A simple, nourishing, and flavorful side dish is ready in just minutes! This skillet of Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onions makes the perfect addition to a cozy fall meal.
One reason that I love casseroles so much is that the one-dish meals offer a simple way to get protein, veggies, and carbs on the table with minimal thought and effort (it's all thrown in there together)!
But we don't enjoy casseroles every night of the week, and sometimes an amazing entree like a 4-Ingredient Pork Loin Roast, Southern Bourbon-Glazed Beef Tenderloin, or a Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Pork Tenderloin just calls for a really incredible side dish.
When you need a delicious vegetable option to round out the meal, this fried cabbage is the perfect solution!
How do you pan fry cabbage?
You'll love how simple this is! You don't need any fancy equipment and you don't need much prep time. Here's how it works:
- Remove the core and thinly slice half a head of green cabbage; thinly slice an onion; and coarsely grate an apple.
- Melt butter in a large skillet, and add the remaining ingredients.
- Sauté the cabbage for about 12-15 minutes, or until it's tender and starts to brown a bit.
That's it!
COOK'S TIPS:
- This is obviously a recipe for Southern Fried Cabbage without bacon. I've used butter as the fat for cooking the cabbage in the skillet. However, bacon pairs beautifully with these ingredients and can be included in the recipe if you like! Dice a few slices of bacon and brown them in the skillet before you add the vegetables. Instead of using 2 tablespoons of butter for frying, cut the butter back to 1 tablespoon and leave the bacon drippings in the skillet for flavorful cooking fat.
- You can shred the cabbage as thinly as you like. I've left it fairly coarse here for nice texture, but if you use a very thinly sliced cabbage, you will likely need to decrease the cooking time.
- Want a shortcut? Grab a bag of coleslaw mix from the produce section. You need about 3-4 cups of shredded cabbage altogether.
Even if you think that you don't love cabbage, you're going to adore the sweet, tangy, and savory combination of flavors in this easy side dish. The healthy fried cabbage doesn't have a strong, pungent flavor; instead, it just gets mild, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth good.
If you’ve tried this Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onions or any other recipe on The Seasoned Mom, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Twitter!
Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 apple, coarsely grated
- ½ head of green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 – 4 cups)
- 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Dash of ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet. Add apples, cabbage, onion, salt, nutmeg, vinegar, and sugar; sauté over medium-high heat until tender (about 12-15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
- This is obviously a recipe for Southern Fried Cabbage without bacon. I've used butter as the fat for cooking the cabbage in the skillet. However, bacon pairs beautifully with these ingredients and can be included in the recipe if you like! Dice a few slices of bacon and brown them in the skillet before you add the vegetables. Instead of using 2 tablespoons of butter for frying, cut the butter back to 1 tablespoon and leave the bacon drippings in the skillet for flavorful cooking fat.
- You can shred the cabbage as thinly as you like. I've left it fairly coarse here for nice texture, but if you use a very thinly sliced cabbage, you will likely need to decrease the cooking time.
- Want a shortcut? Grab a bag of coleslaw mix from the produce section. You need about 3-4 cups of shredded cabbage altogether.
A quick delicious side enjoyed by the guys in my house! Thanks Blair - Tasty, easy and paired beautifully with pork chops. I will definitely make this recipe again and again.
Wonderful! I'm glad to hear that the family approved! It's definitely one of my favorite easy sides. And I agree -- it pairs perfectly with pork!
Can the Vidalia onion be substituted with red or yellow onion? Wondering if it would still be as good.
Hi, Helen! I prefer the Vidalia because it's sweet, but if you don't mind a less sweet onion, the red or yellow will work fine.
I just used a yellow onion and it was still addictively good!
Easy, excellent, and tasty side. Thank you.
Thanks, Katie!
We had this in buns with beautiful pork sausages and French mustard. Enjoyed by everyone on a cold night in the Blue Mountains. Australia. Thanks 🙂
Wonderful! So glad that you enjoyed it, Zoe!
Great side dish! We had it with burgers but I could see it with sausage or spicy foods too! I am sharing this with my sister and a friend!
Thank you, Amy! I'm so glad that you liked it!
Really delicious! I cooked the onion in butter first before adding other ingredients and added leftover bacon at the end..we all loved it!
Sounds perfect! Thanks, Betsy!
You actually had leftover bacon? Kudos!
Had this with pork chops and stewed potatoes. Husband said it was the best cabbage he had ever eaten.
I need some good SALT FREE recipes.
This looks absolutely amazing! Do you think it would pair well with sauerkraut? Thank you for sharing!
Hey, Brittany! It wouldn't be bad with sauerkraut, but I don't think you need both, since both sides are made with cabbage. I'd pick one or the other. 🙂
I was pleasantly surprised how delicious this is. The mix of sweet from the apple and savory from the onions and cabbage was so good. A must keep recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Diane! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. I think cabbage is a very underrated veggie! 🙂
I made the full recipe tonight for just 2 of us. The cabbage was a decent size so I added an extra apple and used a large yellow onion to compensate. I expected lots of leftovers but there is just over 1 cup left! My husband devoured it like it was his job! Will definitely make again but I might use different vinegar, all I had on hand was Braggs Cider Vinegar and white distilled. The Braggs (with the mother) was a bit potent but still delicious if anyone was wondering.
That's awesome -- I'm so glad that your husband approved, too! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a note!
My grandmother made this at least once a month, minus the nutmeg and vinegar. She boiled wide egg noodles and fried them for a few minutes with the cabbage mixture at the end. Made a great meatless Friday meal. I'm making your version tonight with a pork loin and spätzle. Thanks for sharing.
Your grandmother's version sounds delicious, too! I love this dish so much -- I would happily pair it with some noodles and enjoy it as a meatless entree. Thanks, Diane! 🙂
NOTE Due to allergies I did not use butter, and used 4 drops of stevia. All three of my kids, ages 11, 13, 14 Loved it! We paired it with chuck roast. Used a granny smith green apple. So tasty. Thank you! will make again, and again.
That's great, Nevaeh! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a note and let me know. That's awesome that your kids even enjoyed it!
Great basic recipe! I love sausage with apple, so cooked up about 1/2 lb, and used that fat to cook onion, etc., and added the sausage back in at the end. Also made little apple slices instead of grating them because I didn't want them to get lost in the mix. I coul eat this till it comes out of my ears! And I never used to like cabbage - ha!
Thanks, Bobbi! I bet it was delicious with the added sausage. YUM!
I added a teaspoon of fennel seeds. Everyone enjoyed. Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know, Lorraine!
I really liked this.I used 2 small apples and grated cabbage apples and red onions in my food processor. I served with pork tenderloin but I’m thinking it will a nice change to boiled cabbage this St Patrick’s day. Had some leftovers and it reheated nicely
Thanks, Jan! Yes -- I agree...this is perfect for St. Patty's Day! 🙂