Steamed Cabbage with Bacon
Steamed Cabbage with Bacon brings back so many memories of eating Sunday lunches at my in-laws’ house as my kids were growing up. Such a warm and home-y dish! Super easy and quick to put together. And also a great side dish for ham, chicken, or pork chops. It is a go-to recipe of mine in the fall and winter months or anytime I want a quick side. A quick side that tastes like it has been cooking all day!
One thing to remember is you need to start with a large lidded saute pan or skillet with medium sides. Chop the head of cabbage into bite sized pieces. Don’t be alarmed that the cabbage initially seems to overflow out of the pan. Just smush it down with the lid — it will shrink down as it cooks.
Another tip is when softening the onions. You can turn the pan off after cooking the bacon as the pan will have enough heat to soften the onions up nicely. You will want to stir the onion as it is softening to scrape up all that salty smokiness of the bacon that is in the bottom of the pan. This will infuse those flavors into the onion.
The bacon, onion and the little bit of chicken base add such flavor to this cabbage. A word about chicken base…it adds such richness and depth of flavor to so many dishes. Whether adding to vegetables (which I do regularly) to using in soups, stews and sauces, it is a staple in my kitchen. The brand I use is Better than Buillion and they have all different flavors. Highly recommended!
Steamed Cabbage with Bacon–minimal ingredient list, minimal time and effort, yet a delicious result? Count me in!
Steamed Cabbage with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage cut into bite sized pieces
- 5-6 slices bacon
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 1 teaspoon chicken base I use Better Than Buillion brand
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- parsley flakes for serving
Instructions
- Place cut cabbage pieces into large colander and rinse well. It is ok for it to have a bit of water on the pieces when you add to the pan.
- Cook the bacon strips in the bottom of a large lidded saute pan or skillet with medium sides. Remove bacon when done and drain on paper towels, crumble when cool. Then turn the pan off before adding the onion to the pan. The pan will have enough residual heat to soften the onion. While the onion is softening up, be sure to scrape all of the brown bacon bits off of the bottom of the pan.
- Remove onion from pan onto a plate and set aside. Place the cabbage into the pan, sprinkle with black pepper and add water and chicken base. I dot the chicken base along the top and sides of the cabbage. Cook for about 3 minutes. The cabbage will start to shrink down as it cooks. Stir occasionally to make sure all the pieces of the cabbage get heat.
- Now add the onions to the cabbage. Cook on medium high to high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring a good bit to distribute heat evenly throughout.
- Then turn heat off and cover. Let sit for 15 minutes with tight lid on and heat off. After 15 minutes, take cover off and stir. The cabbage should be softened. If not done completely you can turn heat back and cook until done.
- Before serving, sprinkle the cabbage with the crumbled bacon and some parsley. Can also serve with cayenne pepper, if desired. Enjoy!