Looking for a simple and comforting side dish you can quickly whip up for as a side for any meal including during the holidays? This easy smothered cabbage ticks all the boxes and is ready in less than 25 minutes!
Suitable for gluten free, low carb and keto diets. Weight Watchers Points included.
Fork tender cabbage, in a creamy garlic sauce all complete with some crispy bacon…yeap, you can make this easy Smothered Cabbage recipe tonight.
This will be the go-to easy side dish that you can pull out for holidays, like Easter and Christmas, potlucks, dinners, lazy lunches, and whenever you want a no-fuss yet creative vegetable recipe.
Easy Smothered Cabbage
And with only 5 everyday ingredients, what’s not to love about this creamy cabbage dish?
Just like this easy Smothered Green Beans and garlic butter Instant Pot Red Potatoes, the best part of this recipe is you only need a handful of pantry ingredients and a few minutes of prep time in the kitchen to make.
So easy.
Why Make This Recipe
- Quick and easy – less than 25 minutes of cook time in one pot with everyday pantry ingredients. Easy cooking, easy cleanup.
- Leftovers – great for using leftover cabbage, bacon and other meats.
- Budget-friendly – made with affordable ingredients you already own.
- Serve all the ways – enjoy as-is for a simple meal, or serve as a side for various meats dishes, fish, or veggies.
- Diets – Suitable for gluten free, low carb and keto and diets.
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious recipe.
- Cabbage – For this, I suggest using regular white cabbage, but you can use savoy cabbage although the cooking time will change.
- Chicken stock – Substitute vegetable stock if you prefer.
- Seasoning – This gets some delicious flavor from garlic salt. You can use homemade or store-bought.
- Bacon – Use your leftover bacon to make this or get store-bought bacon bits.
- Shallots – Shallots are used so that this cooks quickly, but alternatively you can use finely sliced white or red onion.
- Optional – My two favorite add-ins are Creole seasoning and 1 teaspoon of minced ginger. And also add in some black pepper if you wish.
How To Make Smothered Cabbage
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet or large saucepan and sauté shallots for a couple of minutes until softened.
- Add the cabbage and a fourth of the bacon, and cook for a minute.
- Mix in garlic salt (and any other add-ins like ginger and Creole seasoning) and stock, cover, and simmer for 12 minutes (cabbage with a little bite) to 18-20 minutes (softer cabbage).
- Uncover, adjust seasonings and switch off the heat and top with the remaining bacon.
- Serve as-is for a low carb dish, or with rice or cornbread as a main dish.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the cabbage to the same size so it cooks at the same rate.
- Cook time will depend on the size of the cabbage pieces. These are 1-inch pieces and need between 12-18 minutes. Larger 2-inch pieces may need up to 25 minutes.
Delicious Variations
This smothered cabbage recipe are delicious as is, but here are a few variations to try:
- Change the meat – Use leftover ham or smoked turkey instead of bacon.
- Make it Vegan – Simply omit the bacon and use vegetable stock to make this a vegan dish.
- Add heat – some red pepper flakes, chipotle or cayenne is an easy way to add heat.
- Use different seasonings – Cajun seasoning, creole seasoning, Greek seasoning, oregano, thyme, dill, rosemary, etc.
Budget Friendly Tips
- Add extra veggies – Add in some potatoes to bulk it out as a main meal.
- Use the type of cabbage you have on hand. Just adjust cooking times.
- Feel free to double up the recipe for meal prep.
- Add extra stock and turn it into a cabbage soup.
Storage And Meal Prep
- Refrigerate – let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Don’t Freeze – I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
- Make an extra batch or two that you can use with other meals throughout the week.
- This recipe stores for 4 days, so you can eat it on the day you cook it plus 4 more days.
- Separate leftovers in single serving-sized portions, place in airtight meal prep containers and let cool completely with the lids off before sealing and storing.
- To vary it up through the week serve it up with different mains like leftover rotisserie chicken, cheesy parmesan chicken, or fish. You can also use it to bulk out leftover soups and stews.
FAQs
If you prefer to make it with sausage then simple swap out the bacon for some cooked sausage.
Adding most of the bacon at the end means that you have a nice contrast between tender cabbage and crispy bacon.
If you prefer, you can add all the bacon in along with the cabbage.
More Recipes You Might Like
- Smothered Green Beans.
- Garlic Butter Instant Pot Red Potatoes,
- Dump and Start Instant Pot Coconut Rice.
- Grilled Red Potatoes.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 3 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of this.
Tools Needed
- A handy skillet.
- A sharp knife makes cutting so much easier.
- A cutting board.
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Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu
Get The Smothered Cabbage Recipe
How To Make Smothered Cabbage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 6 small shallots or one small onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 head cabbage cored, cut into 1-inch pieces, and washed
- garlic salt to taste
- 6 slices cooked bacon cut into pieces
- 1 cup (236ml) chicken stock
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet or large saucepan over medium heat, add in shallots and sauté for a couple of minutes until softened.
- Add the cabbage and a fourth of the bacon and cook for a minute.
- Mix in the garlic salt (and any adds in like ginger and creole seasoning) and stock, cover and simmer for 12 minutes (to have cabbage with a little bite) to 18-20 minutes (for softer cabbage).
- Uncover, adjust seasonings as needed. Then switch off the heat and top with the remaining bacon.
- Serve as is for a low carb dish, or with rice or cornbread as a main dish.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Cut the cabbage to the same size so it cooks at the same rate.
- Cook time will depend on the size of the cabbage pieces. These are 1-inch pieces and need between 12-18 minutes. Larger 2-inch pieces may need up to 25 minutes.
Delicious Variations
This smothered cabbage recipe are delicious as is, but here are a few variations to try:- Change the meat – Use leftover ham or smoked turkey instead.
- Make it Vegan – Simply omit the bacon and use vegetable stock to make this a vegan dish.
- Add heat – Red pepper flakes, chipotle or cayenne is an easy way to add heat.
- Use different seasonings – Cajun seasoning, creole seasoning, Greek seasoning, oregano, thyme, dill, rosemary, etc.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Add extra veggies – Add in some potatoes to bulk it out as a main meal.
- Use the type of cabbage you have on hand. Just adjust cooking times.
- Feel free to double up the recipe for meal prep.
Storage And Meal Prep
- Refrigerate – let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Don’t Freeze – I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
- Make an extra batch or two that you can use with other meals throughout the week.
- This recipe stores for 4 days, so you can eat it on the day you cook it plus 4 more days.
- Separate leftovers in single serving-sized portions, place in airtight meal prep containers and let cool completely with the lids off before sealing and storing.
- To vary it up through the week serve it up with different mains like leftover rotisserie chicken, cheesy parmesan chicken, or fish. You can also use it to bulk out leftover soups and stews.
Chenée
This is a perfect side dish for family dinners — so smoky and flavorful! And it’s Keto!! So glad I found this recipe!
Julia
I love eating cabbage, so glad I found another way how to prepare it.
Brianna
The smokiness of the bacon is perfect with this cabbage.
Irina
I am falling in love with your recipe. This cabbage meal seems so light and easy to make. I will definitely give it a try! Thanks.
Jon
It was great! Thank you!!❤