This Bacon Braised Cabbage is a quick and easy vegetable side dish to make with a hearty dinner. Full of flavor from the caramelized cabbage, it's perfect for winter.
Remove outer leaves from cabbage, then cut into quarters. Remove stem and roughly dice. Wash to remove any debris, then drain well.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until browned.
Add cabbage and stir to coat in fat, then increase heat to medium-high. Once pan is sizzling hot, add salt and cumin (if using), then deglaze with your liquid of choice. Stir well, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Reduce heat to medium and cook cabbage for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Stir a few times, adding more liquid as needed (cabbage should caramelize and brown lightly, so do not add too much liquid - but don't let the pan completely dry out either, else the cabbage will burn).
Once cabbage is tender, check for seasoning and serve hot.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Cabbage: I like Savoy cabbage best, because it has so much texture and a great flavor. White cabbage can also be used. I do not recommend using red cabbage in this recipe – I prefer red cabbage in combination with a different flavor profile.
Bacon: I used thick-cut, diced bacon. If you’re using thin-cut bacon, it may get a little lost in the cabbage, but the flavor will still be there.
Cumin: My husband always adds some cumin when he cooks white cabbage, to aid with digestion. I don’t know if it works, ha! But I like the flavor it adds. Please skip this if you don’t like cumin, because it will ruin the dish for you.
Water: Feel free to use chicken broth for more flavor in place of the water. I also frequently use white wine or a blonde beer in place of the water, which adds even more interest and depth. My children don’t like it with beer though, so be mindful of this if you’re feeding little ones.
Recipe tips
Roughly dicing the cabbage is perfectly fine for braising. Do not slice it into thin slivers, or the dish will come out mushy.
If you don’t want to use the bacon, feel free to add an additional tablespoon or two of butter instead.
You really want to get that caramelization going. Do not add too much liquid to the pan as the cabbage cooks. Only add a few tablespoons of extra liquid if the cabbage/pan start burning and scorching.
I recommend serving the cabbage steaming hot right out of the skillet. Cooled down cabbage is really not that amazing in taste if you ask me, so I prefer to get this on the table and eaten as soon as it’s ready.