Humble cabbage is elevated to “wow” status with the simple addition of butter, a little bacon and onion. Just a few ingredients and about 15 minutes is all you need to make this comforting side dish. Or hey, top it with an egg and you have a healthy, delightful breakfast!
The brilliance of cabbage is so under-appreciated. It’s a super-delicious, super-nutritious and totally versatile vegetable that keeps for a LONG time in the fridge (especially if you peel off the leaves as you use it). In this time when we’re all hiding in our homes from COVID 19, it’s probably one of the best fresh veggies you can have on hand.
And, given that cabbage is also incidentally one of the staples for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, it’s absolutely the perfect thing to be enjoying this year! (Assuming you have all these ingredients on hand … please DON’T rush out to the store to get them.)
I first made butter-braised cabbage years ago to go with my corned beef and bacon mashed potatoes and I totally fell in love. I didn’t think I liked cabbage that much, but I discovered I had no idea how good cabbage could taste.
And then I discovered Colcannon and my love for cabbage was renewed with a vengeance. Cabbage not only adds a little welcome crunch to mashed potatoes, it also adds a nice flavor and color. (And of course bacon always makes things better …)
While I’m still one of the biggest colcannon lovers on the planet (I’ve also made a purple potato version of colcannon … and then a low-carb cauliflower kale version of the beloved Irish dish) , I also love simple butter braised cabbage without the mash. This time (inspired by colcannon), I decided to add a bit of bacon to my braised cabbage, and when I tasted it, I kinda wanted to sing. Just one strip of bacon, some Irish butter, a bit of onion and that brilliant cabbage, sprinkled with salt & pepper. I know my kids will want some mashed potatoes, but THIS is what I’m eating with our corned venison this year!
(Yes, we have corned venison … my dad makes it from the deer that he and mom hunt and gifts it to us. I’m sending wishes to keep him and all of us safe from coronavirus. My parents are taking precautions and staying home, as are we, but please please ALL of you practice social distancing as much as your life/job allows, until they can get this virus under control. In the meantime, let’s have some good food at home!)
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Irish Butter & Bacon Braised Cabbage
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 2 – 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
Humble cabbage is elevated to “wow” status with the simple addition of butter, a little bacon and onion. Just a few ingredients and about 15 minutes is all you need to make this comforting side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 Tablespoons Irish butter
- 1 – 2 slices bacon
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 4 cups chopped cabbage
- Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and bacon to the pan, then the red onion. Cook for several minutes, until the butter is soft and translucent.
- Use tongs to remove the strips of bacon, then chop them into small bits and add them back into the pan. Add the cabbage and gently stir to mix the cabbage with the butter, onions and bacon.
- Cover and cook, uncovering periodically to stir, until the cabbage is tender yet still crunchy in spots. Sprinkle with salt & freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
© Copyright 2020, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. I love it when you share, but please do not use my images on your own site/page without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. Sharing, pinning, and tweeting is always appreciated as long as the shares and pins link back to here for the recipe. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Nutrition
- Calories: 92
- Carbohydrates: 6.8 g
- Fiber: 2,4 g
- Protein: 3 g
Keywords: Cabbage, Bacon, Heart healthy, Gluten free
Nutrition facts are calculated with 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter and 1 strip of bacon.
2 comments
You probably know, but some readers do not, that “Corned Beef and Cabbage” is not a true Irish dish. Cabbage and Bacon IS traditional, but the Irish used “back bacon”, which isn’t always that easy to obtain here in the states. When the Irish Immigrants arrived in New York, they couldn’t find “back bacon”, but corned beef was readily available and became a cheap alternative. Personally, I love everything “cabbage”. Your recipe is one that I also make, and occasionally, I will serve it over egg noodles! Yum!
[…] I always try to find a new Irish recipe to share with you. Everyone else seems to be reveling in corned beef and cabbage and I’ve totally done that, too, but I wanted to try something different. And hey, also did […]