Name: Fried Cabbage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 6 thick cut bacon slices (diced); 1/3 cup diced yellow onion; 1/2 head green cabbage (shredded or roughly chopped); 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Looking for a quick and delicious way to up your cabbage game? This Easy Fried Cabbage with bacon-infused flavor is ready in less than 30 minutes! That’s right, we cook our cabbage and onion directly in the bacon fat to make sure this cabbage has all the flavor. Whether you serve it as a complete meal or a savory side dish, it’s sure to be devoured.

If you are looking for other sides, you may like these easy honey glazed carrots or these jalapeno garlic mashed potatoes.

Why Our Recipe

Cabbage with bacon-infused flavor that’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
Serve it as a complete meal or use it as a side dish.
A little brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness to make sure there’s never any bitterness.

Fried Cabbage in a stainless steel pan with a wooden spoon in it.

We like to keep the spices very simple and only use salt, pepper, and a bit of smoked paprika to add a smoky flavor. The optional brown sugar adds just the right touch of sweetness, ensuring no bitterness from the cabbage.

Ingredient Notes

Thick-cut bacon: Thick-cut bacon works best in this recipe so you end up with nice chunks of bacon. You can use regular-cut bacon, it’ll just end up being more like crumbled bacon and cabbage rather than chunks. You’ll want to dice it before cooking either way.
Yellow onion: A humble yellow onion is great for this recipe. You can also use white or even sweet onions.
Green Cabbage: Be sure to remove the tough core before chopping or shredding. Keep in mind that the cabbage will cook down quite a bit, so don’t be afraid of having an entire pile. Keep an eye on the cabbage to avoid overcooking it. You want it tender with a bit of bite, not mushy. The sweet spot is usually around 7-10 minutes.
Brown Sugar: For those worried about bitter cabbage, brown sugar is the perfect addition. If you prefer your cabbage more on the savory side, feel free to leave it out.
Smoked Paprika: This adds a subtle smoky flavor. Regular paprika will work as a substitute, but you won’t get the smoky element.

Variations

Spice it up: If you like a little heat, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or drizzle a bit of hot sauce for a fiery kick.

Garlic lovers: Add up to 1 tablespoon of minced garlic when sautéing the onions for all the garlicky flavor.

Sausage: Instead of bacon, you can also use sausage or use a combination of both sausage and bacon. Use a nice fatty ground pork sausage so there is plenty of grease to use for frying the cabbage.

Serving Suggestions

Serve it as a meal on its own, or serve it with rice, quinoa, or mashed potatoes for a more filling option. You could even top it with a fried egg. This is the perfect side dish for roasted chicken, pork chops, or even a baked potato. It also goes really well with barbecue meats or bratwurst.