Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon- a combination of sugar, cider vinegar and crispy, salty bacon bits makes this one of the most delicious cabbage side dished ever.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon Recipe
I love any kind of sautéed cabbage, but this Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon may be my favorite. When I make it, I find myself picking the last pieces out of the pan with my fingers. It’s that good.
With crunchy bacon, onion, sweetness from a hefty dose of sugar, tang from cider vinegar, and saltiness from soy sauce, this side dish will wake up every taste bud in your mouth. So much so that you might wish it was the main dish instead of just a side.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon is a simple side dish, but it is big on flavor. Only a handful of ingredients are needed. It’s a German-style side dish that is popular in the south. The part of North Carolian I am from had a lot of German immigrants and you can see the influences in southern home cooking.
How To Serve
I love to serve it with Bratwurst and Knockwurst. I slice them in half horizontally, place them in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and brown them up a little bit. But you could slice them and cook them with the cabbage for a one dish meal. Easy peasy!
This amazing side dish goes great with a side of Buttermilk Cornbread.
Recipe Tip
Red cabbage can be used instead of green cabbage.
Make it Spicy
If you want to make this cabbage recipe spicy, add crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Storage
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days and can be reheated in a microwave.
Pin this now to find it later
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Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 slices bacon,, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 onion,, thinly sliced
- 1 medium green cabbage,, cored and cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large, heavy pot (I use a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crisp, stirring frequently.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a plate. Add onion and cabbage to pot and cook, stirring often, until cabbage is wilted (about 10 minutes).
- Add vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce and cook until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 10 more minutes.
- Stir in bacon.Add black pepper to taste and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: Martha Stewart
Originally published Oct 29, 2013.
Super easy Super yummy!
I don’t eat pork so i used a tiny bit of liquid smoke and butter to cook the cabbage and onion in. And served it with pasta and chicken sausage. Total comfort food all the way! !
Delicious…. Cut in half, otherwise followed as written. I will definitely make this again but won’t cut in half so I’ll have leftovers!! Thanks for sharing
My Grandmother and Mother made this dish.They used cream instead of soy sauce.They were German and this was their Hot slaw recipe.Very good twist on the old recipe..
Loved this recipe. Husband said he definitely would like to have it again. Thanks!
I never used the olive oil in this. Once I fried the bacon I had enough fat to cook with. This was one of the first side dishes. Learned to make in 7th grade home etc. still just as good today and the recipe is simple and fail Proof! 🤓
Por favor me pueden enviar las recetas a mi e-mail.
GRACIAS
i like this with cooked noodles , its good too . i like it also over boiled potatoes
I found your post,, an knew I would have to try it ,,, when I did, I found I didn’t have any soy sauce,, but I did have some Lime Ponzu (a citrus season dressing & sauce ),,,, was so good, I’m making it again soon,, thanks for putting this out there for us cabbage lovers,,
Nice substitution Jo! That sounds really good!
I’m making this for a family reunion and wanted to know if it is freezable or will it be too mushy once thawed.
You should cook it the same day. It’s so and fast to make. Don’t freeze it it’ll lose its texture and taste.
My motherlaw was polish she made this all the time. I have added polish sausage to mine. I precook the sausage by slicing it is helps Eliminate some grease from the sausage. Its a great side dish. There are lots of good ideas in the comments.
I have cooked this same dish for years. For a little extra flavor I have added a clove or two of garlic. I also salt and pepper to taste before serving.
It is delicious isn’t it Liz? Thanks for the suggestion to add garlic. 🙂
My fav, spice is simply SPG, salt, pepper, garlic powder. use on most anything.