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.
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.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheat in a skillet on the stove over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Reheat in the microwave on a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring between, until hot.
It was delicious and did not smell up the house like my cabbag3 usually does. I will definitely use this recipe again. Thank you for sharing.
I add rotel tamatos to mine, gives it som xip!
I make fried cabbage every year for New Year’s Day. My family has always liked it. This year, I decided to try a new recipe and used this one from The Stay at Home Chef—MY FAMILY LOVED IT!!! It is delicious!
Just made this! I didn’t have an onion, so I used two shallots. This is really good, I will definitely make this again!
The simplest dishes are the best. I have never put smoked paprika in it. I can’t wait to try it!
Tried the fried cabbage will never boil cabbage again it was so good thank you since I have never really been a cook I look for easy recipes and this one was on point
About to use your recipe..FIRST time I’ve EVER cooked Cabbage !!! Here i go..Lol
is this greasy when its cooked? Tried some recently that was dressy.
I dont use all the bacon grease because i dont like how greasy it turns out. I spoon out all but about 2-3 TBSP but i leave all the browned goodness of bacon drippings. If its too dry i add just a little (maybe 1/4 of chicken broth) made with knorrs chicken bouillon granules. And it comes out great!
Love fried Cabbage. I use garlic salt, bacon, and add noddle’s and stir fry altogether with the cabbage. So good.
we love fried Cabbage, I always made it with Curry, but I will try your version 🙂 thank you so much.
I have with curry also , a little chilli powder and lemon juice and salt . Traditional side from Sri Lanka !
I use smoked sausage and potatoes with mine…one pan meal…a little garlic salt and pepper, butter, olive oil and chicken broth…Delish…not just for St. Patrick day…