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A speedy 10-minute side dish, Fried Cabbage With Bacon is a delicious and fast recipe that everyone will love! This bacon-fried cabbage is sure to become a family favorite.

a grey bowl with bacon fried cabbage and a fork.
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This fried cabbage with bacon comes together in about 10-15 minutes, which makes it perfect for a busy weeknight. The cabbage takes on an almost sweet flavor and pairs perfectly with the salty bacon.

This side dish is easy and wickedly affordable to make. But tell everyone it took forever so that they are impressed by you.

This recipe is similar to Southern fried cabbage in that it contains cabbage, bacon, and onion. Southern fried cabbage also usually includes red pepper flakes, vinegar and/or mustard.

But we’re changing things up by adding chopped celery and a little splash of sesame oil.

bacon, celery, onion, sesame oil, and cabbage on a white background.

How to Meal Prep Bacon Fried Cabbage

If you practice the incredibly hip art of meal prep, you can shred/cut the cabbage ahead of time. Also, you’d be the smartest person ever if you were to bake a batch of bacon over the weekend to use in this recipe.

Save any leftover cabbage to make Air Fryer Cabbage, Air Fryer Egg Rolls, or Sriracha Tempeh Bowls.

Variations

  • Green cabbage works best but you can use red cabbage if that’s what you have in the fridge.
  • To make this vegetarian/vegan, leave out the bacon or use your favorite plant-based bacon.
  • A small pinch of red pepper flakes adds some delicious heat to this fried cabbage recipe.
  • If you don’t eat pork, make this recipe with turkey bacon. Related: Air Fryer Turkey Bacon.

How Do You Cut Cabbage For Frying?

I’m a big fan of cutting vegetables how you prefer to eat them! You’ll see in the photos that I did a rough chop of the cabbage.

You could also cut it into ribbons so that the cabbage cooks faster, or even use prechopped cabbage from the produce section.

2 photos showing the process of making fried cabbage in a skillet.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • I prefer using a cast iron skillet for this recipe, but any heavy-duty skillet will do.
  • If you prefer your fried cabbage more “al dente” with a bit of crunch, cook for 5-7 minutes. If you want the cabbage fall apart tender, cook for 15 minutes.
  • Fried cabbage will keep in the fridge for 2-4 days in an air-tight container. Reheat in the microwave for 1 minute or on the stovetop in a skillet for 3-4 minutes.
  • To freeze: allow cabbage to fully cool and place in an air-tight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours.
a spoonful of sautéed cabbage and bacon hovering over a black bowl.

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS

One serving has 4 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.

5 from 9 ratings

Fried Cabbage With Bacon

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
a grey bowl with bacon fried cabbage and a fork.
A speedy 10-minute side dish, fried cabbage with bacon is a delicious and fast recipe that everyone will love! This bacon-fried cabbage is sure to become a family favorite.

Ingredients 

  • 4 strips bacon {roughly chopped}
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup onion {sliced}
  • 1/2 cup celery {~2 stalks, thinly sliced}
  • 3 cups green cabbage {roughly chopped or shredded}
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
  • Add bacon, stirring frequently until all pieces are about 75% cooked through.
    4 strips bacon
  • Remove excess grease with a spoon.
  • Add sesame oil, onion, celery, and cabbage and saute for ~4-10 minutes, or until the cabbage has softened and is starting to reduce in volume.
    2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 cup onion, 1/2 cup celery, 3 cups green cabbage
  • Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
    salt and pepper to taste

Notes

  • To make this a speedier weeknight side dish, pre-slice the cabbage, celery, onion, and bacon ahead of time.
  • In step 2 above, if you’re using precooked bacon, heat in the skillet enough for the bacon to warm through.
  • If you prefer your fried cabbage more “al dente” with a bit of crunch, cook for 5-7 minutes. If you want the cabbage fall apart tender, cook for 15 minutes.
  • Keep in the fridge for 2-4 days in an air-tight container. Reheat in the microwave for 1 minute or on the stovetop in a skillet for 3-4 minutes.
  • To freeze: allow cabbage to fully cool and place in an air-tight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 182mgPotassium: 308mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 43.1mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Fusion
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

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34 Comments

  1. I have been looking for ways to find joy each day to help counteract the less than positive news reports during the pandemic. Trying this recipe out was pure joy. It was the star of the show of our St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Sorry, not sorry, corned beef. Thanks for the delicious recipe, Sarah!5 stars

  2. This was amazing!  I thought it sounded great, but my husband had concerns – he doesn’t like onions.  He said he didn’t even notice the onions and he kept going back for more!  I will definitely make this again and again.  Thanks!5 stars

    1. Who-hoo, so glad you both liked it Brenda!! It’s so dang simple and tasty.

      As an aside, not liking onions would make me so sad!

  3. I made this recipe but added precooked, sliced turkey kielbasa for a complete, one pot meal in about 15 minutes. Delicious! 🙂5 stars

  4. I saved a half head of cabbage leftover from our (early) Jiggs dinner just for this recipe! Haven’t made this since last March-can’t wait!5 stars

  5. I made this tonight after visiting an old school butcher on a road trip. Bought perfectly cut bacon and followed your recipe…freaking awesome! Oh and while I was making this I also followed your instructions and baked a pan of bacon for tomorrows breakfast. Thank you!5 stars

    1. Look at you meal planning like a ninja Myra! Glad you enjoyed it. And how cool is it you found an old school butcher?

  6. We just made this today with a spare head of cabbage that got lost in the fridge post St. Patrick’s Day. It turned out great! The ratio of bacon to cabbage is the key. We had made a dish similar to this before but didn’t quite achieve the excellent outcome, until now! We also cut the cabbage and onion into smaller pieces so the onions carmelized and the cabbage became one with the bacon. 

    Delicious. Will be having this again!5 stars

    1. So glad to hear you three liked it Erin! Bacon is king in most dishes and I’m glad you all nailed the ratio.

  7. “Cabbage. Onion. Bacon. Those are not first date foods. Those are “I’ve seen you when you have the stomach flu and I still love you” foods.”

    ….and this is why I love your blog. I even read the whole dang thing and I like cabbage as much as you like mayo!

  8. I just made almost the same dish this past weekend. Instead of leaving it crunchy, I cooked it until the cabbage was soft, browned and sweet. So good! I am pinning your version to try it a new way.