You’ll love this recipe if you like this French Onion Chicken Casserole and these Honey Mustard Pork Chops.
This Cabbage and Sausage Skillet is the dinner I keep coming back to when the fridge is looking bare and I’ve only got 30 minutes. A head of cabbage, a package of sausage, and an onion turn into a full, filling skillet with almost no effort — it’s become a real workhorse in my kitchen, and everything happens in one pan.
The trick I learned after making it a dozen times: brown the sausage first and pull it out, then let the cabbage cook down in those drippings before everything goes back together. That’s the step most people rush, and it’s the whole personality of the dish — the cabbage goes from crunchy to silky and a little caramelized. Give it those few extra minutes to soften and don’t crowd the pan, or it steams instead of browning.
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Reader Love
Excellent and Super Easy!
When the onions were almost completely sauteed, I also added 1/2 chopped apple for a little additional sweetness.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- One pan, under 30 minutes — brown, cook down, and serve, with almost no cleanup.
- Budget-friendly — a head of cabbage, an onion, and a package of sausage feed the whole family.
- Caramelized, not steamed — the cabbage cooks down silky and a little browned in the sausage drippings.
- Family-friendly — savory and filling enough that even cabbage skeptics go back for more.
- Flexible — works with whatever sausage you’ve got, from chicken sausage to kielbasa.
- Naturally low-carb, and an easy one to lighten up or stretch with rice or bread.
➡️ Ingredients
👉 Easy ingredient swaps
- Sausage: Any fully-cooked sausage works — chicken sausage, smoked sausage, kielbasa, or Italian sausage. Use what your family likes.
- Cabbage: Green cabbage is classic, but savoy or even a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix works in a pinch and cooks down faster.
- Onion: Yellow, white, or red all work; shallot gives a milder, slightly sweeter bite.
- Cooking fat: The sausage drippings do most of the work, but a little butter, olive oil, or avocado oil helps the cabbage brown.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is best, but garlic powder stirred in at the end works if that’s what you have.
- A little heat: Swap in a spicy sausage, or add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the onion.
✨ Variations
- Add a starch: Stir in cooked rice or a can of drained white beans at the end to make it heartier.
- Bacon version: Cook a few strips of bacon first and use the fat to cook the cabbage, then crumble it back in.
- Apple and onion: Add a thinly sliced apple with the onion for a sweet-savory, fall-leaning take.
- Cheesy finish: Sprinkle shredded cheddar or Swiss over the top and cover the pan for a minute to melt.
- Brighten it: A splash of apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of mustard stirred in at the end wakes the whole thing up.
〰️ How to serve
- Over rice — Spoon it over lemon chicken rice or plain steamed rice to soak up the savory drippings and stretch it further.
- With mashed potatoes — A scoop of boursin mashed potatoes alongside turns this into a stick-to-your-ribs plate.
- With crusty bread — A hunk of bread is all you really need to round it out on a busy night.
- Make it a spread — Pair it with mac and cheese for an easy potluck or game-day table.
💬 FAQs
What kind of sausage works best?
Any fully-cooked sausage — chicken sausage, smoked sausage, kielbasa, or Italian sausage all work here. Use what your family likes. If you start with raw sausage, just brown it fully before you pull it out to cook the cabbage.
Can I use a whole head of cabbage?
Yes — this is a forgiving recipe. A small-to-medium head, about 4 to 6 cups chopped, is the sweet spot. If you’re using a big head, cook it in two batches so it sears and caramelizes instead of steaming.
How do I keep the cabbage from getting watery?
Give it room and don’t rush it. Cook the cabbage in the sausage drippings over medium-high heat without crowding the pan, and stir it only occasionally so it gets a chance to brown. Crowded cabbage steams; cabbage with room caramelizes.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
It keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and reheats beautifully in a skillet over medium heat. It’s a great make-ahead lunch, and honestly the flavors are even better the next day.
Can I make this a full meal?
It already is — it’s got protein and vegetables in one pan. But it’s also great served over rice, with mashed potatoes, or with crusty bread if you want to stretch it for a hungrier crowd.
Is cabbage and sausage low-carb?
As written, yes — cabbage is naturally low in carbs and the dish leans on sausage and onion, so it fits a lower-carb dinner without any special swaps. The full nutrition is in the recipe card below.
📚 More recipes to try
🍽 Recipe
Doing a weeknight dinner? My Maple Cranberry Pork Chops are another good one to add to the rotation.
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Cabbage and Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 10-ounce package fully-cooked chicken sausage, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 cups green cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Optional Garnishes:
- Freshly-cracked pepper
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook Sausage: In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, heat avocado oil. Once hot, add sliced sausages and cook until all sides are crispy. Then, using a spoon, transfer sausages to a plate. Set aside.
- Cook Cabbage: In same skillet, melt butter then add cabbage, onions, and spices. Cook until cabbage is lightly tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in apple cider vinegar then return sausage to skillet and stir.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove skillet from stovetop heat, garnish with pepper and parsley, then serve.
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