A quick and easy side dish, Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon checks all of the boxes. It’s flavorful, budget-friendly, kid-approved, and family-friendly. Full of crisp-tender cabbage, smoky bacon and onion, it’s a true expression of Southern goodness and the ultimate in comfort food.
You may be more familiar with Irish Cabbage if you are not from the South, and I have a little secret. They are the same thing; yes, the South and Ireland share a love for cabbage. Traditional Irish recipes have you boiling the cabbage with bacon, and then it is typically served with corned beef, especially on St. Patrick’s Day.
Raw cabbage is crunchy and has a peppery bite, and it is most well known as the main ingredient in coleslaw. But when it’s cooked, it morphs into a mild-flavored, crisp vegetable that rivals its cruciferous vegetable cousins, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and collard greens, in taste. Like all cruciferous vegetables, cabbage also features sulfur-containing compounds, which means it has a pungent smell when cooking.
Watch the video below where I walk you through every step of this recipe, and be sure to check out my tips too!
Here’s what you will need:
- Fresh green cabbage – is the star of this show. If by chance you have eaten cooked cabbage before and didn’t like it, most likely it was overcooked and mushy. Try this recipe and see if it doesn’t make a believer out of you. This recipe calls for green cabbage, which is the most common variety. Other varieties include purple, Savoy, and Napa.
- Sweet onion – melts into the cabbage and gives it a sweet mellow flavor.
- Bacon – let’s be real; how can a dish cooked in bacon grease and topped with bacon not be good?
- Seasonings – include kosher salt, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. These old-standbys enhance the flavors and make them pop.
- Brown sugar – adds just a touch of sweetness.
Here’s how to make it:
- Cut the bacon into bite-size pieces and add it to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
- Cook the bacon, frequently stirring, for about 10 minutes or until it is brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan and let it drain on paper towels. Set the bacon aside but leave the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Add the onion to the skillet and let it cook, frequently stirring, for about five minutes or until it is soft and translucent.
- While the onion is cooking, take the cabbage and cut it in half, then into quarters. Cut the core out and slice the cabbage into ribbons, then into bite-size pieces.
- When the onion is done, add the cabbage to the skillet. If it all doesn’t fit, wait a minute or two and it will shrink, and you should have room to add the rest. Stir to coat with the bacon grease and let it cook frequently stirring for five to seven minutes. At five minutes, taste it to see if you like the consistency. If it’s still too crisp, let it cook for another minute or so.
- Add the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and brown sugar. Stir to combine and then top with the cooked bacon.
- Serve immediately.
Frequently asked questions:
Although Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon pairs beautifully with beef or chicken, I usually serve it with a pork main dish: Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs, Reverse Seared Pork Steaks on the Grill, or Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze.
Look for cabbage heads that are heavy for their size and free of blemishes. They should be compact and with tightly packed leaves. When you get it home, remove any wilted leaves and store the head in a plastic bag in your refrigerator crisper for up to two weeks. Once you cut it, you should use it within a few days.
Leftovers can be stored covered in your refrigerator for up to four days. I do not recommend freezing it.
Cabbage by itself is very low in carbs, as is bacon. If you are on a low-carb or keto diet, leave out the brown sugar.
Fried cabbage is best made and eaten immediately. However, if you want to partially make it ahead, you could prep or cut up the cabbage, onion, and bacon. You could also cook the bacon and then the onion an hour or so ahead. I would leave the onion in the skillet and then add the cabbage and the rest of the ingredients and cook as directed.
Sharon’s tips:
- I like my cabbage crisp and never cook it longer than six minutes. You can cook it a minute or so longer if you like but don’t overcook it, or it will be mushy.
- If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, skip the bacon and cook the cabbage in two to three tablespoons of butter.
- To ramp up the flavor a bit, add a dash of Cajun or Creole seasoning.
- A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or non-stick skillet works best for this dish.
- You can use either regular or thick-sliced bacon in this recipe. Thicker bacon will take longer to cook and crisp up.
- If you have them, leftovers can be combined with mashed potatoes to make Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish.
More Southern side dish recipes:
If you like this recipe, I think you might also like these Southern side dish favorites:
- Southern Collard Greens
- Southern Black-Eyed Peas
- Southern Fried Sweet Corn
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Southern-Style Creamed Corn
If you need more recipes or menu ideas, check out all of my Southern-style recipes at this link.
★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 green cabbage medium size, about two pounds
- 6 slices bacon
- ⅓ cup onion minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into bite-size pieces and add it to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon, frequently stirring, for about 10 minutes or until it is brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan and let it drain on paper towels. Set the bacon aside but leave the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Add the onion to the skillet and let it cook, frequently stirring, for about five minutes or until it is soft and translucent.
- While the onion is cooking, take the cabbage and cut it in half, then into quarters. Cut the core out and slice the cabbage into thin ribbons, then into bite-size pieces.
- When the onion is done, add the cabbage to the skillet. If it all doesn’t fit, wait a minute or two and it will shrink, and you should have room to add the rest. Stir to coat with the bacon grease and let it cook frequently stirring for five to seven minutes. At five minutes, taste it to see if you like the consistency. If it’s still too crisp, let it cook for another minute or so.
- Add the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and brown sugar. Stir to combine and then top with the cooked bacon. Serve immediately.
Have you used frozen cabbage. I have frozen cabbage
I have never tried this recipe with frozen cabbage. I’m not sure how freezing would affect the texture of the cabbage.