My mother always said she never much cared for cooked greens until she started making them this way. Out here in the Midwest, cabbage and bacon are two things you can count on finding in just about every farmhouse kitchen, and this skillet of low carb 3-ingredient bacon fried cabbage is the kind of simple, thrifty cooking I was raised on. The salty, smoky bacon renders its fat and turns plain cabbage into something tender, savory, and just a little bit indulgent. It’s the sort of recipe you can memorize after making it once, and it feels like it’s been on the table for generations, even if you just learned it yesterday.
This bacon fried cabbage goes with just about everything: grilled pork chops, roast chicken, meatloaf, or a simple skillet steak. I like to spoon it next to mashed cauliflower or a sliced garden tomato in the summer, and alongside a pan of baked sausages in the winter. It also makes a hearty low-carb lunch all by itself with a fried egg on top. Serve it right out of the skillet or heap it into a big white serving bowl so everyone can help themselves.
Low Carb 3-Ingredient Bacon Fried CabbageServings: 4
Ingredients
8 slices thick-cut bacon
1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
Directions
Cut the bacon into small bite-sized pieces, about 1/2-inch wide. Set aside.
Remove any tough or damaged outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters, slice out the hard core from each quarter, then thinly slice the cabbage into shreds about 1/4-inch wide.
Place a large, heavy skillet (cast iron if you have it) over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon in an even layer.
Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it is deep red-brown and crispy and has rendered plenty of fat into the pan, about 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out a small handful of the crisp bacon pieces and set them aside for garnish, leaving the rest of the bacon and all of the fat in the skillet.
With the heat still on medium, add the shredded cabbage to the skillet in batches if needed, tossing it with tongs so it gets coated in the hot bacon fat as it wilts down.
Sprinkle the salt over the cabbage and bacon mixture. Continue to cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the cabbage is tender, glossy, and lightly browned in spots around the edges, about 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust the heat if necessary so the cabbage browns but does not burn.
Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed. Transfer the bacon fried cabbage to a warm serving plate or shallow white bowl. Scatter the reserved crisp bacon pieces over the top for extra crunch and serve hot.
Variations & Tips
If you like your cabbage with a little more bite, cook it a few minutes less so it stays a bit crunchy in the center. For a softer, more old-fashioned texture like my mother prefers, let it go a little longer on low heat, stirring often, until it’s very tender and almost silky. You can use regular sliced bacon instead of thick-cut; just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t over-crisp. If your bacon is very salty, start with less salt and season at the end. A pinch of black pepper or red pepper flakes is a nice touch if you don’t mind stretching past the strict three-ingredient idea. Leftovers reheat beautifully in a skillet over medium heat and make a fine breakfast side with eggs. For smaller households, halve the cabbage and bacon and use a medium skillet so everything still browns nicely without steaming too much.
