Porktastic Cabbage & Kielbasa
Since pork sausage tends to be very lean these days, we started this dish by cooking up some bacon and browned the sausage in the drippings (yum!). This step is optional, but highly recommended! If you prefer not to use bacon, you can substitute a drizzle of olive oil. Try to use the best pork products available--the better the bacon and sausage, the better this dish is.
by: Three Many Cooks
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 2 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 ½ lbs. kielbasa, cut at a slight diagonal into ½-inch slices
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup beer (anything will do)
- ¼ cup mustard, preferably spicy brown or deli-style
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 lbs. green cabbage, sliced
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large soup kettle set over low heat, fry the bacon until it is very crisp and the fat has rendered. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Remove all but 2 tablespoon of the bacon fat and increase the heat to medium-high. Working in batches, sauté the sausage until brown on both sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add the onions and carrots and sauté until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, rosemary, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste; continue to cook until fragrant, about another minute. Add the beer, mustard, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Return the sausage to the pot, crumble in the bacon, and simmer to develop flavor, 2-3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf, stir in the cider vinegar, and season again with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve hot with big hunks of bread to sop up the delicious sauce!
This sounds so good I am heading to Illgs to buy the “good” bacon & kielbasa. I’m going to make enough to share, and along with giving the wonderful dish I will share your story. Dinner, with a side of entertainment about how the recipe came to be. Thank you!
I’ve been craving cabbage lately and this recipe looks like it’ll take care of it!
I’m a newcomer to the Cabbage Cravers Club- I used to think it took forever to cook and was rather smelly. Not so! I’ve found it to be mild and on the sweet side, easy to prep and quick to cook. (Of course it is a mainstay in Chinese cuisine, and believe it or not I like it as an component in enchiladas). This Porktastic recipe looks like it delivers slow cook flavor in weeknight time- perfect for the transition to fall when temps are high but those comfort cravings have begun. Thanks!
I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC. Really, truly, one of the best meals I’ve made in a while. It’s going into regular rotation.
Needs noodles!
I make similar but with egg noodles too.
It’s an old German dish. Pork and/or sausage if you are doing well. Maybe some bits of leftover meat, or if you’re really stretching your household budget just the leftover pork fat left in the pan from a prior meal. But delicious, just the same.
I make a very similar dish as one of my quick go-to suppers except I toss all the veggies & seasonings togteher with some olive oil in a stoneware baking dish and slice up some Mennonite farmers sausage on top and throw the whole thing in the oven. I often cheat and use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix.
Easy peasy and yummy
Hey!
Great post! I came by this post through a google email alert and love the name of the recipe because it happens to be the name of our blog! Would you mind if I make a post on our blog with the recipe and also give a link to your blog? We love anything ‘porktastic’ and would love to share it! 🙂
No kidding…that photo is emitting a luscious aroma—I want some!!!
But you really should try some Himalayan pink salt. I get mine (and organic peppercorns) from Sustainable Sourcing https://secure.sustainablesourcing.com. The flavor is so much better than regular salt!
Thanks for sharing this recipe—I can’t wait to try it! (back to drooling!)
ohh….that looks so good! I’m gon gto try it this week!
Oh my. Its just starting to cool down enough here that i have more winter-y meals on the brain. This looks like perfection!