This fried cabbage and sausage recipe is comfort food at its best. Tender chunks of sweet cabbage and slices of savory sausage are lightly cooked in a seasoned broth and ready to enjoy in minutes.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Savory and sweet in every bite. Cabbage and onions get sweeter as they fry, balancing out the smoky richness of the sausage.
- Difficulty: Fried cabbage and sausage cook quickly in one pan, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights.
- Budget Tip: With cabbage as the foundation, you couldn’t ask for a more budget-friendly recipe.
Savory Ingredients
- Cabbage: Choose heads that are free of torn or discolored leaves and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Mix and match with purple cabbage for more color, if desired.
- Sausage: Smoked sausage brings big flavor to this recipe. Look for robust sausages like Polish kielbasa, Andouille, Italian sausage, or any variety of summer sausage.
Your Skillet, Your Style
Bulk up fried cabbage and sausage by tossing in a bag of frozen diced potatoes or any mixed medley of vegetables. No need to thaw, just increase the amount of chicken broth. This is also a great recipe for using up leftover veggies like mushrooms, peas, celery, or zucchini.
How to Prep and Cut Sausage:
- Slice sausage with casing on to keep it juicy.
- Remove outer leaves.
- Cut into wedges, trim core.
- Chop or slice as needed.
How to Make Fried Cabbage and Sausage
- Brown sliced sausages in a large skillet and set aside.
- Sauté onion and stir in remaining ingredients (full recipe below).
- Add sausage back to the skillet and heat through. Season and serve hot.
Shortcut Skillet Tips
- For uniform pieces of cabbage, cut the cabbage into 4 pieces and remove the core. Then cut each piece in half (optional) and slice the cabbage into smaller pieces.
- Use precooked sausage and a bag of coleslaw mix for quicker meal prep.
- Cut each piece into a uniform size so they cook at the same rate and keep them in their casings.
- Be sure to add extra cooking time for sausages that aren’t pre-cooked.
Second Day Sizzles
- Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze in zippered bags for up to 4 weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat on the stovetop or place them in a casserole dish covered with foil in the oven.
Delicious Side Dishes
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Fried Cabbage and Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 12 ounces smoked sausage sliced
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ head cabbage chopped, approx. 6-7 cups
- ½ cup chicken broth not low sodium
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook sausages in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a large saucepan until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and onion and cook over medium heat until tender.
- Stir in cabbage, broth, and garlic. Cook uncovered until cabbage is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the sausage back to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Season as desired.
Notes
- How To Prep Cabbage:
- Remove wilted or damaged outer leaves.
- Slicing through the stem, cut cabbage into four or eight pieces then remove the hard inner core.
- Chop or cut into smaller pieces with a sharp knife.
- Slice sausage with the casings on to ensure the meat stays juicy and intact.
- Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days and freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 4 weeks.
- Reheat on the stovetop, covered with foil in the oven, or quickly in the microwave.
- Add leftovers to other recipes if possible.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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