What do you get when you combine the amazing flavor or sauteed cabbage with the smoky deliciousness of smoked pork sausage? You get Skillet Cabbage and Sausage, and this is one side dish everyone – keto or not – will love!
You’ll be the kitchen hero when you make this dish which is hearty enough to stand on its own as a side dish. And, it reheats great, too, making it perfect for leftovers and meal pepping. It is so good, I even eat it for breakfast!
One of the best things about this dish is that it requires hardly any kitchen skill to make – and if you use quality ingredients, you’ll end up with a quality keto side dish that’s low in net carbs and full of flavor.
Is cabbage keto? Yes! You bet! Learn more about why cabbage is such a great keto ingredient right here.
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What You Need to Make Skillet Cabbage And Sausage
- Large skillet
- Chef’s knife – a good solid knife will make short work of chopping up cabbage
- Cutting board
- Cabbage – about half of a whole
- Butter
- Smoked sausage – use a good quality smoked sausage and read the nutrition label to check for hidden carbs
How to Make This Keto Cabbage Side Dish Recipe
- Start with a fresh head of cabbage and slice it into 1/2-inch thick ribbons, then cut each section of ribbons again creating small 1/2-inch squares.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the sausage. Cook the sausage for 3-4 minutes – very important step! This brings out all the flavor/fat from the sausage which will spread through the cabbage.
- Add the cabbage to the skillet and sautee over medium heat, for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the cabbage is soft and tender.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Use a GOOD quality smoked sausage, and be sure to check the nutrition label for hidden carbs.
- 1/2 a head of cabbage is plenty for this recipe. Save the other half for another meal – just wrap it tightly in plastic and it’ll stay fine in the fridge for at least another week.
- Add a clove of minced garlic to give it a bit more flavor.
- Like it spicy? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes about a minute before cooking.
- This is a great dish for meal prepping for the week ahead – it reheats amazingly well.
What To Serve With Skillet Cabbage and Sausage
Anything grilled pairs tastily with this dish, like grilled chicken, steaks, pork tenderloin, or fish. I also like to serve this dish with this creamy chicken dish or this pork tenderloin roast. This keto side dish recipe is really very versatile – mix and match and find your favorite combination of dishes for dinner!
Is Keto Cabbage With Sausage Freezer Friendly?
Yes, it’ll freeze but this dish is better enjoyed fresh. Cabbage has a very high water content and tends to get mushy when frozen and thawed. You certainly can freeze it to enjoy later, but don’t expect the cabbage to have the same texture.
There are about 4 net carbs per cup of fried cabbage, making this a low-carb and keto friendly side dish.
The best way to cook this dish is in a large, shallow skillet.
Cabbage and sausage is meaty enough to be a full meal, and you can serve it with a simple salad, a delish steak, or any of your other favorite dishes.
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Step By Step Images
Start with about half a head of cabbage. Sautee sausage with butter in a large skillet. Chop the cabbage. Add cabbage to the pan with the sausage. Cook until tender and serve!
Cabbage and Sauage
Ingredients
- 1 lb smoked sausage
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 cups chopped cabbage
- 1 tbsp dehydrated onion flakes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Cut 1 pound of smoked sausage into half moons.
- Add 2 tbsp of butter to a skillet and add the cut sausage. Sautee over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes or until the sausage is lightly browned.
- While the sausage is cooking, remove the outer leaves from a head of cabbage and cut it in half. Remove the hard core by cutting a wedge into the cabbage around the core.
- Working with half the cabbage, cut the cabbage into 1/2-inch slices, then cut again across the slices creating small squares of cabbage. You need about 4 cups of cabbage.
- When the sausage is browned, add the cabbage and stir well. Add the dehydrated onion flakes and garlic powder. Turn the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cabbage has shrunk and is tender.
- Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Yummy! This looks so delicious and tasty! My family is going to love this! Can’t wait to make this!
This truly is a quick and easy dinner idea. My family loved it.
This is so very simple! And a great way to add wonderful flavor from the sausage to really nutritious cabbage! Oh – and thanks for the tips regarding freezing this recipe. I love freezing leftovers – even if it’s just a little amount – for quick lunches later, so it’s helpful to know that while this skillet cabbage CAN be frozen, it’s really not quite the same later. That’s great to know – appreciate the heads-up on that!
Quick to make, simple ingredients, easy to adapt with other meats, what’s not to love about this recipe. My family loved it.
You’re so right about using quality sausage — it makes a difference! Delicious dish the whole family loved. Will make again.