If you’ve got a bag of chopped greens in your fridge, try this: Pita bread spread with hummus, topped with wilted greens, pine nuts, lemon, and salt.
I love those bags of pre-cut and washed greens in the produce department. They’re big bags of greens like kale, collards, mustard greens, and turnip greens that are ready to use and a nice time saver. I almost always have a bag of one of them in the fridge and have really enjoyed finding ways to use them up.

Using Your Greens
To use the bags of chopped greens, I make recipes that use a lot of them at once, like this pasta with sausage and lots of mustard greens over here. But more often than not, I find myself throwing a handful or two into whatever I’m cooking. There are 10 ways to use chopped kale over here, and I know from experience that these work with whatever kind of cut greens you decide to grab from the store.
Today’s recipe is another attempt, and a successful one, to use up some of those greens in new ways. This is a great appetizer for a casual party, or it makes for a good healthy lunch. It’s so simple but has so much flavor.
Turnip Greens And Pine Nut Flat Breads
To make these tasty flat breads, first toast some pine nuts and set them aside. Then heat some olive oil in a skillet and add the turnip greens, cook for a few minutes until they’re wilted. Turn off the heat but keep them in the pan to stay warm.
Next, toast some pita bread and spread it with hummus. Top the hummus with the wilted greens and the pine nuts. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on there and sprinkle with coarse salt (kosher salt or sea salt). Then cut them into wedges and dig in.
Pita Flat Bread Variations
Use the recipe below as inspiration, but don’t stop there. It’s a great combination but maybe the bag of greens in your fridge is something different.
Maybe you’d prefer kale with a garlic hummus and toasted walnuts. Or how about spinach with a roasted red pepper hummus? Get creative and share your favorite version with me in the comments!
I hope you like this recipe and are enjoying the versatility of the bagged chopped greens as much as I am. Enjoy.
And if you love cooking with greens, you’ll also love these delicious recipes:
- Southern Turnip Greens Recipe – how to cook tender turnip greens
- How to Cook Collard Greens – Southern-style collards, in less time
- Easy Beet Greens – a simple greens recipe that cooks in minutes
Enjoy! – Christine

Turnip Greens and Pine Nut Flat Breads
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
If you’ve got a bag of chopped greens in your fridge, try this: Pita bread spread with hummus, topped with wilted greens, pine nuts, lemon, and salt.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. pine nuts
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 5 oz. chopped turnip greens
- 2 whole wheat pita breads
- ¼ cup hummus
- ¼ tsp. lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
Instructions
- Place pine nuts in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until fragrant and some brown spots are just starting to show up. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Measure olive oil into the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the turnip greens. Stir and cook until wilted, 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Toast the pita breads in the toaster or under the broiler. Spread each with half of the hummus. Top with the turnip greens and pine nuts. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt.
This post originally appeared in January 2017 and was revised and republished in April 2021.

Mary Beth M. Petrovick says
Christine, Your recipe for Turnip Greens Flatbread is delicious. I bought the greens planning to cook them traditional Southern style.I happened to notice your recipe on the back of the greens bag. and decided to try it. It’s quick, easy and full of rich flavor. It’s now my favorite way to prepare turnip greens.
I have to say that I found it a bit messy to eat. The greens want to stick together and half the topping wants to come off in one bite. I was lazy and just dumped the bag of chopped greens in the frying pan. The solution would be to chop the greens a bit more finely before cooking. Pine nuts are great, and walnuts make n economical substitution.
Christine Pittman says
Thank you, Mary Beth! I’m delighted that it’s a new favorite for you!