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.
I had a head of cabbage and I didn’t know what to do with it so I googled a quick recipe and this one popped up…I did not expect that this was going to be my new favorite recipe. I could not stop eating it. It’s addicting and I ate almost the whole pan in one sitting!
I tried this recipe and loved it. My new way to eat cabbage.
I add egg noodles to it as well my favorite
Great and easy rescipes
This is wonderful! My husband even loved it! Thank you.
Made this today, rainy day here in NY and we had perogies in the freezer and a head of organic cabbage in the fridge. Happened to have the rest of the ingredients you used here, turned out absolutely delicious! Highly recommend.
So awesome and easy to make. Thanks a bunch, my husband thinks I cook like a boss!!
Excellent & so easy
I think there is nothing better in the world than fried cabbage with bacon and onions. The spices you use are exactly what I use as well. My only two differences are I fry everything in bacon grease.YUM! Also I fry everything until it starts to brown. It does get mushy at first but then starts to carmelize. It is a taste preference. Sometimes I also add cooked rudabager. Just adds another great flavor when fried together.
Looks delicious. I can no longer taste food but enjoy watching you cook.
I have made it about 3 times and we devour every time. Splendid!
Easy, quick and scrumptious. I used mini meatballs instead of sausage and added a tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce to the dish.