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Fried cabbage with bacon and onions is salty, sweet, buttery, hearty, and so delicious – this Irish inspired recipe is a huge hit for the whole family!
If you love salty, sweet, buttery, rich flavors from fried cabbage with crisp and crunchy bacon, this recipe is for you. Popular in both Irish and Southern households, this humble side dish is a nostalgic classic that is hearty and delicious – and works in a variety of low-carb diets – including keto eating plans.
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
How to Make Pan Fried Irish Cabbage with Bacon and Onions
While a lot of people think of fried cabbage as a southern dish, I also think of it as an Irish classic! This is hands down my absolute favorite cabbage and bacon recipe – super simple, easy, and delicious in just one pan – one of the most delicious dishes you can make to celebrate Saint Patricks Day!
Check out my web story about making this dish!
Fried Cabbage and Bacon Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed off: Provides the main ingredient, offering a tender and slightly sweet vegetable base.
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin: Adds a rich, fruity flavor while helping to roast the asparagus to a crisp-tender texture.
- 2 tsp garlic salt or garlic powder: Infuses the dish with a savory, garlicky flavor; garlic salt also adds extra seasoning.
- 2 tbsp lemon juice: Introduces a bright, tangy acidity that complements the asparagus and enhances its natural flavors.
- 1 tsp sea salt, Celtic (skip if using garlic salt): Season the asparagus to enhance its taste, if garlic salt is not used.
- 1 tsp pepper, fresh cracked: Adds a bit of heat and complexity with its pungent, slightly spicy flavor.
Steps to cook Cabbage with Bacon
Prep Bacon. Cut bacon into thick chunks, pan fry until crunchy. Remove from pan and set aside. Drain off most of the bacon fat – leave a little if desired for taste, but too much will give an oily texture.
Cook Onion. Add the butter to the pan on medium-high and heat until melted and foamy. Add diced onions to pan, cook until soft and transparent, about 4 minutes. Stir to prevent sticking or burning. Add garlic and cabbage to the pan, tossing evenly to coat in butter. Generously season with salt and pepper.
Reduce. Let cabbage reduce by half, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally as it cooks down to prevent burning and allow it to cook evenly. Add bacon back to pan. When cabbage has lost much of it’s volume and started to turn shiny, slightly translucent, and has lovely browned bits, it is ready to serve.
Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, three months in the freezer.
Tips and Tricks to perfect Pan Fried Cabbage
Use the right pan. We love heavy pans that conduct heat evenly and are naturally nonstick – and I personally use these Greenpans for almost every recipe. A nonstick frying pan makes this recipe simple, easy, and delicious!
Remove the Bacon. To keep your bacon chewy, crunchy, and delicious in this recipe – but still give the dish tons of bacon flavor – it is important to crisp it and then remove to the side while cabbage cooks. If you add bacon into the pan and leave it in, it can get soft and soggy – which is harder to eat, and frankly less appetizing.
Leave a bit – but not too much – bacon grease. Just be sure to leave bacon grease in the pan after removing so you can get all that smoky, meaty flavor infused into your cabbage as you cook it!
Add bacon back to pan after much of thee cabbage’s moisture has cooked off – or it will suck up the moisture from the cabbage.
Other Irish Food Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re in the mood to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with an Irish themed menu, the following recipes are some of my favorites! Try Cheesy Sausage Potatoes and Cabbage, The Best Easy Irish Brown Soda Bread Recipe, Homemade Lucky Charms Treats Recipe, The Best Irish Potato Pancakes Ever, One Pot Irish Whiskey Glazed Salmon Recipe, Irish Cream White Russian Cocktail Recipe, and Easy and Delicious Caramelized Cabbage & Onions Recipe.
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Pan Fried Cabbage with Bacon and Onions
Ingredients
- 4 strips thick cut bacon, diced
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 head cabbage, diced
- 2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp celtic sea salt
Instructions
- Cut bacon into thick chunks, pan fry until crunchy. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Drain off most of the bacon fat – leave a little if desired for taste, but too much will give an oily texture.
- Add the butter to the pan on medium-high and heat until melted and foamy.
- Add diced onions to pan, cook until soft and transparent, about 4 minutes. Stir to prevent sticking or burning.
- Add garlic and cabbage to the pan, tossing evenly to coat in butter.
- Generously season with salt and pepper.
- Let cabbage reduce by half, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally as it cooks down to prevent burning and allow it to cook evenly. Add bacon back to pan.
- When cabbage has lost much of it's volume and started to turn shiny, slightly translucent, and has lovely browned bits, it is ready to serve.
- Serve immediately.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, three months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cabbage and Bacon Recipe FAQs
Yes – you can substitute shallots for onions in this recipe if you’d prefer an earthier, more subtle flavor.
Pancetta, prosciutto, Irish-style bacon rashers, diced smoked sausage, and other salty hams will work in place of bacon in this recipe – but we love the crispy crunch of thick-cut American bacon.
Yes! Using shredded cabbage will cook your cabbage more evenly. We like the rough chopped texture, but also like the shredded texture. You can even save time by buying bags of pre-shredded cabbage.
If your bacon gives off a lot of grease, you will want to drain some off, and leave a bit for flavor. We prefer pan-frying cabbage in a primarily butter base – with a bit of bacon grease for flavor – as we find too much grease gives an overly oily texture and mouthfeel. If you prefer to pan-fry in just bacon grease and skip the butter, that is totally fine, and up to you!
Super yummy and so easy to make. Will definitely make again and again!!!
Yum! My husband loves this with a nice steak!
My family will eat anything up if it has bacon in it, haha! I know this will be a hit.
This was so delicious! It’s going to be my go-to cabbage side dish!
Hi Courtney, was wondering , when making the cabbage , onions & bacon, do you add the butter to the bacon grease? Thanks!
Hi Karen, ikr, this is years late!! 🙂 But I was thinking the same thing because it wasn’t written quite right! BUT I’ve made this several times and YES just add the butter to the bacon grease!