Serve it as the first course in a southern inspired meal. Use it to steam clams, or mussels.

Pot liquor, sometimes spelled potlikker or pot likker, is the liquid that is left behind after boiling greens (collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens) or beans. It is sometimes seasoned with salt and pepper, smoked pork or smoked turkey.

Whole milk or half-and-half also thicken up the soup. I've even made it with half the amount (1/2 cup or 120ml) heavy cream in a pinch. (Add more chicken broth if you use heavy cream; see recipe Note.) Nice and thick, without being too heavy.

From kale to collards to turnips, we've learned to embrace their nutrient-packed bitterness. So here's a tip: When you're cooking up a big pot of greens, don't toss out what may be the most nutritious part — the brothy water that's left in the pot. Lots of the beneficial nutrients cook out of the greens.

Although juicing collard greens is not super popular, raw collard greens are a great addition to any juice. They are full of calcium, and folate, and are a good source of vitamin K, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Cruciferous vegetables like collards are also known for their anticancer effects.

Unfortunately, nutrients are leached out into the cooking liquid that many people pour down the drain. This cooking liquid or "pot likker," as it is called in southern states, is full on valuable nutrients. Save it to add to soups or soak it up with a piece of hot cornbread.

MSU Extension recommends storing unwashed greens in moist paper towels and placing in sealed plastic bags in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. They will keep about three to four days.

Leftover collard greens should stay fresh, refrigerated in an airtight container with the potlikker, for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze them for 10 to 12 months. The best way to reheat collards is in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat until they're heated through.

lik•ker (lik′ər), n. [Eye Dialect.] liquor.

What is the history of potlikker? ›

It was a staple food eaten by enslaved people in the South, often eaten along with baked or fried cornbread either dipped or crumbled into the potlikker. By the early 1850s, potlikker was a mainstay in Southern diets.

Potlikker (or “pot liquor”) is simple enough to describe—it's the brothy liquid gold left behind after boiling greens and beans—and its roots in Southern culinary traditions and heritage run deep.

Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. "Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices.

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples

Add a splash of vinegar (any kind!), or a squeeze of citrus. Chances are, you could use a little more salt. Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients.

So, if you're cooking something forgiving like soup or mashed potatoes, heavy cream and half-and-half are virtually interchangeable in equal amounts, yes—both will give you that creamy texture we all love and crave. Just be mindful that heavy cream contains more fat, so it will taste much richer.

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But, like the leafy greens that give this broth its dark green color, pot liquor is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin A and iron. And while old-timers used to chug it as a tonic, some of today's modern Southern chefs use pot liquor to elevate the flavors of other dishes.

Don't toss that broth! Potlikker — the liquid left behind after boiling collards — is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Plus, it's delicious. To say that potlikker is broth is like saying that wedding cake is dessert.