Irish Bacon and Cabbage
Irish Bacon and Cabbage Recipe made with only 5 ingredients. Make this tantalizing side dish for Saint Patrick’s Day, or for dinner any night of the week!
Why We Love This Irish Cabbage and Bacon Recipe
Disclaimer: Today’s Irish Cabbage and Bacon is based on a classic Irish dish usually made with large slabs of pork (pork belly) boiled down into a rich fatty broth that the cabbage is later stewed in.
As I’m not Irish, I have a hard time swallowing the idea of boiling pork in water.
Instead, I decided to make a quickie version, an Americanized alternative, using the same ingredients, but a different cooking method. This way, we get actual bacon that is slightly crispy, with tender, al dente cabbage with a bit of extra flavor from the onion, salt, pepper, and mustard seeds!
If you need an easy meal to serve up around St. Patrick’s Day, you have to try this Irish cabbage and bacon recipe. It is completely irresistible!
Ingredients You Need
My Irish Bacon and Cabbage is made with only 5 simple ingredients:
- Thick-cut Bacon – diced into smaller pieces
- Large Green Cabbage – cut into 12 wedges
- Large Onion – diced
- Chicken Broth – for added flavor
- Mustard Seeds – adds a bit of a kick
- Salt and Black Pepper – To taste (or add red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick!)
How to Make Fried Cabbage with Bacon
Place a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat to medium-high heat. Cut the bacon strips into 4 pieces each with a knife. Separate the bacon pieces and place them in the pot. Stir and fry until the bacon is cooked, but not fully crispy.
Meanwhile, peel the onion and cut it into 8 wedges. Then cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Cut the cabbage into 12 wedges. Once the bacon is mostly cooked, add the onion to the pot and sauté for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Add the cabbage, chicken broth, and mustard seeds. Stir to move the cabbage to the bottom of the pot and bring the bacon upward.
Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the thickest parts of the cabbage have a tender silky texture. Stir once or twice while cooking. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
Serve in a bowl with whole-grain mustard on the side, if desired.
Tips & Tricks
- Get the bacon just slightly crispy! You don’t want super crispy bacon in this recipe because it will be harder to eat! So make sure it is slightly crispy, but not too much.
- Serve with whole-grain mustard! The mustard seeds in this recipe will shine with a little extra whole-grain mustard on the side.
- Goes well with potatoes! To turn this into a hearty meal, serve with some roasted potatoes!
See The (Printable) Recipe Card Below For How To Make Irish Bacon and Cabbage. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This Irish bacon and cabbage would to well alone, as a side dish, or with a few dish dishes to create a whole meal! I just know that this fried bacon and cabbage would go amazingly with creamy mashed potatoes or some crispy roasted potatoes!
You can also serve this as a savory side dish with grilled ham steaks, smoked pork chops, or even steak!
For an Irish feast, pair it with Irish potato pie, bangers and mash, or savory cottage pie!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Cut Cabbage for Frying?
How you cut the cabbage is totally up to you. Keep in mind that cabbage shrinks significantly once it is cooked! If you cut it into very small pieces, it won’t have that much texture once it is cooked. I like to first cut mine in half, then remove the core. After that, I simply slice each half into 6 smaller wedges. If you want them to be smaller, you can cut each wedge in half! Totally up to you!
How Long Does This Fried Cabbage Recipe Last In The Fridge?
You can store the leftover pan-fried cabbage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Reheat these leftovers in a large skillet instead of a microwave.
What Do I Serve With This Recipe?
Although you can serve this cooked cabbage recipe as a side dish with corned beef, proportionally there is a lot of bacon in this recipe. Enough protein to make it a main dish in my opinion.
In Ireland, it’s often served as the main course with mustard and boiled potatoes.
Should I Drain The Bacon Fat/Bacon Drippings?
No need to pull out paper towels to pat the bacon dry. The bacon grease that comes off the bacon slices will only be a few ounces, and it will help create the flavor of the recipe and enhance the taste as the cabbage cooks in it. That is what makes this a delicious fried cabbage with bacon recipe!
Can I Make A Smaller Portion?
Of course, you can. You can find a small head of cabbage to use for this recipe and then cut the rest of the ingredients in half. This low-carb dish can be based on the size of the cabbage head you find!
Other Easy Irish Recipes You Might Like:
- Irish Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Irish Potato Pie
- Irish Pub Cheese (Beer Cheese Dip)
- Crisp and Savory Irish Potato Pie
- One Pan Slow Cooker Shepherds Pie
- Garlic Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes
- Bangers and Mash (Sausage and Mashed Potatoes)
- Savory Breakfast Scones
- Cottage Pie Recipe (Shepherd’s Pie)
Check the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information for this vegetable side dish including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, fiber, and vitamin c percentages.
Irish Bacon and Cabbage Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces thick-cut bacon
- 1 large green cabbage
- 1 large onion
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Cut the bacon strips into 4 pieces each. Separate the bacon pieces and place in the pot. Stir and sizzle until the bacon is cooked, but not fully crispy.
- Meanwhile, peel the onion and cut it into 8 wedges. Then cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. Cut the cabbage into 12 wedges. Once the bacon is mostly cooked, add the onion to the pot and sauté for 3-4 minutes to soften.
- Add the cabbage, chicken broth, and mustard seeds. Stir to move the cabbage to the bottom of the pot and bring the bacon upward. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the thickest parts of the cabbage are tender. Stir once or twice while cooking. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Serve with whole grain mustard on the side, if desired.
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Hey! I made this and it was great. However, I was left with a ton of chicken broth in the pot still. I cooked it for way longer, too, but it was still there. Is it supposed to be there? It doesn’t seem like yours has any at the end.
Glad it wasn’t just me with a ton of broth left over. Having said that, it was truly delicious and something that will go on the regular dinner menu. My son dislikes bacon and took two helpings of this deliciousness.
As for the excess broth, I think I’m just going to make sure and drain the bacon grease well after sauteeing the onion, and using about 1.5 cups of broth at first, adding more as needed to get the cabbage to the desired softness.
I’ve been looking for more yummy cabbage dishes, and I even incorporated kale into this recipe, as the cabbage we picked up was rather small for the quantity I wanted to make. Gotta say, it’s even better for breakfast the next day!
Thanks so much for a delicious and FAST dinner idea. I added colcannon on the side, and there was not a smear of sauce left on the plates. Happy family with full bellies equals happy mama!
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Sounds like a great recipe!
While this is good as a side dish, it is not actually an authentic approximation of the traditional Irish bacon and cabbage main course, because this uses the wrong kind of bacon!
The typical Irish bacon is NOT pork belly. It is a cut of back bacon, which is much leaner and does not have all those fatty layers. If you automatically assumed that bacon has to be made from pork belly per the US standard, then it’s unsurprising that you couldn’t imagine boiling it in water. But back bacon is completely different.
I hope you will obtain a slab of Irish boiling bacon and try the recipe again in the more authentic manner. There are a number of retailers of Irish and British goods in the US that you could obtain it from.
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This is The. Most. Delicious. Cabbage. Recipe. Ever! So simple to make. So flavorful. People I know who don’t like cabbage to begin with like this recipe.
WOW. Made this tonight for St. Patrick’s Day. My husband said it should be in the regular rotation, not just the “token Irish veggie” once a year! It was seriously that tasty. 4/5 kids ate it up and that is an impressive percentage!
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Made this for my Supper Club this past weekend and it was very good. Even a guest who doesn’t like pork enjoyed it. The sauce was great.
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I made this humane & vegan, by simply using vegetable broth, and vegan bac-UN. I cut the recipe down, to make one serving (4 oz. of cabbage). I also made a savory herb, mustard/pureed white bean (vegan protein) sauce, to go on it, & served it over quartered, boiled baby potatoes, for a nutritionally complete (protein, starch, & vegetable) dish. I serve it with fruit for dessert, for a complete meal. If one doesn’t want to use pureed white beans as a protein, it could be served just as a vegetable, with other vegan starches & proteins served separately. I cooked the vegan bac-UN in olive oil, then sauteed the onion, after the bac-UN was removed, cooled, crumbled & set aside, to add as the last step, as a garnish.
Thank you for popping in and reminding us of our inhumanity.
Agreed!
Oh. My. Word!!!
Laughed so hard when I saw your response.
I will be making this tonight as it looks yummy. I do not have access to Irish bacon and my children hate corned beef. Scottish by background, but will honor the Celts today.
Thank you for posting this quick, doable recipe. Fingers crossed my picky eater (who loves bacon) will eat this.
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I never tried this before and after reading this amazing post I think I must give it a try.
Such a great recipe. Perfect for St. Patty’s day coming up. Your instructions were so clear and helpful. Thanks for sharing.