How to Make Fried Cabbage with Bacon

Winter is definitely cabbage season – which is fine with me because that means it’s fried cabbage with bacon season as well!

There is nothing at all to this recipe, which is a Southern American classic dish, and everybody loves it – always.

Fried Cabbage with Bacon

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 8 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 small to medium sized white cabbage, about 1 pound, sliced (remove the core)
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Fried Cabbage and Bacon Cooking Instructions

1. Heat your largest frying pan over medium and add your chopped bacon to the pan. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it has released some fat and it’s about halfway cooked.
2. At this point, add in the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and the bacon is well cooked – between 5 and 10 minutes.
3. Toss the minced garlic into the pan with the onions and the bacon and cook it, stirring, for about 20 seconds, and then immediately pile in all the sliced cabbage.
4. Cook the cabbage, turning and stirring it occasionally until it has softened to your liking, about 15 minutes. Some people like the cabbage meltingly tender for this recipe, while I prefer a little bite to mine. If you want it very soft, after about 10 minutes of uncovered cooking, turn the heat down to low, add a couple of spoonfuls of water to the pan and then cover. After about 20 minutes, the cabbage will be very tender.
5. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Make sure to salt this well - as this last step is a make-or-break moment to the success of this. Start with about 1/2 tsp and taste and salt more as necessary.
   

Delicious, foolproof, beginner friendly and so so good.

Notes

A little heat can also work well in this dish, so if you like spicy food, try adding ½ tsp -1 tsp of cayenne pepper to the dish with the salt and pepper.

Although, this is traditionally made with a plane Jane white cabbage, you can also use a Nappa cabbage or Savoy or any other cabbage here with good results.

Although this will work very well in just about any kind of fry pan, the high sides and even heat of a heavy cast iron skillet make it just about perfect for the job. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you should think hard about getting one. They're cheap, they last a lifetime and they work better for frying than just about anything else!