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Your Sunday dinners just got better with this Smothered Cabbage recipe; it takes only 30 minutes to produce a perfectly steamed, flavorful, and cooked dinner.
Here are some options to serve along with it: Smothered Turkey Wings, Crispy Fried Chicken, Air-Fryer Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Sweet Cornbread, and Southern Sweet Tea.
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I love cabbage! Plus, in Louisiana, we love our one-pot meals. One of my earliest food memories is my dad cooking a massive pot of it for the week. It was served over hot buttered white rice with a piece of cornbread. I had no complaints.
The first time I told my wife I liked eating my cabbage and other greens over rice. She looked at me crazy. It's how we Louisianians eat!
You can serve yours however you like. My goal today is to show you how easy making a flavorful one-dish meal is.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need for my smothered cabbage recipe.
Cabbage
You can use any cabbage, but I use traditional green cabbage.
Baby Potatoes
I like to use baby red potatoes because they have the least amount of starch of all potatoes, which is excellent for a healthy weeknight dinner.
Smoked Sausage
I love to use beef sausage because it adds a great depth of flavor. Feel free to use your favorite smoked sausage.
Onion
Yellow onions perfectly combine savory and mild sweetness to complement the cabbage. You can use chopped onions, but I like to slice mines so they melt into the cabbage.
Bell Pepper
I use a trio of bell peppers for color and flavor. Bell peppers also help keep you from being gassy after eating cabbage.
Fresh Thyme
You will need thyme if you're making a Cajun-smothered cabbage or Caribbean steamed cabbage.
Seasonings
My go-to blend for cabbage is kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. You can even add some onion powder.
How To Make Southern Smothered Cabbage Recipe
I wanted my smothered cabbage recipe to be straightforward, delicious, and filling.
In a medium pot, add potatoes and cover with water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 5 minutes; cut the heat off, skim off the water, and do not discard water.
Heat a Dutch oven or a large, heavy bottom pot over medium heat, add oil, and cook smoked sausage for 2-3 minutes.
Once smoked sausage is browned, remove and set aside.
Add onion to the same pot and cook for 1 minute.
Add cabbage, smoked sausage, bell peppers, thyme, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, add potato water, and scrape the bottom of the pot to pick up the fond from the smoked sausage.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve hot with some hot sauce and cornbread!
How To Store Smothered Cabbage
Smothered cabbage is best 3 days after cooking but will remain fresh in an airtight container for 7 days.
Freeze in a freezer-safe airtight container for 2 months.
Reheat cabbage over medium heat in a pot, covered for 6-8 minutes until hot.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are a few notes on substitutions, and flavor builders, for this delicious smothered cabbage recipe.
- How you chop your cabbage will determine how fast it'll cook. Sliced cabbage will cook the fastest, while large chopped pieces will take the longest. I like to slice mine so it all fits into the pot but doesn't turn into mush.
- Pre-boiling the potatoes ensures they'll be tender by the time the cabbage is done.
- If you don't use baby potatoes, chop the potato into small pieces.
- Feel free to substitute my spice mix for some Cajun seasoning. Here's my recipe for homemade Creole seasoning.
- If cayenne pepper is too spicy for you, use red pepper flakes.
- Feel free to swap the smoked sausage for bacon. I like to use beef bacon.
- If you do not eat red meat, use your favorite smoked sausage.
- 1 teaspoon of dry thyme is equivalent to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Granulated garlic and onion powder won't leave a chalky aftertaste like powdered versions.
- For more flavor, use chicken broth instead of water.
- I recommend using an oil with a high smoke point, like avocado or grapeseed oil. Olive oil will burn as you brown the sausage, which could lead to a rancid aftertaste.
FAQ
Here are the top questions readers have about making smothered cabbage at home.
After you cut the cabbage into quarter pieces, soak them in a large bowl of water (4-6 cups) and baking soda (1-2 teaspoons) to remove any dirt and pesticides that may be in there. It only needs to soak for 1 minute or 2. Rinse under cold water, dry, then cut into your desired size for cooking.
Properly smothered cabbage should still have a bit of texture but be tender enough to melt in your mouth. You don't want to overcook it. The best way to keep it from getting soggy is to not use too much water; as cabbage cooks, it'll release its own water. It only takes 20-25 minutes to cook, depending on how small or large your cabbage pieces are.
Both cabbage and potatoes are excellent sources of dietary fiber and are rich in antioxidants. Potatoes provide a substantial amount of vitamin C, vitamin B6, iron, and manganese. They contain a type of starch known as resistant starch, which promotes digestive health.
The cooking time will vary depending on the cabbage cut, but blanching cabbage leaves only takes 3-5 minutes to achieve tenderness. Blanching is a rapid vegetable tenderizing technique that helps preserve color. Once blanched, you can cook the cabbage according to your preference.
It's important to wash any produce under cold water before cooking to remove any debris or insects that may be hiding. Remove the outer leaves and cut the cabbage into quarters to make sure nothing is hiding in between the leaves.
Bell peppers help to absorb the chemicals that cause gas. It’s an old Southern secret that many people never realize, but that’s one reason why many Southern or Caribbean smothered cabbage recipes call for bell peppers.
It's best to boil cabbage in hot water or hot stock; this will allow the cabbage to cook faster after it comes into contact with the hot liquid. Check periodically to ensure the leaves are done so you don't overcook them.
Yes, unless you love your cabbage cooked all the way down (very soft). It only takes about 5-8 minutes for cabbage to become tender when boiled. The smaller/thinner you slice it, the faster it'll cook, and vice versa. Sliced cabbage takes around 5 minutes, while quartered leaves take 10 minutes to become tender.
For a faster cooking time, boil the cabbage covered to create more pressure in the pot. The least amount of steam that escapes helps the cabbage cook faster.
We call this pot likker in the South. There's nothing wrong with drinking the leftover juices from the cabbage because it's full of fiber and vitamins.
Cabbage is in the same family as broccoli, kale, and cauliflower. These cruciferous vegetables contain sulfur glucosinolates, which can give off an unpleasant odor and sometimes flavor before they're cooked.
More Southern Recipes
If you love Southern food as much as I do, you'll love these recipes in your regular rotation!
- Southern Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas
- Instant Pot Collard Green
- Red Beans and Rice
- Vanilla Wafers Banana Pudding
- Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Before You Begin
Here are my steps for getting organized before I start anything.
Step 1: Wash your cabbage and other vegetables before cutting them.
Step 2: Measure everything out.
Step 3: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best smothered cabbage recipe you’ve ever enjoyed.
This Smothered Cabbage recipe is an excellent showcase of how simple ingredients can create a flavorful and satisfying meal. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a kitchen newbie, this recipe is a must-try.
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📖 Recipe
Southern Smothered Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. baby potatoes washed, halved
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 12 oz. smoked sausage use your favorite
- 1 head cabbage, medium core removed, sliced
- 1 medium onion sliced
- ½ red bell pepper sliced
- ½ yellow bell pepper sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add potatoes and cover with water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 5 minutes; cut the heat off, skim off the water, and do not discard water.
- Heat a Dutch oven or a large, heavy bottom pot over medium heat, add oil, and cook smoked sausage for 2-3 minutes until browned; remove and set aside.
- Add onion to the same pot and cook for 1 minute. Add cabbage, smoked sausage, bell peppers, thyme, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, add potato water, and scrape the bottom of the pot to pick up the fond from the smoked sausage.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with some hot sauce and cornbread!
Video
Notes
- How you chop your cabbage will determine how fast it'll cook. Sliced cabbage will cook the fastest, while large chopped pieces will take the longest. I like to slice mine so it all fits into the pot but doesn't turn into mush.
- Pre-boiling the potatoes ensures they'll be tender by the time the cabbage is done.
- If you don't use baby potatoes, chop the potato into small pieces.
- Feel free to substitute my spice mix for some Cajun seasoning. Here's my recipe for homemade Creole seasoning.
- If cayenne pepper is too spicy for you, use red pepper flakes.
- Feel free to swap the smoked sausage for bacon. I like to use beef bacon.
- If you do not eat red meat, use your favorite smoked sausage.
- 1 teaspoon of dry thyme is equivalent to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Granulated garlic and onion powder won't leave a chalky aftertaste like powdered versions.
- For more flavor, use chicken broth instead of water.
- I recommend using an oil with a high smoke point, like avocado or grapeseed oil. Olive oil will burn as you brown the sausage, which could lead to a rancid aftertaste.
Katie Morgan says
I have only made the cornbread from this recipe, but it is fantastic! Definitely a sweeter more cake-like cornbread, but the texture using the corn flour is so pillowy soft. I plan to make this many more times!
Kenneth says
Glad you enjoy it Katie! Feel free to reduce the sugar by half if you like.
Jackie says
This is our EVERY weekend meal! However, we use Bass Farms dry sausage links, cut into very small slices. We fry those in a skillet until very, very crispy on all sides to get the most grease out of them (plus it makes the sausage so tasty). Then we add cabbage and onion to the skillet and fry until wilted, add ham hock and country ham pieces, baby red potatoes, seasonings and water. Boil until the house smells like Grandma's! Then in a loaf pan we make the cheap Jiffy mix cornbread with a thick layer of hoop cheese layered in the middle. Cornbread should be eaten by breaking bite-sized chunks off with your spoon, soaked in the cabbage pot-liquor! Crispy sausage can be added back to your pot if you like, but we like it best served as a few crispy pieces of meat over the cabbage and potatoes! We never have leftovers and discuss weekly how we need to get a bigger pot so that we can!
Nini says
Tastes just like home! I opted for red pepper flakes instead of cayenne and, since my family is plant-based, we used the Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage vegan sausage; everything was incredible.