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.
Ok people this is not your grandma’s cabbage OMG I doubled the bacon added brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and everyone lost their minds it’s a crowd pleaser FYI also how I cook my brussel sprouts left overs NAW not on cabbage had some of the ribs left but not this amazing side dish more worthy of a first string go to nightly family dinner play book
I’m used to putting apple cider vinegar on cabbage once it’s cooked, so I bet that balsamic vinegar is amazing! I’ll try that next time.
I use balsamic vinegar and also have added zucchini slices when I have them. Everyone always has asked for my recipe too!!
I also added balsamic. It made the difference.
How much balsamic vinegar
I would think that a tablespoon would be enough. If not, add a little more at a time until you get the flavor you like. I hope this helps.
How much balsamic vinegar, and what does it taste like.
Yes! I am Italian and many times we add balsamic vinegar and sugar (brown or whichever you prefer) to our cooking. We call it agro/dolce (sweet and sour). It is a method of making almost any vegetable, meat, chicken or fish dish taste wonderful. Can’t wait to try it with this recipe.
Thank you for suggesting the balsamic vinegar, it made all the difference!!
I just made this. Absolutely delicious! I added a pound of cooked ground chicken to this recipe, and it was a complete and delightful meal. ???
I just tried this recipe. It is so delicious ever I think. My children like this so much. I like oily food, so I use a little bit more oil than your specifications.
Leftovers, what leftovers, this was so good, we ate it all. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe; it was quick and easy to make with excellent results. The cabbage dish was perfect. I used the brown sugar option, so happy I did. We now have a new family favorite. BK
Just like my Memere used to make when I was a young kid growing up!!! Brings back great memories of cooking with her in the kitchen!!!
So good!!!
This is a common Jamaican dish. Cabbage is cooked with a variety of meats or without meat. A common and quick recipe is to prepare cabbage with cook salted/preserved codfish with cabbage.
Delicious! Fried cabbage with your recent Irish Soda Bread, all I need now is a corn beef recipe to go with. ♡♡♡
We’ve got you covered! https://thestayathomechef.com/corned-beef-and-cabbage/
I add hot sauce to the mix just b4 the cabbage is added. IF it’s too dry add 1/4 cup veggie stock & stir. Yummy
Thanks for the recipes–I really enjoy your demonstrations. I appreciate your family-friendly recipes with real world ingredients. I also love the way you tell about how long each step in the process will take. I’ve been cooking for almost 50 years and I’m still learning. Sometimes it’s nice to see how someone else makes an old favorite, like fried cabbage.