Smothered cabbage makes a quick and hearty low-carb side or main dish.
Smoky bacon, diced ham, onions, and zesty seasonings come together in this smothered cabbage recipe to create a Cajun-style dish that’s packed with flavor.
Become Obsessed with This Smothered Cabbage Recipe Because…
- One-pot comfort meals are easy to make, easy to clean up, and even easier to reheat and enjoy all week long.
- Southern-style Cajun seasoning adds flavor balance to the salty ham and bacon, caramelized onions, and mild cabbage.
- Bigger families can appreciate this budget-friendly recipe that’s perfect for using up leftover meats and veggies.
Everything You Need to Make Smothered Cabbage
Cabbage: Look for a firm green cabbage and remove any outer leaves that are torn or discolored.
Pork: Bacon and diced ham are the savory, smoky components in this recipe, making cabbage into a delicious comfort food dish.
Seasonings: This DIY Cajun seasoning levels up all your soul-food recipes and can adjust the ingredients to make it as mild or spicy as you like!
Tasty Tweaks
Add some chopped spinach, collard greens, celery, or shredded Brussels sprouts for more color and texture if desired. Omit the meat for your favorite plant-based alternatives (be sure it’s keto!), tofu, or seitan.
Savoy cabbage or Bok Choy can be added or used in place of regular cabbage. And you can use other meats like sliced smoked sausage, chicken, Italian sausage, or chorizo if you like.
You can also go with a simple garlic herb blend if the rest of the menu calls for it, or add garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper in place of creole seasoning.
How to Make Smothered Cabbage
- Cook bacon until crisp and set it aside to drain.
- Cook onion, cabbage, water, ham, bacon, and salt and pepper until cabbage is softened.
- Add butter and Cajun seasoning (recipe below).
- Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Game-Changing Tips
- Cut cabbage into even sizes so it cooks properly.
- Chopped cabbage can be fried first to make the edges crispy if you like.
- Don’t worry if it seems the cabbage doesn’t fit in your Dutch oven, it will cook down considerably.
Delicious Do-Overs
Keep leftover smothered cabbage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze in zippered bags for up to 3 months. Use leftovers in turkey stuffed peppers or add to a hearty hamburger soup.
Low-Carb Cabbage Creations
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Smothered Cabbage
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 1 large head of cabbage chopped in 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup water
- 4 ounces smoked ham diced
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon cajun seasoning or seasoning of your choice
- splash of apple cider vinegar optional
- In a dutch oven, add the bacon and cook over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and remove the fat leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pot. Crumble the bacon once cooled.
- Add the onion to the bacon fat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in the cabbage, ½ cup water, ham, bacon, ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper.
- Cover and let simmer over medium low heat until the cabbage is starting to soften, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid, stir in the butter and cajun seasoning and simmer uncovered for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.
- Add a very small splash of apple cider vinegar and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Fry the cabbage first to make the edges crispy if desired.
- Cut cabbage into even sizes so it cooks evenly.
- If chopped cabbage doesn’t all fit in the pot at once, keep adding it gradually as the cabbage in the pot cooks down.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in zippered bags for up to 3 months.
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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