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 have been making that for my family for years, but I add cooked wide egg noodles. We call it Haluski. It is a real quick meal for a weekday.
Awesome ??
Add cooked noodles to make it even better. Yummy
Great recipe! No leftovers….
I love this recipe. I have modified it for a different meal. Instead of the bacon, I put one pound of ground mild Italian sausage. Also, instead of cutting up the cabbage, I buy the packaged shredded cabbage (16 oz bag) and use the whole bag. It might seem like a lot at first, but it cooks down. I still make the recipe as is and use it as a side with maybe pork chops or ribs.
Thank you, stay at home chef! My family loved it. I added chopped carrots for colour and because my son loves them. My husband told me 3 times that he loved it and asked me to add to our regular winter rotation. Also, I served it with brown rice. Cheers.
So good.
I just made fried cabbage with thinly sliced potatoes go ahead and leave on the skin. Chopped onion and also used smoke sausage cut in thin slices. Ad salt and pepper and serve with cottage cheese. Salt and pepper to your liking. Hope you enjoy!!
This recipe looks amazing! The pictures are making me so hungry. I like to fry my cabbage with sauerkraut, do you think that would pair well with this? Thank you for sharing!
Tired of cabbage w carrots and coleslaw great alternative
Thank you do much, today will be the third time I’ve made this!! And in just this last month!!
I added some onion while cooking the bacon……just what my family ordered!