Fried Cabbage with Bacon & Onions

Friday 31 March 2017


I have always loved fried cabbage.  I first had it when I was in high school.  We cooked it in our Home Economics Class. It was just fried cabbage and it was mixed with buttered noodles.  

I fell in love with it then, and I have loved it ever since. It is a dish my family also loved through the years and something a few of them still make, if not all, the older ones at any rate.


My sister pinned this version the other day and from the moment I saw it I wanted to cook it.  It comes from a blog called Cakes Cottage

Admittedly, I immediately fall in love with anything that involves cabbage.  Raw, cooked and everything in between, if cabbage is involved I am there!


I thought that the addition of bacon sounded quite tasty.  The cabbage and onions actually get sauteed in the bacon drippings.  Cabbage and bacon?  Count me in!!

I have to say that here in the UK, we have amazing bacon. Our bacon is very lean.  Even the streaky bacon, so I added a touch of olive oil when it came time to sauteeing the cabbage.


I added 1 medium carrot, which I chopped into bits, for colour and for sweetness.  Carrots are another one of my favourite vegetables.  They help you to see in the dark. Its true, my mother told me that and as we know mom's don't lie! 

You could also add some other vegetables if you wanted to. But it was nice with just the cabbage, onion and carrot. I do think that possibly julienned runner beans would also be very nice, but then again,  I also love runner beans!


I was going to toss it with some fried pierogi, but I didn't have any made, so Todd enjoyed his with some leftover ham and a baked potato leftover from the other day.  

Can't you just imagine however, how very delicious this would be tossed together with some fried potato and cheese pierogi?  I know!  Fabulous! 



After I had served his up I thought to myself I don't want a baked potato or leftover ham with mine.  I fancy some noodles.  

Cabbage and noodles truly are a marriage made in heaven.  Big fat egg noodles, or skinny noodles. Rice noodles, or udon noodles.  Any noodle in fact! 


On its own however, this is fabulously tasty no matter what you choose to enjoy with it.  Rich and salty and earthy.  I think it is the earthy quality of cabbage that draws me in the most. I can never get enough of it. 

I could eat this with a spoon. I could eat a huge plate of this and have nothing else and be in heaven. I could just eat and eat this forever.  In fact if I could only bring one thing to eat to a desert island, it would be this. I love it that much!

Fried Cabbage with Bacon & Onions

Print
Fried Cabbage with Bacon & Onions
Yield: 4
Author: Marie Rayner
Borrowed from a blog called CakesCottage.  Quick and easy and delicious.  I added a bit of something myself and I think my additions were fabulous, so do see the note at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 6 rashers of streaky bacon
  • 1 large brown onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 medium head of white cabbage, trimmed, cored and sliced
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
  • The following to taste:
  • salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder, paprika
  • a knob of butter (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Heat a skillet and then cook the bacon rashers over medium heat until just crisp. remove and set aside on paper kitchen towelling to drain. Crumble and keep warm.
  2. Add the onion and carrot to the bacon drippings. (Over here our bacon is very lean so there wasn't many. If you find that is the case, add a small splash of olive or rapeseed oil.) Cook, stirring to soften. when it begins to caramelize somewhat add the garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant. Add the cabbage. Cook, tossing and stirring, until the cabbage begins to soften. Season to taste with the seasonings. Add 60ml (1/4 cup) of water and cover. Cook and steam over low heat until the cabbage has softened. Stir in the bacon crumbles. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. If desired stir in a nob of butter. Serve hot.

notes:

What I did:

The cabbage was very good on its own and my husband enjoyed.  Once I had served him his (as a side dish) I added a splash of dark soy sauce, a splash of mirin, about 1 TBS of hoisin sauce and a pack of Udon noodles, and tossed all together, heating it all through.  It was fabulous. Quite simply fabulous.  Nummo!
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This is how I enjoyed mine on the day. With big fat Udon noodles and a splash of soy sauce. It was incredibly yummy! 


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36 comments

  1. Sounds delish and love your new blog layout :)

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    1. Thanks Vicky! It's very much a work in progress! I like the less busy but I miss some other things! xo

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    2. I use 2 bads of coleslaw mix when I make it.

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    1. I do too Monique! I could eat it til it comes out my ears! Cooked or raw! Although at my tender age now, raw doesn't always agree with my insides! xo

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  3. Haluski! That is the Polish dish made with cabbage and noodles. I use Fettuccini or egg noodles. I also either add bacon or Kielbasa. A good addition instead of a carrot is a green apple, peeled and sliced. I like the new layout! Much easier to read.

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    1. I am sure that is what my Home Ec Teacher taught us all those years ago Raquel! Delicious! Thanks for your comment re the blog! xo

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  4. Oh yum! This is definitely going on my "To cook" list. We love cabbage and I often make your lovely cabbage and noodles dish from many years ago, as well as the egg roll stir fry you posted last year. I have a nice cabbage pancake dish I'll send to you if you like.

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    1. You won't be sorry Marie. It's fabulous! I would love the recipe for your cabbage pancakes! Sounds like heaven! xo

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  5. my grandma used to make it too and i make it also but we use rinced off saurkraut n start it off with frying up some sausage then add the onions and when that is pretty much cooked u add the saurkraut it gives it a unique taste especially with my homemade saurkraut enjoy i sure do

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    1. We are great sauerkraut lovers in this house Jackie. My grandfather and cousins and sister all make it from scratch also. I keep saying I am going to, but haven't just yet! xo

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    2. This sounds delicious but what is "streaky" bacon? I'm here in the US and we don't use that term.

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    3. Karen, we have two types of bacon over here. Back bacon which is like a very thin bacon "Chop." and Streaky bacon which is like regular American style bacon, cut from the belly with a nice line of fat interspersed with meat. Hope this helps!

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  6. Thanks, I make the same recipe, bacon,onions, celery, garlic sautéed, add in the cabbage and toss to get the flavour of the bacon drippings then I open a can of diced tomatoes and pour in it is so delicious, simmer for about 5 mins and serve

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  7. This dish sounds scrumptious. I can't wait to give it a try. I bet my dad would love this too. I think your idea about adding perogies was brilliant. It's a shame you didn't have any. Here in the US, at least in the general area where I live and to the north which in 2 hours you get into Lancaster County known for being heavily populated with Amish and Mennonites and also began with a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. Over this greater area it is tradition to have in some form or another on New Year's Day for good luck cabbage and pork. In my family we have something called Hog Maw served with a very finely shredded cole slaw with a creamy dressing, the cole slaw is our preferred form of cabbage for the day. Hog Maw is one of those dishes that each family has their own special way
    of preparing it even though its all based on the same thing. Basically like each Italian has their own marinara recipe or meat ball recipe and in the UK I would imagine each family has their own scones or Christmas pudding or a steak and kidney pie. There are no two alike within a 50 mile radius. Some families put cabbage in their hog maw, some corn, some both. Our is only sausage, potatoes and onions. Anyway, a very good friend of mine who lived about an hour above Pittsburgh had a big New Year's party every year until her divorce about 5 years ago. Every year I would make the 4 hour drive and stay about a week or so. The first year I noticed a big crock pot bubbling away on the kitchen table and wondered what was in it. It was a big pot of sauerkraut and pork. Well that's pretty normal although my family never had it on New Year's Eve. Well of course at midnight after everyone clinks their glasses it's time to eat again. NOW its time for the traditional pork and cabbage. The way it works is you eat pork so you have good health all year and cabbage so you have money all year. About 20 minutes before everyone was eating again I noticed Donna's mother pouring in a couple of boxes of frozen perogies. Before my GF days I LOVED to make those these quite a lot from frozen ones from the supermarket. For a premade frozen item they were extremely good and for a single working woman they were very convenient. And hey, they were pockets of dough with mashed potatoes and maybe cheese. Now how could they NOT be yummy I ask you. When I tried those which had defrosted and heated through in that pork and sauerkraut I could NOT believe how delicious they were. (I really should stop talking about these, I'm making myself VERY hungry for them and I can't have them.) I don't know if you have a similar produce frozen in the UK but if you do, definitely give them a try in this dish one day AND with any sauerkraut you make.

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    1. I will try that Pam! I do love a good perogie and I adore sauerkraut! xoxo

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  8. I followed the recipe and it was very quick and very good! I will definitely cook this again!

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    1. I am happy this was enjoyed Jerry. Thank you for taking the time to let us know!

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  9. I've made this with pork sausage and butter. Add to Kloski egg noodle and pepper heavily. Tastes great!

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    1. Oh that sounds wonderful. I wish I could get the egg noodles over here. I miss egg noodles! xo

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  10. Wow! I just found your site. This caught my eye immediately. I'm a Southern girl from Alabama and grew up eating cabbage with bacon, but this takes it to a new level. I showed the pic to my husband and he said, "I need a grocery list of what you need to make this!" Gonna make homemade cornbread and kielbasa to go along with it. The second time I make it I will add the Chinese ingredients and fry wonton to go with that. Love your site!

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    1. I love the idea of enjoying Kielbasa and cornbread along with this. Thanks for your ovely comment! I think cabbage is a very underrated vegetable! It is one of my favourites, cooked, raw and everything in between! xo

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  11. I dearly love cabbage anyway it's fixed!I make mine with some bacon,salt pork,(shhh)onions and chicken broth if needed. Also noodles added or potatoes and carrots, just lots of ways. I cook whatever I have available in my pantry! I have a small cabbage right now ready for me and will do it tmrw!I love interaction with other cooks to see what they're doing. I love your recipe and glad I found your site!

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    1. Thanks very much! I am always happy to make a new friend, especially of the cooking kind! xoxo

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  12. Easy recipe with really tasty results.

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  13. This was so good! Than you for a great recipe!

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    1. I am so pleased you enjoyed it Annie. You are welcome!

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  14. I am so glad that I found your website (I was searching for GBBO things.) There isn't a recipe that I have seen that I wouldn't eat, and that is saying a lot. I can be quite the picky eater if there's a lot of the newer healthy food items. I love old fashioned foods with a twist. I also love anything British too.

    I do have one problem with your site though...which recipe am I going to make first?

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    1. Thank you very much for your very kind comment! It is indeed a labor of love for me. I love and miss living in the UK so very much. It has been a great tradition coming back to North America, but I still have the same goal and that is to introduce everyone to the deliciousness that is British cooking! It is hard to decide which recipe to make first I agree! xo

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  15. Thanks for sharing this Fried Cabbage with Bacon & Onions, amazing ones .

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  16. must try ham, cabbage, & carrots in beef broth cooked in a pot. It's a New England dish and a full meal. I call it a one pot meal and I just chunk the ham, wedge the cabbage and use the little carrots or chunk the carrots and season with salt and pepper to taste. so delicious!!! cook till tender! I mash the potatoes on my plate and add butter and put some of the broth over them and eat with the ham and carrots.

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    1. That does sound delicious Edie and exactly how I would enjoy eating it too! xo

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