Braised Cabbage Recipe with Bacon for a Rich Savoury Side Dish to Almost Any Main
This braised cabbage recipe with bacon makes a rich savoury side dish to almost any main course. My baboushka served this traditional side with meatballs, chicken cutlets, pork chops, and roast chicken. For sharing-style family feasts, braised cabbage and bacon complimented baba’s beetroot and potato salads, cabbage rolls, dumplings, and garden salads. It also served as a filling for Ukrainian-style varenyky. While easy to make, the longer and slower you cook it, the richer it tastes.
Servings: 6
Calories: 194kcal
Ingredients
- 300 g white cabbage shredded
- 300 g purple cabbage shredded
- 2 tsp of salt
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large brown onion diced
- 1 large carrot grated
- 4 smoky bacon rashers sliced into small strips
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh dill roughly chopped
Instructions
- Transfer the shredded cabbage to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over it, combine it with clean hands, then set it aside.
- In a large round flat-bottomed wok, frying pan or skillet over medium heat, heat two tablespoons of olive oil, then fried the diced onion for a few minutes until soft, add the grated carrot, combine and fry for a few minutes more, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick and burn.
- When the onion is translucent and fragrant, transfer the onion and carrot to the same bowl as the cabbage and combine, and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the wok, frying pan or skillet, and fry the bacon strips until cooked, then turn the heat down to low.
- Add the tomato paste, another teaspoon of salt, the white pepper, sugar, paprika, allspice, cumin, and bay leaves to the fried bacon, and combine well, then add another tablespoon of olive oil, then the cabbage, onion and carrot, and combine well.
- Increase the heat to medium and stir frequently until the white cabbage starts to brown. If needed, add a little water, stir to combine, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and allow to braise for 30 minutes or so, monitoring and stirring occasionally until the cabbage is tender.
- Remove the lid, taste, and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate, then continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so with the lid off until any liquid has reduced, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick and burn, until the braised cabbage is soft, rich and aromatic.
- When it’s ready remove from the heat, stir in a tablespoon of chopped fresh dill, and transfer to a serving bowl. If you have other dishes to prepare, you can keep it warm in a lidded casserole dish in the oven or set aside to cool, refrigerate, and re-heat later. It will taste fantastic for a few days.
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 926mg | Potassium: 352mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2833IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg