Cabbage and Bacon
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An easy recipe for cabbage and bacon, ready on your table in 30 minutes from start to finish. This tasty side dish pairs perfectly with pork, but can also be enjoyed with other meats or mixed with noodles and turned into a casserole!
It is similar to the Irish cabbage and bacon recipe, so if you are looking for St. Patrick’s Day recipes, this can be one of them.
How to make cabbage and bacon
First, start with frying the bacon until crispy or to your liking. Then, add minced onion and saute everything for a few minutes before deglazing the pot with a little stock.
Now, you could omit this step, but it’s better doing so. If you don’t want to buy stock for this, use just water.
Then, add the rest of the ingredients: sliced cabbage, salt, caraway seeds, pepper, herbs de Provence and bay leaves. Make sure to give everything a good mix.
Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted and soft (or to your liking) and you are ready to serve!
Helpful tips
- Use any bacon you like – because I used pre-cut pancetta strips it does not mean, you have to use it too. Buy what is available in your local store and what you like. You can cut it yourself – into chunks or strips or anything really. The same goes for frying – if you like it more crispy, let it brown longer. Just remember that some brands contain way too much salt so if not sure, try to season this bacon and cabbage side dish at the very end.
- Instead of vegetable/chicken stock or broth you can use water.
- Caraway seeds give this easy side dish a distinctive flavor. It’s the way my mom makes it, so I do too. By omitting them you might lose a lot of flavor.
- Herbs de Provence can be substituted with a teaspoon of oregano, a teaspoon of basil and a teaspoon of thyme.
Cabbage is not only an inexpensive vegetable but also pretty versatile. If you like this white cabbage and bacon recipe and looking for more ideas where to use this cruciferous vegetable, I have a few cabbage recipe ideas for you:
You can turn it into a side dish (Have you tried braised red cabbage), an easy camping recipe (Cabbage and sausage foil packets are our favorites) or proper dinner (My stuffed cabbage rolls made in instant pot are so good and easy to make).
Cabbage and Bacon
Ingredients
- ½ pound pancetta (200 grams), see note 1
- 1 onion , minced
- ½ cup vegetable stock , see note 2
- 2 pounds white cabbage , chopped (900 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt , see note 3
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence , see note 4
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot, fry the pancetta (any bacon) until brown. Then, add minced onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Pour in stock and deglaze the pot by scraping off any pieces stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- When done, add chopped cabbage, salt, caraway seeds, pepper, herbs de Provence and bay leaves. Give everything a good mix. Cover with lid and cook on low until the cabbage is soft (or to your liking), about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- I usually use pancetta that comes ready-sliced, which saves me time. You can use any bacon you like and cut it yourself into strips. You should not need any oil, but if you have a very lean bacon and you see oil is needed, add a little bit.
- If you don’t have vegetable stock on hand, you can use chicken stock/broth or water instead.
- I highly recommend using less salt at first and only add at the very end after you have tasted it. The reason is that different bacon and stock brands contain different levels of sodium. Some more than others, so this way you avoid over-seasoning.
- Herbs de Provence can be substituted with a teaspoon of oregano, a teaspoon of basil and a teaspoon of thyme.
This recipe looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it! I’ve been looking for new ways to try cabbage, and I never thought of pairing it with bacon. Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome, Brittany! Enjoy! :)
This has my mouth watering, what a delicious side dish! Cabbage and bacon always makes a great combination.
Right? :)
This is a great idea for a side dish. I love there is no dressing needed it all just comes together nicely! So much flavor!
Thank you!
Looks like such a fun and delicious side!
Thanks, Katie!
This looks so good I can almost taste it. I love caraway, so that makes this a must try for me and I like the suggestion of adding noodles so I think I’ll give that a go this week!
That’s good to hear!
The caraway seeds added to this dish give it such an amazing flavor! This was the perfect change in our normal dinner routine.
Yay! :)