Braised Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausages
This Braised Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausages is a classic Southern-style skillet dinner that’s hearty, budget-friendly, and full of comforting flavor. Sweet green cabbage is slowly braised on the stovetop in smoky bacon drippings, then simmered with savory smoked sausage and tender Yukon Gold potatoes until everything is perfectly cooked and infused with rich, homestyle goodness. It’s an easy one-pan meal made with simple ingredients, perfect for busy weeknights or laid-back Sunday suppers. This isn’t fancy food, it’s stick-to-your-ribs, just-plain-good eating the whole family will love.
Easy Braised Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausages Recipe
Oh, this right here is the kind of down-home comfort I grew up on, and it never gets old. A big pot of this braised cabbage and sausage goodness simmering away on the stove just feels like home. It’s the sort of easy dinner dish that sticks to your ribs and fills up the whole kitchen with the best kind of smells.
Serve it up alongside a hot pan of cornbread and a bowl of pinto beans and you’ve got yourself a meal that’ll make anybody happy. Or go ahead and have both, we’re not here to judge. It’s hearty, filling, and easy on the grocery bill, which makes it just as perfect for busy weeknights as it is for Sunday supper. Simple ingredients, big flavor, and plenty to go around, that’s my kind of cooking.
Key ingredients you’ll need to make Braised Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausages: (Scroll down for the full printable recipe card.)
- Cabbage – Green cabbage forms the base of the dish. Skip the Napa cabbage for this recipe.
- Sausages – Smoked sausage adds protein and turns this into a one pot meal.
- Onions – Green onions for a mild onion flavor and color.
- Bacon – Thick cut bacon gives the cabbage a smoky flavor. You could use classic
- Potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes are tender and absorb the flavor of the bacon and onions.
- Liquid – Chicken stock or chicken broth plus apple cider vinegar for an acid to balance the rich flavor.
- Olive Oil – Adds a rich flavor and balances the bacon.
- Garlic– Minced garlic complements the onion.
How to Make the BEST Braised Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausages Recipe
Cabbage is often overlooked when it comes to a great option for a main course meal. It’s inexpensive and filling, a terrific combination.
- Fry Bacon – Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove from the pan and reserve the drippings.
- Brown Kielbasa – Add the oil and sliced smoked sausages to the pan drippings. Cook over medium-high heat to brown.
- Add Onion and Seasonings – Add chopped green onions, minced garlic, pepper flakes, seasoned salt and fennel seed.
- Add Cabbage and Potatoes – To the pan add the sausage, cubed potatoes and cabbage.
- Braising Liquid – Pour chicken stock and apple cider vinegar over the cabbage. Season with black pepper to your taste.
- Simmer – Cover and cook over medium-heat per the recipe until the potatoes are fork tender and the cabbage is cooked through, stir occasionally.
- Reduce the Cooking Liquid – Uncover, and increase the heat to medium-high, cooking until the cabbage is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Serve – Garnish with fresh parsley and crumbled bacon.
Kitchen Equipment to Make Braised Cabbage Potatoes and Sausage Recipe
- Large 12-inch skillet or dutch oven.
- Knife and cutting board.
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons.
- Garlic press and vegetable peeler.
- Slotted spoon.
Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions
- Onion – You can use a diced medium onion in place of green onions. Use a Vidalia onion or a yellow onion for a stronger onion flavor.
- Red Cabbage – You may enjoy adding chopped braised red cabbage to the mix. I recommend around 1 cup chopped the same size as the green cabbage.
- Bacon Drippings – You can leave out the bacon drippings and use butter, instead.
- Sausages – You can use pork sausage, turkey sausage, chicken sausage or beef sausages.
- Potatoes – You can use another variety of potatoes in this dish. Russet potatoes, red potatoes or white potatoes. Please note, they all have different starch content and therefore will cook differently. Adjust the cooking time depending on the variety you choose to use.
- Seasonings – Crushed red pepper flakes add a little heat to the skillet overall. You can adjust the amount or omit them altogether. You may also choose to serve hot sauce on the side.
- Vegetables – You may enjoy this braised cabbage with shredded carrots or sliced baby carrots in place of potatoes.
- Servings – When serving this braised cabbage with bacon the amount of servings can vary depending on the appetites of those you’re serving. As a rule of thumb, as a side dish you may yield 6 servings and as a main dish 3-4.
- Serving Ideas – Serve braised cabbage with cornbread and pinto beans for a downhome meal.
- Oven Technique – See how to make Braised Cabbage in the oven here.
Storage and Leftovers
- Leftovers – Store cooked simple Braised Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausages in an airtight container chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating – Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat in a non stick skillet or in single servings in the microwave.
- Freezer – You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat in a skillet over medium heat.
More Cabbage Recipes to Make
- Low Carb Oven Roasted Cabbage Steaks.
- Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls take the fuss out of rolling classic cabbage rolls.
- Southern Style Cole Slaw is a must make!
- Hearty Braised Pork Chops with Cabbage and Apples.
- Turn green cabbage into this Cheesy Cabbage Casserole.
- Homemade Southern Chow Chow a delicious condiment for pinto beans, hot dogs and more.
- Simple Southern Fried Cabbage.
- Light and flavor packed Cabbage Soup.
- Pickled Cabbage from Eating Well.
Thanks for visiting come back soon!
Disclosure ~ If a purchase is made using one of the affiliate links on this website we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Helpful Kitchen Items:
Braised Cabbage With Potatoes And Smoked Sausages
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 623kcal
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick cut bacon cut into 1″ pieces
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz fully cooked smoked turkey sausage or kielbasa sausage sliced
- 1 cup green onions thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes adjust to taste
- 1 tsp seasoned salt adjust to your taste
- 1/4 tsp fennel seed
- 2 cups 1" cubed Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes
- 1 3 lb head cabbage cored and sliced into 1" thin strips
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp over medium-high heat. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Reserve 4 Tbsp drippings in pan.
- Add oil and sliced smoked sausages to the pan drippings. Cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until the sausage slices are beginning to brown.
- Add chopped green onions, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, seasoned salt and fennel seed. Cook for around 1-2 minutes just until fragrant.
- Top the sausage mixture with potatoes and cabbage. Pour chicken stock and cider vinegar over cabbage. Season with black pepper to your taste.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and the cabbage is cooked through, stir occasionally.
- Uncover, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook uncovered until the pan juices have evaporated and the cabbage is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Stir well, taste and adjust salt and black pepper to your taste.
- Serve with a sprinkle of parsley or cilantro and top with crumbled bacon.
Notes
- Onion – You can use a diced medium onion in place of green onions. Use a Vidalia onion or a yellow onion for a stronger onion flavor.
- Red Cabbage – You may enjoy adding chopped braised red cabbage to the mix. I recommend around 1 cup chopped the same size as the green cabbage.
- Bacon Drippings – You can leave out the bacon drippings and use butter, instead.
- Sausages – You can use pork sausage, turkey sausage, chicken sausage or beef sausages.
- Potatoes – You can use another variety of potatoes in this dish. Russet potatoes, red potatoes or white potatoes. Please note, they all have different starch content and therefore will cook differently. Adjust the cooking time depending on the variety you choose to use.
- Seasonings – Crushed red pepper flakes add a little heat to the skillet overall. You can adjust the amount or omit them altogether. You may also choose to serve hot sauce on the side.
- Vegetables – You may enjoy this braised cabbage with shredded carrots or sliced baby carrots in place of potatoes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 623kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 1591mg | Potassium: 854mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!
We really enjoyed this. We did not use bacon, but did fry up the onions in some saved bacon grease from the fridge. Will absolutely be making again. Thank you.
This is an excellent recipe. I didn’t have apple cider vinegar, so I subbed red wine vinegar, and it worked very well!
Will be using this recipe frequently.
I LOVE this recipe. I’ve gone back to it time and time again. The bacon and the vinegar make it really stand out from other sausage and cabbage recipes. And so easy!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you!
This was very good! I did change a bit here and there. I figured we could minus the bacon just because. I’m sure it added great flavor but without it, it was still delicious. After cooking the sausage I did discard most of the oil in the pan. I added a large carrot cut thin with the potatoes. Very good! I also added just 1/2 of the red pepper and glad I did. It was plenty hot for us 🔥.
Thanks for the great recipe!
By seasoned salt do you mean Lawrys?
You can use any brand that you enjoy, sure.
Made this for dinner last night. Amazing and delicious.
So good! Made this recipe today and we loved it! Husband said we are making this again and with in a month. He really loved it too. Added a Little extra sausage. I love cabbage so I’m always looking for recipes with cabbage. Thank you so much this was amazing.
Thanks so much!
I used Lawry’s salt and left out the fennel seed (didn’t have it on hand) and the red pepper flakes because my kids won’t do spice at any level, but it was delicious! Even the kids ate it with minimal complaints. I’m definitely putting it on our meal rotation, and happy to have a gluten free meal in my pocket when needed!
I’m so happy you all enjoyed it, thanks!
Is this dish europian inspired?it’s very tasty,we used smoked sausage with bacon.
Hi Tim, we have many influences on our food in America from all over the world. This type of cabbage dish has been made (and served) in the South for eons. You can never go wrong with bacon!
I had no time so I put some olive oil in frying pan with sausage , onions , red peppers and garlic, meanwhile I put diced potatoes in the microwave for 4 minutes, I added them to the sausage mixture along with some coleslaw mixture I had on hand. Added salt and pepper and cooked till the cabbage was as I like a little crunchy. I added some sweet chili sauce, loved it. Thanks for the foundation.
This was EXCELLENT! I bought sausage from a local meat shop and decided to use this recipe. I like sausage and cabbage but hadn’t made it myself before. This packed so much more flavor and kick than I expected. I will definitely keep this at the top of my list.
Hi Briana, I’m so happy you enjoyed this, thank you!
Absolutely loved it…I even froze some hopefully it’s ok to freeze?
I doubled the recipe…Thank You so much👍
Hi Paula, I haven’t frozen this but it will likely do fine. You may need to reheat and evaporate any liquid from freezing in a skillet when you’re ready to enjoy.
Very tasty recipe but I needed more liquid and some of my food burned before I caught that I needed more liquid. I was cooking it on medium-low. I would add to keep an eye on the liquid, 2/3 cup isn’t much.
It’s important to stir this occasionally to prevent sticking. Like any dish, if left alone, it could burn. That’s also the time to assess if the liquid is evaporating more quickly. That sounds like what happened. Next time, stir it periodically and make that call in real time.
Such a wonderful recipe!!! My Husband and I love this cabbage and I used smoked brats. Fixing garlic cheese French bread. Thank you for sharing!!
Shirley Cooper
September 8, 2021
Hi Shirley, I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it, thanks!
I made this tonight with cornbread for dinner and actually added extra red pepper flakes. It was so delicious. It’s a new favorite! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thanks!
A local farmer put out free cabbage, squash and potatoes yesterday, so I made this today. It is absolutely amazing! Even without the red pepper. My mom is sensitive to pepper so I omitted it.
Will definitely be making this again.
Thanks for a great recipe! And thanks to our local farmer!
Lorna
Thanks so much Lorna!
I thought the crushed red pepper was very overwhelming, to the point where we couldn’t taste anything else. I would definitely like to have tasted more fennel. Will make this again but use 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper and 1 tsp fennel seed.
In knowing that you’re sensitive to spice going forward when making a recipe, you should adapt those components to your taste from the get go. Red pepper flakes can easily be adjusted to taste.
I just finished eating this wonderful dish! I had no idea this recipe had so much flavor! Everything in this recipe compliments every ingredient! Excellent recipe! Thank you!
Thank you so much!
I have made this dish many ways but this is by far the most tasty and easy too! Even without the bacon
This recipe was so good!
Thank you!
This recipe is perfect. My friends and family fell in love with the crisp, flavorful cabbage, and the kielbasa is a delicious marriage with it. Just so great!
Thank you so much!
This was delicious. How long can you store it in the refrigerator?
Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days.
What about using grated carrots?
You could add carrots, if you like.
Made this for dinner today. Didn’t have red potatoes so used white. It was awesome! Very tasty! Hubby said don’t lose that recipe! We had home made Polish sausage in the freezer 😁
Love it, thanks!