A simple recipe for cabbage cooked the Southern way by sautéing in bacon grease then slowly cooking until tender - sometimes called Fried Cabbage.
JUMP TO RECIPESome people crave stuff like chocolate or potato chips. I crave stuff like cabbage or coconut pie.
I can prove this by telling you that when Husband went to the kitchen for a snack last night he came back with a bag of chips and some thin mint cookies. When I went to the kitchen for a snack I came back with the leftover cabbage from supper.
Then he told me I was gross and I told him I was the one with a healthy colon.
I posted an unofficial survey on the facebook page asking what people called this dish. We just always called it “cooked cabbage.” If someone told me they were serving cabbage, this is what it meant to me.
Most folks responded saying they called this either cooked cabbage or fried cabbage.
This “frying” method is really just sautéing it in a little fat then covering with a lid so the water that’s released from the cabbage can steam it. This is also exactly how I cook collard greens (and mustard or turnip greens).
If you like cabbage, you HAVE GOT to try these recipes:
Braised Pork & Cabbage - A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.
Cabbage Stew - An easy, hearty stew recipe made with cabbage, smoked sausage or kielbasa and potatoes.
Cabbage Roll Skillet Meal - All the goodness of cabbage rolls without precooking the rice or parboiling the cabbage in this one-pan deconstructed cabbage roll skillet recipe.
Recipe for Southern Cooked Cabbage
Southern Cooked Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage
- 3-4 tablespoons bacon grease
- Salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup chicken broth or water (possibly)
Instructions
- Cut the head of cabbage into quarters and remove the core from each section. Chop cabbage into 1” pieces then set aside.
- Heat bacon grease in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage then toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté cabbage for about 10 minutes.
- At this point your cabbage should start releasing some of its water. If it doesn't, and your pan is mostly dry, add chicken broth or water then stir.
- Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium-low then continue cooking cabbage, stirring occasionally, for approximately 30 minutes or to your preferred tenderness.
Notes
Substitute vegetable oil for bacon grease if necessary then ask the Lord for forgiveness for throwing away your bacon grease.
Love this recipe, I also add about a Tbs. of sugar to it. Gives it a just a hint of sweetness, very yummo!!!
ReplyDeleteI also make mine with a bit of sugar when I add the water, salt and pepper! This is one of my daughter's favorite comfort foods, which is unusual for a 19 year old to like cabbage at all these days..lol! She and I can sit and polish off a whole pan full of this!
DeleteSame here I add a little brown sugar , an eat it with some sweet corn bread it's YuMMy
DeleteNow add some onion and home made egg noodles , you'll have a plate of heaven.
ReplyDeleteI like to chop a medium onion, seems to bring out the sweetness of the cabbage. Try coconut oil for a different and healthier oil - a scant tablespoon full will do it.
ReplyDeleteBill Clay
cabbage freak.
I find that if I use Vidallia onions there is no need for anything else, as they are naturally sweet.
DeleteI do this with onion and smoked sausage. Add a pan of cornbread and you got supper at my house! lol
ReplyDeleteKaren
Had this exact same meal last night with the addition of home made baby lima beans to go with the cabbage and corn bread. Yummy!!
DeleteI get teased all the time because most of my recipes involve bacon grease! Apparently I am the only person in my circle of friends that keeps a mug of bacon grease in my refrigerator! Certainly must be a southern thing! I adore fried cabbage. I start it frying in the pan with the bacon grease, do the steaming thing with the lid and then I sprinkle on a tiny bit of sugar and fried it again. It gets a pretty brown and tastes like heaven!
ReplyDeleteAt my house, we store bacon grease by pouring it in and ice tray and letting it harden and then pop it out and store it in a freezer bag in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea....so smart!! Remember the grease can our moms and grandmother kept on the stove.....lol
DeleteLove that!!
DeleteVery good idea.
DeleteDee
Good idea.AND adding noodles to the cabbage you have a Slovak dish which is amazing .
DeleteMy mama used salt pork and a little bacon grease. Always wondered what it was called because she used to call it smothered cabbage which just confused everyone. Sooo good. I like the smoked sausage and onion idea. My cousin some times adds green bell pepper but he also has too much liquid. Craving it now.
ReplyDeleteI call that steamed cabbage.
ReplyDeleteIf I cut it in thinner strips and saute it in a little butter, I call that fried cabbage.
Either way... I call it delicious!
Where's th bacon?
ReplyDeleteI've always called that cabbage. All this time when I hear someone say fried cabbage I picture cabbage lightly breaded and fried LOL! Anyways I just found your site and it's amazing. I love to cook - grew up in Dothan, AL.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing missing in this recipe is a little vinegar :)
I saw your comment you grew up in Dothan, AL. I grew up in Cottonwood. Small world. Love fried cabbage. Mom made them with bacon grease and onions. Yummmmly.
DeleteI cut bacon up & fry that along with cabbage, onion & sometimes fresh mushrooms, I've never added any liquid & it's soooo good! I also fry bacon with my burger when I make goulash, makes a great flavor change!
ReplyDeleteI usually fry bacon and onion with it! Great side dish.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great recipe for delicious but simple fried cabbage, love it!
DeleteCall me crazy, but I"m not sure what you mean by substitute vegetable for bacon grease? Could you explain that?
ReplyDeleteUse vegetable oil instead of bacon grease💗
Deletehad this 2 nights ago, with pierogi and kielbasa ~ almost as good as laying on a beach somewhere warm:)
ReplyDeleteDo you make your own pierogi? I just learned how recently and it’s so easy!
DeleteThe only thing I omit is the chicken broth/water. I add to it some sugar and apple cider vinegar:))) Really, really good!
ReplyDeleteGonna try this, I love apple cider vinegar.
DeleteI can't use the bacon grease so I use unflavored coconut oil instead and throw in a few slices of jalapeno for a little heat.
ReplyDeletei use the maple bacon that way the it has it natural sugar and another dish is just vinegar and cabbage
ReplyDeleteI love stir fried cabbage. Most of my family like it "boiled" but I find that flavorless. I pretty much use your recipe but I do sprinkle in a bit of sugar. I also use the bacon fat that I reserve and refrigerate when I fry out bacon. The bacon I use in this dish is the "real" bacon bits that I keep as a pantry staple. Really yummy.
ReplyDeleteAdd bacon and some sauerkraut and bake it covered for an hour and you have a dish called Kapusta.
ReplyDeleteWhat type of cabbage is preferred by most..Savoy or White?
ReplyDeleteMy cabage comes out tough. Help!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by “tough”? Not cooked enough, as in not tender? I usually cover my pan with the lid and turn the heat down so it’s just barely bubbling. On *my* stove, that’s usually one notch above the lowest setting. But I’ve used other stoves where I had to bring the heat up higher first, and then lower it. The other problem could be you got an old head of cabbage at the store. Be sure it looks fresh (bright green).
DeleteWe call that fried or smothered cabbage add some sliced onion. Sometimes in a crockpot with a little left over ham too.
ReplyDeleteI could eat a huge pan of fried Cabbage..I love this stuff so much...Great recipe too!!!
ReplyDelete