Fried Cabbage and Bacon Slaw ~ this warm bacon coleslaw has won our hearts this summer, and I have a feeling it’s going to win yours too. Simple ingredients, fried up in a little bacon grease, and you’ve got a crazy good side that will improve on every darn thing you eat this summer. Put it alongside, over, under…doesn’t matter, forks are gonna fly with this one!
how to fry up slaw
- First cook a package of bacon until crisp, and reserve the grease.
- Then, in some of that reserved grease (how much of that grease is up to you and your conscience) fry up a thinly sliced onion, shredded cabbage and a little carrot for color.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and you’ve got a fabulous warm slaw that goes with everything.
Frying cabbage not only softens it a bit, but brings out the flavor and sweetness of this healthy veg ~ yum!
what to serve with fried coleslaw?
I don’t want to micromanage, but I highly suggest grilling up some brats to go along with. Any type of sausage, really. It works as a side with any type of grilled meat or poultry. And be sure to top any leftovers with a couple of fried eggs.
I think slaws are definitely under-appreciated for how easy they are to throw together, and how versatile they are. If you’re still stuck in the green salad from a bag rut, check out my Five Slaws You Need in Your Life This Summer for some ideas to get you started. Slaws are bright, crunchy, and incredibly healthy (bacon notwithstanding) whether they’re made with cabbage, onions, Brussels sprouts, kale, or a whole rainbow of veggies.
picture me hopping up and down and hyperventilating
…that’ll give you an idea of how absurdly good this warm slaw is. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
But it isn’t something I recommend making every week ~ bacon is most definitely not good for us. But as a special occasion treat this is quite delicious, so maybe once or twice a summer? How about start with today?
more slaws to try ~
- Creamy Buttermilk Coleslaw
- Asian Slaw
- Favorite Vinegar Coleslaw Recipe
- Five Slaws You Need in Your Life This Summer
- Broccoli Honeycrisp Slaw
- Vibrant Winter Slaw with Citrus Vinaigrette
- Sweet Vidalia Onion Slaw
Fried Cabbage and Bacon Slaw
Ingredients
- 12 ounces smoked bacon
- 1 small head green cabbage outer leaves removed and cored
- 1 small yellow onion peeled, halved, and thinly sliced.
- 1 medium carrot peeled and cut in small dice
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crisp, and drain. Reserve the grease, and crumble the bacon.
- Halve or quarter the cabbage and shred it finely.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease and sauté the onion and carrot for a few minutes until softened. Add 2 to 3 more tablespoons of grease, and add the shredded cabbage along with half of the cooked bacon, and stir fry until the cabbage starts to brighten in color, turn glossy, and soften. This will only take a few minutes, but you can customize your slaw by cooking it a little less or more than this.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the slaw hot or warm, topped with the rest of the crumbled bacon.
- Leftover slaw stored in the refrigerator will stiffen due to the bacon grease. Bring the slaw to room temperature or heat it briefly in the microwave or in a frying pan before serving.
Nutrition
Make it your own ~
- Make it tangy ~ the flavor is amazing as is, but you can, if you like, hit the slaw with a little vinegar at the end of cooking. This gives it a nice tang.
- Make it with other meats ~ a reader in the comments below suggests using leftover corned beef, and you could also use ham, pancetta, or sausage.
- Make it with red cabbage ~ I haven’t tried but I think it would be delish.
- Make it with classic coleslaw spices ~ a reader in the comments below suggests adding some celery seed. You could also use onion and garlic powder, or a little mustard. I think caraway seeds would be nice, too.
56 Comments
Betty J Lutzow
July 28, 2022 at 7:36 pmExcellent! It was gone faster than everything else I cooked with it. Very good to use up my extra coleslaw mix I made.
Trish
April 6, 2022 at 11:30 amAdd some traditional coleslaw dressing… a little vinegar and sugar…and it’s even better. It’s like German Potato salad!
Phyllis
October 21, 2021 at 5:16 pmI made this with dinner tonight and we loved it! Easy to make and very tasty, even though I’m not usually a big fan of cooked cabbage. Thanks!
Berni
July 9, 2021 at 10:36 amI had a friend when I was a teen from Hawaii and her mom used to make this, it was delish! She added celery seeds to hers. I forgot all about this until your post!
Lois Carter Crawford
July 9, 2021 at 7:41 amHello! This sounds delicious (because BACON). So you are calling fried slaw because you undercook it a bit?
We make fried cabbage all the time with various ingredients. In fact, we had it yesterday with chicken/apple sausages, onion, a little sugar, pepper and apple cider vinegar.
Sue Moran
July 9, 2021 at 7:45 amYes, I suppose so, I don’t cook it until it’s limp, I want to maintain the crunch factor!
Cynthia
July 9, 2021 at 6:27 amThis isn’t a new thing in the south.We have done this forever.We just call it fried cabbage.LOL And yes it is soooo good.
Jamie
July 9, 2021 at 5:40 amI live in the south. We call this comfort food. This is a meal when using ham, sausage or corned beef. Delicious!
Sue Moran
July 9, 2021 at 5:47 amPure comfort!!
Arlena
April 2, 2020 at 10:03 pmWith shortages at stores my hubby had brought home a bag of coleslaw mix and I was going to make a lazy egg roll type recipe then I saw yours much easier and more to my hubby’s bacon loving pallet! My youngest son loved it too! I used turkey sausage I had in freezer and added celery and an orange pepper for added crunch ! It was a hit! Was good alone without sausage. Thank you for this recipe.
Deb Ness
November 25, 2019 at 12:47 pmHi, can this be made cold, without frying?? Sorry, I am guessing it changes everything but really need some input here as I want to be able to throw it together in a hotel because I will be traveling without a cooler. Thanks!
Sue Moran
July 9, 2021 at 4:51 amCheck out my other slaw recipes for ideas, Deb, just search coleslaw on my site and you’ll find lots of inspiration for cold slaws.
Michal Marshall
October 5, 2019 at 7:11 pmWish you had the nutritional information for the fried cabbage. It is yummy.
Sue Moran
July 9, 2021 at 4:52 amThat’s been added 🙂