Southern Fried Cabbage
Southern Fried Cabbage – Simple, tasty comfort food with tender cabbage ramped up with garlic and bacon. Pure soul-satisfying goodness delivers a guilt-free, healthy side dish. Sauteed low and simmered in its own juices for a win-win.
Did you know a cup of cabbage packs a bunch of vitamins and minerals in about 22 calories? This humble vegetable has become a new superfood. That means Southern fried cabbage should be on your weekly rotation.👌
And boring is NOT an issue with this versatile brassica. Of course, it has to have bacon, onion, and garlic. Then, spice it up with pepper flakes or chili, and you’re set.
Southern Fried Cabbage With Bacon
Bacon is a classic Southern seasoning. The salt-cured pork gives you the perfect cooking fat, while the smokiness adds a certain bliss factor to your cabbage. Fat carries flavor, right? Besides, it’s a seasoning in this Southern fried cabbage recipe, so no guilt needed.
Ingredient List
- Cabbage is one nutritious vegetable besides being delicious. I used a head of green cabbage, but feel free to use savoy, bok choy, or napa if that’s what you have available.
- Bacon gives you smokey, salty flavors while giving you bacon grease to cook the cabbage. The satisfying crunch it adds is another perk. The pat of butter is optional if you have enough drippings from the bacon.
- Seasonings – Fresh garlic and onion (or garlic and onion powder) are traditional Southern ingredients. Plus, I couldn’t resist paprika and my Creole seasoning. A dash of Worcestershire sauce with crushed red pepper flakes and white or black pepper finish off the spice list.
How to Make Southern Fried Cabbage
- Prep Cabbage – Core and chop the cabbage and set aside. (Photo 1)
- Saute your bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy (3-5 minutes). Set aside, reserving about ¼ of it to garnish. The rest goes in when adding the onions. (Photo 2)
- Reserve a tablespoon or two of the bacon drippings. (I save the rest in a heat-proof jar to fry eggs in the morning.)
- Saute – Add optional butter, then add the onions, garlic, paprika, and Creole seasoning. Simmer for about 2 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent burning. (Photo 3)
- Simmer – Add the cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, and white pepper. Heat it to a simmer, cover it, and cook for 10-14 minutes, depending on how tender or crunchy you want. (Photo 5)
- Serve – Add the bacon and adjust seasoning with Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper flakes. Enjoy! (Photo 6)
Recipe Variations
- Replace the bacon with smoked sausage for a change. Ham is equally tasty.
- Add fresh or canned tomatoes for stew-like fried cabbage.
- Leave out the bacon and use olive oil to saute the cabbage for a vegetarian version. Though I’d use smoked paprika to replace the bacon’s smokiness.
Tips and Tricks
- Add about a teaspoon of sugar if your cabbage is a little bitter to make it more kid-friendly.
- Don’t overcook the cabbage. Turn the heat off when the cabbage becomes a little translucent because it will continue to cook from the residual heat.
- For some reason, Southern fried foods usually taste better made in a cast iron skillet.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Southern and Cajun fried cabbage is ready in 30 minutes. But you can make it a day or two ahead and reheat it in a saucepan. The microwave will heat it, too.
Transfer the leftover cabbage to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag after it cools completely. Refrigerate cabbage for up to four days or freeze it for up to six months.
I love making an easy stew with leftovers. Sometimes, I make roast beef, potatoes, and carrots with the cabbage. Then, I chop the leftovers and add them to a soup pot with chicken broth and stewed tomatoes. It makes a quick stew that makes everyone think I spent the whole day in the kitchen.
What to Serve With Fried Cabbage
Break out the slow cooker for roast beef or pork chops with roasted carrots and potatoes for the main dish, then throw fried cabbage together for an ideal side. 😉 Hot water cornbread also makes a lovely pairing. Then, a 7UP pound cake would make the perfect ending.
More Deliciously Nutritious Veggie Recipes to Try
- Cabbage Roll Casserole
- Spinach Pie
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
- Roast Potatoes and Carrots
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”HdaMhbn6″ upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:39:31 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Southern Fried Cabbage” description=”Southern Fried Cabbage – Simple, tasty , flavored with garlic and bacon -Ready in less than no time. Fried cabbage is actually a mixture of sautéing, and/or stewing, being cooked low and simmered in its own juices, rather than fried quickly. It is really not “Fried” so don’t be alarmed!”]
This blog post was first published in August 2016 and has been updated with an additional write-up, new photos, and a video
Fried Cabbage
Ingredients
- 6 strips or more bacon, cut into 3-4 pieces each
- 1-2 tablespoons (14-28g) butter or cooking oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (2g) paprika
- 1 teaspoon (4g) Creole seasoning (adjust to taste)
- 1 medium to large head cabbage, chopped (about 10-12 cups)
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Worcestershire sauce or chicken bouillon (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon (1g) white pepper
- 1 teaspoon (2g) pepper flakes or more (optional)
Instructions
- Slice or chop cabbage and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté bacon until brown and crisp; this may take 3-5 minutes. Set aside, reserving about ¼ or more for garnish. The rest goes in when adding the onions.
- Reserve a tablespoon or two of the bacon drippings.
- Add butter, then add the onions, garlic, paprika, and Creole seasoning. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent burning.
- Then add the cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, and white pepper. Heat it to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for 10-14 minutes or more, depending on preference.
- Add the bacon and season with Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper flakes.
Tips & Notes:
- Add about a teaspoon of sugar if your cabbage is a little bitter to make it more kid-friendly
- Don’t overcook the cabbage. Turn the heat off when the cabbage becomes a little translucent because it will continue to cook from the residual heat
- For some reason, Southern food usually tastes better made in a cast iron skillet
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe
I am not big on cabbage, but I really like this recipe. Tweaked it just a bit, I used Smoked Hot Spanish Paprika and omitted Red Pepper Flakes. You still get that fiery tingle but the Spanish Smoked Paprika has a great smoky flavor that plays well with the bacon. Only other tweak was a teaspoon of sugar because that is the way my Mother did it to get that bitterness and sulfur out that I do not care for.
Thanks for sharing those tips, Dereck!
Hi Imma. I just finished a bowl of the cabbage over a bed of rice and it almost reminded me of my mother’s cabbage (that’s a high compliment). My mother is from Louisiana and I enjoy her old-school southern style of cooking. Typically I call her and ask her how to cook certain foods but instead I tried your recipe and fell in love with it. Shhhh. Don’t tell momma. Lol
Hi Mary,
Thank you so much for giving it a try . So happy to hear it working out well for you
P,s. My lips are sealed – ZIP.
What’s y’all’s favorite creole seasoning brand? I didn’t have any so just made it up from some old recipes. It’s not quite done but I’ll let you know how it turns out. Waiting on these ham hocks to cook so I can make your collard greens. Had them last year on New Year’s Day and OMG they were wonderful. Jenn
Great recipe with just the right amount of spice. I did add a few more cloves of garlic because we love it. This will become my “go to” for cabbage.
Glad you like it, Gloria! 🙂
Just stumbled on your site today and made this cabbage and your cornbread…so good! Thank you!
Awesome! Glad you like it, Kathy!
That is very good. I use a pound of bacon per head of cabbage. I mince the bacon before I saute it. Then, I drain the crispy bacon keeping the grease. I saute the cabbage, minced garlic and julienned onions for 6 minutes in a huge pan and put it into a big bowl. I love spice, so I splash some of my home made Carolina reaper sauce onto the cabbage mixture and toss witth the crispy bacon. This goes great with my bonless, skinless chicken thighs which I pound out, rub with adobo seasoning, let rest for 2 days and then dust in flour, eggwash then garlic bread crumbs. I fry those chicken steaks in peanut oil at 325 degrees for 6 minutes… Try that!
This makes me so happy Scott! Thanks for trying this out . Also appreciate all the tips . Take care!
Followed this recipe…it was delish!!
Wohooo!Thanks for letting me know, Nani. 🙂
I just made this and the baked chicken. Both came out perfect. I have 3 teenage boys and my husband to feed so I doubled it. They loved it. I have terminal cancer so I cannot cook very much anymore. These were so simple to make. Thank you so much!!
Hi Kelley , I am so sorry to hear you are going through this . Glad to know the recipes worked out well for the family. I’m sending positive thoughts your way . God Bless.
I get the Cole slaw mix and I add fresh processed jalapeno peppers and fine diced onion, then I use different kinds of salad dressing. Evo, garlic parmesan ,even ranch. Also I slice cabbage in about one and a half inch steaks , use garlic pepper and brush with olive oil and grill till marked.
I found this fascinating to read. I come from a German/Russian/Mennonite background and we make cooked cabbage/onions as well but we cut 4 inch squares of dough, plop some of the cooked cabbage/onions mixture on top, fold it into buns and bake them. Some people substitute saurkraute and some people add cooked ground beef. I think I’ll try your recipe in a bun!
That sounds amazing! What kind of dough?
thanks for the recipe ,it was awsome
i pan fried some potatoes for about 8 minutes in bacon grease and then added this recipe to the pan – absolutely loved it!
YES! Thanks for the feedback!
I love this recipe. With bacon added I can get my fiance to eat it no problem. He loves the spice and I get to gobble up tons of veggies.
It’s a Win- Win Sam!!!
Dang! It’s just cabbage.
Hi, at what point do I add the paprika and pepper flakes? Also it doesn’t say to remove all bacon from the pan after cooking, just to reserve some for garnish. Do I keep the remainder in the pan? Looks delicious by the way!
Recipe has been updated . Thanks Melanie.
So, when did you add bacon? Updated recipe doesn’t say. I see to reserve some drippings after cooking bacon and to save some for garnishing.
My bad! It’s been re written to make it clearer. Thanks for pointing this out to me Ronnie.
Tired the recipe, although I substituted bacon for lean pork strips and it was very lovely. Gave some to my colleagues at the office enjoyed it as well. Thank you!! I will be doing it again soon! Cheers
Awesome! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
I made this for dinner and It was truly enjoyable! I substituted sausages for bacon and omitted white pepper altogether because I didn’t have any. I also used your method of adding whole scotch bonnet for the flavor and not the heat. I served it with fluffy white rice and chicken stew. I will never allow cabbage go unused again
Awesome! Also love it with sausage . Thanks!
Where do I find your method for the scotch bonnet peppers. I would love to be able to add flavor and not heat.
Hi Ann! Do you mean scotch bonnet sauce ?
Isimeme says in the comment above that she used your method to add scotch bonnet flavor without the heat. I would like to know how to do that.
try using smoked sausage such as Conecuh or People Pleasin instead of bacon! Delicious. A New Year’s favorite.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!
What is creole seasoning??? And I love your work. Great recipes. Thank you.
Thank you!!.Creole seasoning is just a combination of spices check it out here. You can buy in most super markets sometimes known as cajun spice.
Thank you for the link! Most commercial Cajun season is too salty for me, so finding out what was in it let me make my own no-salt version (equal parts granulated garlic, ground cayenne pepper, ground ancho pepper, and black pepper).
We’re having fried cabbage for Christmas, with both duck and ham, glazed carrots, green peas, and a couple other things. Trying to make the table as colorful as the tree!
Oh WOW! That sounds Scrumptious. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. Wishing you all the best of 2018.
Love it….thank you. .
This was amazing. I’m a Italian man with a West Indian wife and I been amazing her with your recipes!! Thank you soo much. Your Amazing!!
Awesome!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me.
Hi Imma (I hope it’s ok to call you that….. I feel like you’re my kitchen big sister….lol). I was wondering if you had a recipe for the cameroonian style cabbage with egusi and meat…. I have been craving that for some reason and I’m hoping you could hook me up. Thanks 🙂
Nullacia, anything for you dear. I will have it up first week of May.And you can call me Imma anytime.
Thank you very much! Looking forward to it and I will definitely post pics to your facebook page when I try it 🙂
You got me at “15 calories”! I think cabbage is one of the most underrated veggies in the world. People think of it as “boring” still but it is so versatile! It is the most commonly used veg in Asian stir fries and I always see it in recipes in the most unexpected places. I love this stir fry idea, it’s very different to the way I usually make it so it’s a great new idea! I always have cabbage on hand (thats the other thing, it lasts for so long!) and bacon in the freezer. Creole seasoning over here isn’t so crash hot but I’m sure I can use an acceptable substitute. Honestly, I would make just this for dinner!
And I can see that adding potato would be fantastic – it would fill this out as well!
Great idea Nagi! Next time I would definitely try it with some potatoes