Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (2024)

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This bacon and cabbage recipe is quick & easy to make and only needs a handful of everyday ingredients! Serve it as-is for a low-carb meal or try it with noodles, potatoes, or rice.

Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (1)

This fried cabbage and bacon recipe was inspired by one of my readers. They left a comment on one of my other sautéed cabbage recipes (try my Easy Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry or my Sautéed Cabbage and Kielbasa), and I added it to my looong list of recipes to make for the blog. I mean you can’t go wrong with bacon, right? 😉

I love simple meals like this. You just need cabbage, bacon, onions, and that’s it, really. I add some smoked paprika and salt & pepper for extra flavor.

This recipe is quite versatile as it can be a main course or side dish.

Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (2)

Recipe notes & tips:

  • Don’t have smoked paprika? Try regular or hot paprika.
  • You could add a dash of hot sauce if you want to spice it up!
  • You can definitely add a bit of garlic in here. I recommend adding 2-3 cloves a few minutes prior to the cabbage being done so it gets a chance to cook without burning.

What to serve with this recipe?

Serve it as-is if you want it to be low-carb. This would be also be delicious with boiled or baked potatoes or rice! Want to make this into cabbage and noodles with bacon? Serve this with some egg noodles or even ramen noodles. It’s such a great inexpensive meal, and even the leftovers taste great.

Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (3)

If you’ve never had sautéed/fried cabbage, you’re in for a treat. It’s hard to describe just how yummy it is. As a girl with a Czech mom, I definitely grew up eating my fair share of cabbage.

More tasty cabbage recipes to try:

  • Kielbasa Soup
  • Cabbage Roll Soup
  • Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
  • Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl

Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (4)

Let me know if you’ve made this bacon fried cabbage!

Questions? Leave me a comment below.

Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (5)

5 from 4 votes

Bacon and Cabbage

By Natasha Bull

This bacon and cabbage recipe is quick & easy to make and only needs a handful of everyday ingredients! Serve it as-is for a low-carb meal or try it with noodles, potatoes, or rice.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 6 strips bacon cut into smaller pieces
  • 1 medium cabbage cored & chopped
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika optional
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cut the bacon into small pieces (I use kitchen shears to make this easy). Fry it in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until crispy (about 10 minutes). Once it's done, take the bacon out of the pan and leave about 2 tablespoons or so of the bacon fat in the pan.

  • Add the onion to the skillet and sauté for 3 minutes.

  • Stir in the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes (depending on how soft you want the cabbage to be).

  • Towards the last minute or two of cooking, stir in the smoked paprika and add the bacon back to the pan. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Serving size really depends on how much people eat and if you serve it with anything. Eating it as-is with nothing serves 2 people. Eating it with egg noodles or something else serves 4, and it can serve up to 6 as a side dish.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 261mg, Potassium: 491mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 346IU, Vitamin C: 85mg, Calcium: 97mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

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Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (6)

Hi! I’m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

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Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is vinegar added to cabbage? ›

Then, there is the red cabbage which tends to turn blue when cooked and so, most commonly just eaten raw. If you do want to cook it, add a touch of acid like lemon juice or vinegar to lessen the effect.

Why do you put baking soda in cabbage? ›

Baking soda does help green vegetables retain color, but it causes undesirable color changes in red cabbage—it turned blue. The science can be distilled to this: Adding baking soda to cooking water makes it slightly alkaline, which stabilizes the green color of chlorophyll.

Why add sugar to cabbage? ›

It's a matter of taste tho, of course. If you use regular bacon, turkey bacon, or beef bacon, you'll want to add a few tablespoons of oil or butter to the fat to make sure there's enough. Sugar: Plain ol' granulated sugar, the amount also to taste. It brings out the subtle, natural sweetness of Southern Fried Cabbage.

What is bacon and cabbage made of? ›

Bacon and cabbage (Irish: bagún agus cabáiste) is a dish traditionally associated with Ireland. The dish consists of sliced back bacon boiled with cabbage and potatoes. Smoked bacon is sometimes used. The dish is served with the bacon sliced, and with some of the boiling juices added.

Why do you soak cabbage before cooking? ›

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water. This also helps cut the pungent edge. Drain well before combining with other ingredients.

What does soaking cabbage in salt water do? ›

The salt will draw out excess water from cabbage while helping preserve the crispiness. After letting it sit for an hour or two, rinse it with water to remove the salt. Drain and dry the cabbage with paper towels, gently pressing to release excess water. Repeat with more paper towels as the water is absorbed.

What can I add to cabbage to reduce gas? ›

Add herbs. Adding the right herbs can also help ease digestion. A few of Cording's favorites that pair particularly well with cabbage include ginger and turmeric.

What does cooked cabbage do to your stomach? ›

It also keeps you regular, and it could help lower your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and control your blood sugar. Cabbage also has nutrients that keep the lining of your stomach and intestines strong. Its juice also can help stomach ulcers heal.

Can you overcook cabbage? ›

Yes, cabbage sizzles in stir-fries; simmers in soups, stews, and braises; adds healthy crunch to salads; and does wonders for casseroles, gratins, and meat pies — cabbage does it all, and for a bargain price. The key to cooking cabbage: Don't overcook it. Cabbage is sweet and aromatic when cooked correctly.

Should diabetics avoid cabbage? ›

Cabbage can be particularly beneficial for people with diabetes, but its high nutritional value makes it a healthy choice. This vegetable is loaded with nutrients, including vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, and folate, and it is also high in fiber.

What does pouring salt into a cabbage do? ›

The salt then draws moisture out of the cabbage's cells through osmosis, forming a salty brine. This brine is important because it submerges the cabbage and deprives the Lactobacillus and other microorganisms of oxygen – the second step!

What makes cabbage taste sweet? ›

These plants can take cool weather and some say they are sweeter after a frost has dusted their leaves. This is because as the temperatures drop, the cold causes the plants to break down the energy and convert it into sugar, leading to a sweeter, tastier flavor.

What is a full Irish breakfast? ›

All full Irish breakfasts include some or all of the following: Bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and perhaps some cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash or a bubble and squeak. There will also be toast, butter, marmalade, and lots of tea to drink.

What is Irish bacon? ›

Irish bacon is traditionally made from the back of the pig as opposed to the pork belly commonly used in American bacon. In this sense it is more similar to Canadian bacon; both Canadian and Irish bacon are referred to as back bacon but the Irish variety has more fat and often cut into a round shape.

What are the health benefits of cabbage and bacon? ›

What are the health benefits of Simply cook savoy cabbage and bacon? This simple side is packed with vitamin K for your blood, bones, arteries and cells. Try adding some finely chopped onions and a little garlic powder for a sweeter flavour.

What happens when vinegar is added to cabbage juice? ›

The cabbage juice is called an indicator because it can tell you the pH of a solution based on the color that it changes. The vinegar will turn the cabbage juice red because it is an acid (acetic acid). The baking soda will turn the cabbage juice greenish-yellow because it is a base (sodium bicarbonate).

Will adding vinegar to cabbage during cooking make it turn blue? ›

Before cooking, remove any tired or discoloured leaves and always cook red cabbage with a little vinegar. This preserves the beautiful purple colour – without it, the cabbage will turn blue!

What happens when you add vinegar to red cabbage? ›

When cooked in an alkaline liquid like water, red cabbage turns blue. Adding vinegar, lemon juice, or another acid helps the cabbage to retain its red-purple color.

Is cabbage in vinegar healthy? ›

Chockful of nutrients

Red cabbage offers another bonus: It's rich in natural pigments called anthocyanins, which new research suggests may help boost insulin production and lower blood sugar levels. Finally, cabbage is often prepared with vinegar, which can help lower the GL of your whole meal.

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