Fried Cabbage Recipe
It took a while for cabbage to catch on, but it seems like this humble, hearty vegetable is finally becoming popular for use beyond sour kraut, borscht, and to accompany corned beef on St. Patrick's Day. So why is cabbage getting its due?
Chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge says: "It's getting so popular and I think this is because it's very cheap, last ages in your fridge, and is so versatile. You can fry it, boil, steam it, and even ferment it." Once you start cooking with cabbage, it will soon become a fridge staple like carrots or onions that you'll find yourself working into all sorts of dishes and that you'll miss if you ever run out of it.
One cabbage dish you absolutely have to make? This fried cabbage recipe. It might just change the way you see your daily dose of vegetables.
Gather your ingredients to make this fried cabbage
One of the best things about this quick and easy fried cabbage recipe is that the ingredients are all so fridge-, shelf-, or freezer-stable, so you can really make it any time. (That freezer part relates to the bacon, for the record: Frozen pre-cooked bacon re-heats quite well.)
All you need is four cups of shredded cabbage (which is about half a medium cabbage), two tablespoons of butter, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of chili flakes, a tablespoon of chopped parsley, and four slices of bacon, chopped.
Chop your veggies (and bacon) for your fried cabbage
Rinse and dry the cabbage for your fried cabbage, then cut the full head of cabbage in half and remove the stalk. Now, place the cabbage face-down on a cutting board and slice it vertically into thin strips. Now, go ahead and chop the parsley into rather fine pieces and chop the bacon into bits.
You can always use store-bought bacon bits if you prefer, and you can enjoy the recipe in vegetarian-friendly fashion with imitation bacon bits. (And to make it vegan, just swap in a substitute for the butter—it will all still taste great.)
Fry the cabbage
Once all your fried cabbage ingredients are chopped and ready, place the butter in a pan on the stove over medium heat. Once the butter has heated up and melted down, place the sliced cabbage in the pan and begin stirring. Turn down the heat to low-medium and stir every two minutes for about ten minutes.
After ten minutes, the cabbage would have wilted slightly and softened. But don't get hung up on the exact timing here—it's not going to be notably overcooked or undercooked so long as you keep it moving now and then. "This recipe is so easy," Olayinka says, "any cook level can enjoy it."
Add the rest of the ingredients to your fried cabbage dish
Once the cabbage has softened and wilted down some, sprinkle into the pan the salt, the chili flakes, the chopped parsley, and the chopped bacon. Stir for a further minute over low heat, then turn off the stove and place your finished fried cabbage in a serving dish.
This side serves great with roasted meats, ribs, cornbread, on hotdogs, and even in wraps and sandwiches. And if you have a bit of extra cabbage left over, Olayinka says: "To reheat [fried cabbage], you do so in a fry pan with no added oil. Microwaving will make it soggy."
- 4 cups of shredded cabbage (about half a medium cabbage)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
- 4 slices of bacon (chopped)
- Cut the cabbage in half and remove the stalk, then place the cabbage face down and slice vertically into thin strips.
- Place butter in a medium heated pan, and once it has heated, place the sliced cabbage into the pan and begin stirring.
- Turn down the heat to low-medium heat and stir every 2 minutes for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, the cabbage would have wilted slightly and softened. Sprinkle into the pan the salt, chili flakes, chopped parsley, and chopped bacon
- Stir for a further minute and place in a serving dish. This fried cabbage serves great with roasted meat, ribs, cornbread, hotdogs, and even in wraps.
| Calories per Serving | 190 |
| Total Fat | 17.3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7.5 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 34.4 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 4.5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 2.6 g |
| Sodium | 249.6 mg |
| Protein | 4.6 g |
