Southern Fried Cabbage With Bacon
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
Video
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
YUUUMMM!!! I loooove fried cabbage, and I’m like you Christy, anything that starts with bacon is bound to be good! 🙂 Thanks for posting, even the simplest ones of all! 🙂 Your such a blessing! Hope you have a great day!
God Bless,
Vickie
oh Vickie thank you so much for just the affirmation I need! Sometimes I think about posting a recipe and I think to myself “thats too simple, maybe I shouldn’t post it” and those are usually the ones that are the best received! I’m learning that if I like it, and it is technically a recipe, no matter how simple it is other folks seem to like it too.
I hope you know that you are truly a blessing to me as well.
Gratefully,
Christy
I’m from the Midwest and love your site for southern cookin…..nothing is to simple….keep it coming!
Thankful,
Sandy
I reckon I am late in getting to this recipe…but I am a true Southern gal…you just cannot beat fried cabbage! I will eat cabbage in almost every way…cannot seem to take to the sauerkraut…and I haven’t found anyone’s fried cabbage I cannot eat…unless they just destroy all semblance of cabbage by overcooking! There ain’t nothing better than some good ole fried cabbage and a hunk of yellow cornbread that has been cooked with that crispy bottom and sides…mmmmm mmm! My, just makes my mouth water thinking about it! Tain’t no one can cook greens the way folks down here in the South do it….you ain’t had better when you get some of their greens and cornbread either!
PREACH It, Sharon!!!! Girl you KNOW what you’re talking about!
Gratefully,
Christy
Fried cabbage with ketchup is the way our family enjoys this dish.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who likes a little food with my ketchup!
PS from Susan, i do add a splash of vinegar at the end too. usually like the mild rice wine vnegar but even apple cider is good. the earlier post about the fancy champaign vinegar…. i have gotten it before in stores like TJ Max & such and it is delicious for salads. when you make salads with it people will ask for your recipe. so i agree, it is fabulous but you don’t usually find it in reg grocery stores. I have used low salt chicken broth in place of water if i am out of Better than bullion base. its another “secret” ing. that makes yr recipes tasty.
This is like what i make too. even the kids will eat it, i put in a Tbs of brown sugar and some of the “Better than bullion” b/c its not too salty. then finish with some smart balance. i like to “wrap” my drained bacon skillet* in saran to save a day or two, after cooling it & removing most grease, but lots of brown bits remaining. so its lot o flavor to cook cabbage or vegs in. . Cabbage is the first food i remember sitting on my grandma’s lab & eating with some corn bread mushed in it….. southern babyfood. *the skillet i use is one of those cast iron but coated blue skillets. works great for saving the browned bacon. Go Christy! up to her shoulders in kids 🙂 that is the important part.
This looks so good! I love cabbage in any form too. Why is it so tasty?
Dear Christy
Of course all Americans are rich and live in mansions! I know this because I watch films which tell me this……………………lol
I’ve also watched a programme on the Telly about “cribs” and they are enormous houses – nothing to do with babies at all…………hahaha
~giggles~ And all Brits are descended from royalty and live in castles. I think I will have my servants book me a trip to go visit you in your castle, do you happen to have an extra throne I can sit on and can I borrow one of your diamond tiaras?
hehehe
I just love you to bits Sue! I need to send you some cake mix one of these days!
Gratefully,
christy