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Southern Fried Cabbage

Southern fried cabbage with bacon and sweet onion, cooked in a cast iron skillet until tender and golden-edged. Black pepper and red pepper flakes add warmth as the cabbage caramelizes with a little sugar and finishes with apple cider vinegar.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

bacon
  • 6 slices bacon chopped
yellow onion
  • 1 medium yellow onion sliced
green cabbage
  • 1 medium head green cabbage cored and chopped
garlic
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
butter
  • 2 tbsp butter
salt
  • 1 tsp salt
black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
sugar
  • 1 tsp sugar
apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the bacon and aromatics
  1. Add chopped bacon to a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp; remove and leave the drippings in the pan.
  2. Add the sliced onion to the drippings and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until softened; stir in the minced garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Fry the cabbage
  1. Add chopped green cabbage along with butter, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and sugar, stirring to coat the cabbage.
  2. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and caramelized at the edges; keep an eye on browning to avoid burning.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in apple cider vinegar and then fold in the crispy bacon, heating for 30-60 seconds until warmed through.
  2. Serve warm directly from the skillet, showing golden caramelized edges and bacon bits on top.

Notes

For the best “fried” texture, avoid stirring too frequently after the cabbage goes in—stir occasionally so edges can brown. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Freezing is not recommended because cabbage texture softens. For a lower-fat swap, use turkey bacon and reduce the butter to 1 tbsp while keeping the same seasonings.