Pork Poblano Collard Green Rolls

I fell in love with these Pork Poblano Collard Green Rolls while searching for a recipe to get me thru an enchilada craving while doing Whole30. I love them so much that I’m going to continue to make them after Whole30 is over. They’re SO delicious while being dairy free, gluten free, & paleo friendly! 

I am totally in love with this recipe, y’all.

If you follow me, then you know I’m doing the Whole30 Challenge right now for the month of a January (a January reset, if you will and I’m currently on day 20, woohoo!).

Well, I was scouring the depths of Pinterest browsing Whole30 friendly recipes for some dinner inspiration when I came across these Whole30 Enchiladas from 40Aprons. Instead of tortillas, collard greens were used and the inside was a ground pork filling. They reminded me of a Mexican version of my Collard Green Rolls stuffed with a ground pork & black-eyed pea filling (which I adore) & instantly intrigued me. It looked really good, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Oh my… oh my. So glad I did. This one is definitely a keeper!

I loved this recipe so much. I ended up changing a few things here & there to suit my own tastebuds but nothing super major.  This southern gal likes her collard greens pretty tender, so the second time around I covered them with foil for half of the baking time and that made the texture just perfect. I like caramelized onions way more than I do mushrooms, so I reduced the mushrooms by half (original recipe called for 2 cups) & added 1 cup of diced onions to make up for it. I also added way more garlic (because hello – gahhhhhlic) & little more spice.

Oh. My. Word.

I am going to continue making this even after this Whole30 thing is over & done with – I seriously love it that much!

The leftovers are somehow even more amazing. But, a tip! If you reheat it, scrape the avocado filling off of the collard green rolls first & set it aside. Microwave the rolls until warm & then scoop it back on top. If you’re meal prepping & making these for a few meals – keep the sauce on the side & add it as you reheat.

CHECK OUT MORE OF MY WHOLE30 RECIPES/POSTS HERE!

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Pork Poblano Stuffed Collard Greens w/ Creamy Avocado Sauce

Recipe adapted from 40Apron's Whole30 Enchiladas

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 collard green rolls

Ingredients

• Mexican Pesto:
• 1/2  cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 4-6  cloves garlic peeled
• 1 cup  fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds aka pepitas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2  fresh jalapeño stemmed
• Collard Green Rolls
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 8 large collard green leaves
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1-2  poblano peppers roasted, skinned, stemmed, deseeded, and chopped (I used 2 poblano peppers, use 1 if you like it less spicy)
• 1  cups  mushrooms diced
• 1 cup onion diced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 7 oz can salsa verde
• pico de Gallo for garnish
• toasted pepitas for garnish (optional - I toast mine in a splash of extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet on med heat, stirring often for 3-4 minutes)
• Creamy Avocado-Cilantro Sauce
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 avocados peeled and pitted
• heaping 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1/2 jalapeño stemmed
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 teaspoons white vinegar
• the juice from 1 small lime
• 1.5 teaspoons salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Prepare your collard green leaves. Carefully cut out the thick part of the collard green stem & discard. In a large deep skillet, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Add the collard green leaves, 1-2 at a time, and cook for about 1 minute each batch. Drain on a paper towels. Set aside.
• In your food processor, combine all the ingredients for the Mexican pesto. Set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet & heat on medium heat. Add the pork & diced onion. Season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms & cook, stirring often, for another 6-10 minutes - or until the pork is cooked thru & the veggies are tender. Mix in the Mexican pesto & the chopped roasted poblano pepper. Stir & remove from the heat.
• Stuff each collard green leaf with 1/2 cup of the pork filling & roll up like a burrito. Place in a 9x13 baking dish & pour the 7oz can of salsa verde over top. Cover with aluminum foil & cook for 20 minutes. Remove the foil & cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven & let cool for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the creamy avocado sauce in a food processor. After the collard green rolls have cooled for 5 minutes, top with the creamy avocado sauce. Garnish the collard green rolls with fresh pico de Gallo & toasted pepitas.

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