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.
Excellent recipe! Cooked exactly according to the recipe and it’s super delicious!
I just made it and it very good. I didn’t put the brown sugar in it. I’m a diabetic.
So glad to see this recipe published. I have been making it for years and a my family and friends love it. Easy and delicious!
I made this recipe today but unfortunately I added a bit too much seasoning and it was very salty. I added a small can of tomatoes and a small can of sliced potatoes and a splash of lemon juice and a bit of sugar. Needless to say it turned out AMAZING!
Thanks for the suggestion of adding balsamic vinegar. I thought I might have put a bit too much….but it was oh so good!!!
The only cabbage I have ever eaten has been KFC coleslaw, the only I have ever liked until this recipe. My husband does the whole peas and cabbage on New Years thing. Boiled cabbage is so nasty. I made this for him and had to make again the next day. This is something I can eat. I am make General TSO chicken and need some sides. Since I hate standard egg rolls I am going to make this fried cabbage and roll up in egg roll wrapper to fry as one of my sides. I think this with the crispy fried wrapper would be good.
I love that recipe. I’m gonna try it tonight. Thank you
We loved it! I did not have thick bacon & only cut up six strips. I love bacon so should have cut up & cooked more bacon. Because we did not have enough bacon grease; we did add 2 Tablespoons of butter. I will make this recipe again.
I’ve made it this way before. Another thing I’ve added is smoked sausage. I’ve also added a squeeze of lemon and other times at the very end I add a tablespoon of vinegar. Depending on your tastes it’s kind of hard to mess this dish up.
My family have been talking about this recipe and they love it.looking forward to trying it myself.