This low carb 4-ingredient Amish fried cabbage is the kind of skillet supper that makes husbands hover by the stove, asking when it’s ready. It comes straight out of the old Midwestern farmhouse playbook: simple garden cabbage, a big handful of bacon, and an onion, all cooked down together until the vegetables turn silky and sweet in the bacon drippings. Amish and country cooks have leaned on this sort of dish for generations because it stretches humble ingredients, fills the house with a cozy, smoky aroma, and somehow makes a whole pan of cabbage disappear without a fuss.
Serve this fried cabbage hot, right out of the skillet or scooped into a foil-lined tray to keep warm. It’s hearty enough to stand alone as a low-carb main dish, but it’s lovely alongside sliced smoked sausage, grilled pork chops, or a simple roasted chicken. A crisp green salad or sliced garden tomatoes balance the richness, and if you’re not strictly low carb, a square of cornbread or a scoop of buttered egg noodles turns it into a full Sunday-style supper.
Low Carb 4-Ingredient Amish Fried CabbageServings: 4
Ingredients
8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), cored and thinly sliced into ribbons
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions
Line a shallow serving tray or casserole dish with aluminum foil and set it aside for later. This makes it easy to transfer the finished cabbage and keeps it warm and tidy on the table, just like we do for big family suppers.
Place a large, heavy skillet (cast iron if you have it) over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is deep red-brown and crispy and has rendered plenty of fat, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crispy bacon bits to a small bowl, leaving all the hot bacon grease in the skillet. You want enough drippings to generously coat the bottom of the pan; that’s where the big savory flavor comes from.
Add the sliced onion to the hot bacon grease. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion turns soft, translucent, and starts to caramelize around the edges to a light golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the onions cook.
Pile the sliced cabbage ribbons into the skillet with the onions. It will look like too much at first, but it cooks down. Sprinkle the salt over the top.
Toss the cabbage and onions together with tongs or a large spoon, coating everything in the bacon drippings. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until the cabbage turns tender, glossy, and mostly translucent with some lightly browned edges, about 12 to 18 minutes depending on how soft you like it.
When the cabbage is almost as tender as you’d like, stir the crispy bacon bits back into the skillet. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes so the flavors mingle and the bacon warms through. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little more salt if needed.
Spoon the hot fried cabbage mixture into the foil-lined serving tray, making sure to scrape in all the glossy bacon and onion bits from the skillet. Serve right away while it’s steamy and the bacon is still crisp. Leftovers reheat nicely in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra kick without adding more ingredients, use thick-cut peppered bacon instead of plain; the black pepper seasons the whole pan. If you like a touch of sweetness the way some Amish and Midwestern cooks do, let the onions go a bit darker and more caramelized before adding the cabbage—this deepens their natural sweetness without adding sugar. To keep it very low carb but a bit smokier, choose a heavily smoked bacon or stir in a spoonful of the bacon fat from another batch you’ve saved in a jar. For a softer, more braised texture, cover the skillet for part of the cooking time so the cabbage steams in its own juices, then uncover at the end to let any excess moisture cook off and the edges brown. If you’re feeding a crowd, this recipe doubles easily; fry the bacon in batches if needed and use your biggest skillet or a wide Dutch oven so the cabbage has room to wilt down evenly. You can also hold the finished dish in a low oven, covered loosely with foil, for 20 to 30 minutes without losing too much of the bacon’s crispness.
