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    Home » Recipes » Vegetables & Side Dishes

    Braised Cabbage with Leeks and Bacon

    Published: Mar 10, 2014 · Last Updated: Mar 18, 2022 · Leave a Comment

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    Humble cabbage becomes a savory side dish in just minutes. It’s nice along side roast chicken or salmon for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. For a great weekend breakfast, try it topped with a poached egg. Here's my recipe for braised cabbage with leeks and bacon. With a few minutes of easy prep work, this side dish will cook in about 10-12 minutes. I’ve made it several times this week and loved how fast it went.

    Braised Cabbage with Leeks and Bacon | AFoodCentricLife.com
    Golden braised cabbage with carrots and bacon.

    Braised Cabbage with Leeks and Bacon: Traditional Irish Fare

    Cabbage and bacon is traditionally associated with Irish family meals. As many people grew their own vegetables and raised their own pigs, ingredients were readily available. I’ve taken a bit of modern leeway including cabbage along with carrots (also traditional), leeks instead of onions, and thyme. Instead of boiling the cabbage I braise it in a little broth.

    Cabbage: Not Just for Coleslaw

    Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, so it’s good for you. Cabbage is rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamin K (good for your bones), vitamin C, B6, folate and many important minerals. It’s also a good source of fiber. Besides in this warm side dish, cabbage is good in salads, added to vegetable soups and shredded for tacos, even for green juices. However you add it, get cabbage into your healthy diet.

    sliced cabbage
    Slicing cabbage on a cutting board.

    What About Corned Beef and Cabbage?

    Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only became associated with St. Patrick’s Day around the turn of the century. It has become and Irish-American tradition. In the “old country”,  the original dish was cabbage and bacon.

    Treat your family to an easy, tasty, modern day version of an Irish classic for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. And for another recipe to serve on St Pats, try this Cauliflower Colcannon.

    braised cabbage and bacon
    Braised cabbage in a bowl with spoon.
    Braised Cabbage with Leeks and Bacon | AFoodCentricLife.com

    Braised Cabbage with Leeks and Bacon

    This is so good you will want to serve it more often than St. Patrick’s Day. It’s nice along side roast chicken or salmon any time of the year. Try it topped with a poached egg for weekend breakfasts. To make this vegetarian you can skip the bacon, and to make it vegan, use vegetable broth.
    Print Recipe Rate Recipe
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    Prep Time: 7 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Irish
    Keyword: Bacon, Cabbage, Irish
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 131kcal

    Ingredients

    • 4 strips bacon
    • 1 large leek
    • 1 head green cabbage
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
    • ¾ cup grated carrot
    • â…” cup low sodium broth chicken or vegetable
    • 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
    • 1 bay leaf
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Prep work: Slice bacon crosswise into thin strips. Cut root end and dark green top off of leek and discard. Slice leek in half lengthwise. Run leek halves under cold water to remove any sand and dirt. Dry. Lay them flat on a cutting board and chop thinly crosswise. Cut cabbage in half through the root, lay halves flat on a cutting board and slice crosswise into thin ribbons. You will need 4 cups of packed cabbage.
    • In a large sauté or fry pan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon pieces and drain on paper towels reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in pan. Wipe the rest from the pan. Add olive oil to pan. Heat oil over medium heat. Add leek an carrot and cook about 2 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
    • Add cabbage to the pan along with broth, thyme and bay leaf. Stir and turn to coat vegetables well with broth and juices. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Add bacon. Cover pan with a lid and cook until cabbage is soft and wilted, about 7 minutes. Taste to determine if cabbage is done enough for you. If you would prefer it softer, cover and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 546mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says

      March 10, 2014 at 9:53 pm

      I pinned this. It looks so delicious and I could see it piled high on a Rueben sandwich.

      Reply
      • Sally says

        March 11, 2014 at 12:25 pm

        Great idea Madonna! If you like your cabbage tangy for a sandwich, you could always add a bit of vinegar during cooking to give it that "sour" tangy taste.

        Reply
    2. Sarah Hirsch says

      March 29, 2014 at 8:58 am

      i'd love to have a whole suite of top of the line appliances. a girl can dream, right?

      Reply

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