Easy to make and budget friendly this Cabbage and Sausage Skillet is a delicious hearty meal that requires just a handful of ingredients and just 30 minutes .
Smoke Sausages like Kielbasa are so versatile and easy to cook with. You can add them to cabbage like this recipe or to rice like in this Easy Smoked Sausage and Rice Skillet. Add yummy cheese and penne pasta and you have this Spicy Sausage and Pasta or even serve it with potatoes like in this Oven Roasted Sausage and Potatoes.
How to make Sausage and Cabbage Skillet:
(scroll down for full recipe card)
Ingredients:
- Cabbage
- Smoked Sausage
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Water
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Special Equipment:
- Large skillet with fitted lid
Instructions:
- Cut the cabbage into thicker slices for sautéing or you can also cut the cabbage in larger cubes. For thick slices, cut the cabbage in half, and remove the core. Take one half and slice about 1 ½ inches thick slices. If the cabbage is too wide for your skillet cut the longer slices into half. Slice the smoked sausage into half in rounds. Set both aside until ready to cook.
- In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil then when oil is heated add the sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausage from the skillet to a plate and set it aside.
- In the same skillet add a splash of water to deglaze the pan, if there are a lot of browned bits, carefully remove some of them but leave a few for flavor.
- Add the cabbage, a ½ cup water, brown sugar salt and pepper. Stir to combine then cover skillet with lid. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer with a closed lid for 10-15 minutes. Until the cabbage softens and most of the water evaporated but the cabbage is still crisp. You don’t want the cabbage too soft, it’s better when it is still slightly crunchy.
- Add the butter and stir through until melted. Return the sausages and simmer for a couple of minutes more.
- Serve hot as a main course with some potatoes, rice, or as a side dish. It makes about 4 good-sized side portions.
Substitutions and Variations:
Try a different kind of sausage. For this recipe you can use just about any kind of sausage. Some suggestions are Kielbasa sausage, bratwurst, andouille, hot or mild Italian sausage or even breakfast sausage. You can even try this with a chicken or turkey sausage.
Make it vegetarian. Use a plant based sausage or swap for tofu. This recipe is very versatile and can be adjusted easily to meet different diets.
Add a little spice. Don’t be afraid to spice this recipe with a pinch of Cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or cajun seasoning.
Other seasoning choices. You can all add a half teaspoon of any of these seasoning for added flavor: onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin.
My Notes and Tips:
- Don’t cut the cabbage too thin. I recommend cutting wider rather than thinner. The cabbage will reduce in size and may become too soft if you cut it too thin. You want the cabbage to be on the crunchy side.
- Be careful not to use too much salt. The on the cabbage as the sausages tend to be high in sodium and your dish will become too salty very quickly. I recommend tasting the cabbage after it has cooked with the cabbage and adding more salt then if desired.
Storage and Reheating:
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating: To reheat add a small amount of olive oil to skillet and heat then add leftovers and cook on low until heated through. Or reheat in microwave in 45 second increments stirring between each until heated through.
Freezer: Cool cabbage and sausage completely then transfer to a freezer safe container or zip top bag. Freeze for up to three months.
Thawing and Reheating: Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat as stated above.
This Sausage and Cabbage Skillet is a great low carb lunch option that can be prepped in advance then enjoyed through the week. It’s also prefect for a quick east dinner that doesn’t require a lot of prep work or even thawing in advance.
Happy Cooking Y’all!
Susanne
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Cabbage and Sausage Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked sausage sliced
- 6 cups green cabbage chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 teaspoons butter
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Cut the cabbage into thicker slices for sautéing or you can also cut the cabbage in larger cubes. For thick slices, cut the cabbage in half, and remove the core. Take one half and slice about 1 ½ inches thick slices. If the cabbage is too wide for your skillet cut the longer slices into half. Slice the smoked sausage into half in rounds. Set both aside until ready to cook.
-
In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil then when oil is heated add the sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausage from the skillet to a plate and set it aside.
-
In the same skillet add a splash of water to deglaze the pan, if there are a lot of browned bits, carefully remove some of them but leave a few for flavor.
-
Add the cabbage, a ½ cup water, brown sugar salt and pepper. Stir to combine then cover skillet with lid. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer with a closed lid for 10-15 minutes. Until the cabbage softens and most of the water evaporated but the cabbage is still crisp. You don’t want the cabbage too soft, it’s better when it is still slightly crunchy.
-
Add the butter and stir through until melted. Return the sausages and simmer for a couple of minutes more.
-
Serve hot as a main course with some potatoes, rice, or as a side dish. It makes about 2 good-sized side portions.
Recipe Notes
- Don’t cut the cabbage too thin. I recommend cutting wider rather than thinner. The cabbage will reduce in size and may become too soft if you cut it too thin. You want the cabbage to be on the crunchy side.
- Nutritional information is estimated. Amounts will vary based on ingredient choices and serving sizes.
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