Southern Fried Cabbage With Bacon
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This Southern fried cabbage with bacon recipe will become an instant favorite from the very first bite. It’s simple, easy, and tastes oh-so-good!
I’m going to start this post by letting you know, in the interest of full disclosure, that while the recipe I am bringing you today serves about four or five people (give or take), I ate every blessed bit of this Southern fried cabbage recipe all by myself. So yes, it’s both a stellar side dish and a great main if you’re like me and dearly love cabbage in all forms. Raw, boiled, fried, and even sauerkraut. In fact, there would have been a lot more in this dish had I not eaten so much of it raw while I was chopping it. Out of all the ways I eat cabbage though, this is the absolute best in my eyes.
Before we dive into this Southern fried cabbage recipe, I just wanted to mention you shouldn’t let the “fried” part of this recipe scare you off. Some folks hear “fried” in relation to Southern soul food and they automatically think of vats of oil. In reality, we just don’t like to use fancy words like sauteed cabbage.
We first cook our bacon until it’s deliciously crispy, then we “fry” the cabbage and bacon in the bacon grease. Another thing about Southern cooking… we know just how tasty bacon grease is and use it all the time! Cook the cabbage until it’s as tender as you like, season with salt and pepper, and serve. This is such a simple but scrumptious Southern side dish using minimal ingredients (my favorite). I’ve included serving suggestions below, but as I said, I won’t tell if you follow in my footsteps and eat a big bowl for lunch.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cabbage
- Bacon
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Southern Fried Cabbage With Bacon
Chop your cabbage up however you like to chop your cabbage up.
Personally, I do mine in medium-sized pieces but some people prefer larger or smaller, whatever cranks yer tractor! I have to quit chopping at this point because the longer I chop the more I eat and I want to have some leftovers to actually cook.
The instructions begin with my favorite sentence in the world: “First, you fry you up some bacon…”.
Anytime a recipe starts with that instead of “cooking the bacon”, you know it’s gonna be good!
So yes, fry your bacon in a skillet until it’s nice and crispy.
Next, remove the bacon from the cast iron skillet and place the strips on a paper towel-lined plate.
Then spoon out all of the except for about two tablespoons.
If you’re using turkey bacon, add in about two tablespoons of olive oil instead.
Place all of your cabbage back in the skillet.
Crumble the crispy bacon and add that, too.
Stir up the and a bit and cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to low and cover the skillet.
Continue to until it’s as tender as you like it. This is usually between 5 to 10 minutes, but feel free to “fry” it for up to 30 minutes.
When it gets as tender as you like it to be (or when you just can’t wait any longer), the final step is to add salt and black pepper to taste.
Then you’re ready to dig into your Southern fried cabbage with bacon!
Enjoy!
Storage
- While fried cabbage is definitely best served fresh, you can store cooked cabbage in an airtight container in the fridge. However, it does get soggy, so I wouldn’t leave it for more than 3 days. Just make sure the cabbage is cooled before placing it in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Here are some variations to make this Southern fried cabbage recipe work for you:
- Saute 1 chopped onion (yellow, white, or sweet onion all work) with 2 minced garlic cloves before adding the cabbage.
- Fry 8 ounces (or 1 packet) of sliced mushrooms with the cabbage.
- If you like your cabbage with a kick, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or paprika.
- Add some additional herbs and spices to spice this dish up a bit. I have experimented with ginger, mustard, and a touch of honey and all were really good. Other popular fried cabbage recipes also use 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar if you want a touch of sweetness to balance out the savory.
Recipe FAQs
What goes well with Southern fried cabbage?
You can add a little protein by serving this dish with ground beef, ground turkey, or sausages. I had this as a side dish with our low-carb meatloaf and boy was it good. I’d also recommend serving it with roast chicken, grilled chicken, blackened chicken, or pork chops with another one of my favorite Southern side dishes: oven-baked mac and cheese.
What meat could I use as an alternative to bacon?
While you could use ground beef, ham, prosciutto, or smoked sausage, I’d recommend using turkey bacon instead. However, keep in mind there won’t be as much oil for the fried cabbage, so a little olive oil or butter works fine instead of bacon grease.
Can you freeze cabbage?
Yes, place leftover cabbage leaves in a sealed bag and freeze them for up to one month. It won’t be as crisp as fresh cabbage, but it still works in dishes like this one!
Ingredients
- 6 oz bacon that's about 5-6 slices, add more or less depending on your preference
- 1 cabbage head, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate and remove all of the bacon grease from the pan except for about two tablespoons (add two tablespoons of olive oil if using turkey bacon).6 oz bacon
- Place chopped cabbage in the skillet and crumble cooked bacon on top of it. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for about five minutes.1 cabbage head, chopped
- Reduce heat to low and cover. Continue cooking until the cabbage is done to your desired tenderness, which is usually about five to ten minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.salt and pepper to taste
Nutrition
You may also like these other cabbage recipes:
Sheet Pan Cabbage and Beef Tips
Chow Chow Recipe (Southern Relish)
Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples,
don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.
~Bill Meyer
What a neat post, brought back memories of momma cooking up a cast skillet of it at my brothers request, we always had bacon grease, some times we had sliced fried bacon, sometimes just bits, almost always some onions green or cooking, and once in awhile all of it along with melted butter and lemon juice, which momma thought was what went with cabbage and all cole veggies.
Just saw this on the cooking channel, a French cooking show, they did sauteed cabbage, lightly cooked in butter. Have a cabbage, so am taking the hint the universe is sending me and making this.
I enjoy some of your recipes but this particular blog entry just rubbed me the wrong way. I am a native New York City girl. Born and raised and resided in NYC until I was in my late 30s and then I moved to Charlotte, NC. I listen to more bass ackwards, foolish stereotypes of New Yorkers from southerners than I ever heard New Yorkers make about southerners. As a matter of fact, New Yorkers rarely, if ever, even comment on the south. But southerns are almost obsessed with making comments about northerners. I sincerely suggest that southern folks stop obsessing about northerners because, honestly, we hardly ever give southerners a second thought.
Thank you for your comment.:)
I love me some fried cabbage… well, actually I’m like you… I love cabbage anyway I can get it, but fried is the best… I’m making this Sunday night to go with a roasted chicken… the picture of your finished product is makin’ mah mouth wadduh… mmmmm!
Went out and got a head of cabbage today and some bacon too! This is what’s happening tomorrow! Oh yes! Can’t wait, can’t wait! Have 2 pork chops ready to cook (gonna bake those) and then it’s gonna be on like Donkey Kong! The saliva (nice word for drool) is already flowing, haha! 😀
I do love the way you walk us through these dishes Christy! Always hungry as a bear by the time I finish reading! Thanks for sharing all of this with us though. You do rock so much and we’re so lucky to have us a Christy Jordan! I know I just love ya to bits anyway ;D
As far as the Southern misconceptions go….where does one start? I find it quite hilarious at times and usually just roll with it. Hey, if everyone knew how great it is to live in the South, it’d get way too crowded down here, and who wants that? ;D
(no offense was intended to all of my non-Southern sisters and brothers. Love y’all, mean it! ;D )
LOL, I just love you Bruce!! Enjoy the Fried Cabbage and Pork Chops!! 🙂
My mother made fried cabbage this way & I do too except I sometimes add chopped onion. When I want to reduce the fat I leave out the bacon & grease & use water to steam it. I add garlic powder & onions to add flavor.
🙂
Ya’ll are starvin me to death. I’m gonna have to go get a head for supper now. I havent ever tried it with tomatoes but it sure sounds good.
I consider fried cabbage equal to fried chicken as they both contain fat which is still bad for your cholesterol.
Thank you 🙂