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!
what you’ll need for warm cabbage and bacon slaw
This is a mercifully short list (I know you’re hungry!)
- green cabbage
- onion
- carrot
- smoked bacon
- salt and pepper
how to fry up slaw
Frying cabbage not only softens it a bit, but brings out the flavor and sweetness of this healthy veg ~ yum!
- 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.
what to serve with fried cabbage and bacon slaw?
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 cabbage and bacon 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
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Fried Cabbage and Bacon Slaw
Video
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.
It needs some seasoning in my opinion, but it’s still satisfying.
I think it can go either way, Chris…the combination of ingredients are simple and comforting, with the bacon bringing the majority of the flavor, but I can see it also working with a bit of spicing up.
Oh my goodness, I could probably eat that whole plate. And yes, from a good Wisconsin German girl, brats would be PERFECT with this 🙂
You and me, Chris…and I’m an honorary Wisconsin girl since my daughter now lives there, so I can relate!
I love this stuff! It’s very similar to what I’ve called Formosan fried cabbage. I add maybe a tsp of toasted sesame oil as I fry the cabbage, and serve on top of rice, with soy sauce to pass. I like the sound of the vinegar though; that will be a nice twist.
That’s fascinating Beth, because I didn’t think of it as Asian, but you’re so right, it does work that way too. I’m a huge fan of sesame oil.
Great idea Beth, your suggestion just sold me. I am making some tonight. And thank you Sue for all of your wonderful recipes. I wish I had your job.
I need to get cabbage on my menu more often. And in my belly! This recipe will certainly help. Looks great!
When I was a teen, (just a couple of years ago, ahem)… I had a good friend from Hawaii and when I went to her house one evening for dinner, her mom made this. I was like, fried cabbage in bacon grease ok, (I’m Puerto Rican and we have all kinds of crazy dishes too) she showed me how to do it and it is just like your recipe, but the only difference is that she added celery seed as well to hers. It was awesome and I had forgotten about this until I saw your post! Thanks, B
So funny you should mention the celery seed because I meant to put that in the ‘make it your own’ section. I debated adding some classic slaw spicing to this recipe but honestly, after tasting it, I felt it really didn’t need anything extra. I’m glad you brought it up, though, and I’ll note that in the post now.
Oh my word, I can taste this slaw now. I love, love, love everything about this recipe and yes on the vinegar! Thank you for sharing – I think this is going to be great for dinner.
Bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better, doesn’t it! This looks super yummy, Sue.
truth.
OMG! Laughing my head off, here. The visual….”hopping up and down and hyperventilating”! When I make this, I’ll be sure to keep a paper bag handy, just in case I do it, too!! Thanks for the giggle AND another great recipe!
No kidding Lynn, you’ll lose all self control with this one 🙂
I’m going to try this with some left over corned beef to bring a hint of summer to my St Pats leftovers!
Great idea, and come to think of it, ham, or almost any other type of similar meat would work.
What a terrific dish! LOVE it! I make something similar — gotta try it with brats. Good suggestion. For a dinner party, we sometimes serve a small portion of this topped with a sea scallop or two as a starter. Wonderful combo of flavors! Anyway, good stuff — thanks.
Love your scallop idea, I wouldn’t have thought of that, I need an invite to your next party 🙂