Skillet Fried Cabbage

A healthy and delicious side, Skillet Fried Cabbage is super flavourful and uses the most basic ingredients to create a filling and hearty dish! Combining aromatics like onion and garlic with tomato paste and roasted bell peppers, guarantees a quick and easy weeknight side that everyone will love!

Do you go all out for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? We don’t do the green beer-drinking thing, but we do have an Irish meal, that’s for sure! I used to always prepare either this Irish Colcannon Soup or my traditional colcannon mash. Last year, I made this Beef Guinness Gravy, but this year, I’m trying a few sides, including this Skillet Fried Cabbage.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those days that everyone seems to enjoy, whether they are Irish or not. North American bars and pubs are well stocked with beer. There’s green food on every menu. And, people wear as much green clothing as they can!

I’m just all about the food! So, every year, I try to get a new recipe posted that showcases the colour green or can fit into Irish cuisine. A few years ago, I made my Frosted Two Bite Brownies. And, the year before that, I made my Glazed Lime Donuts with Toasted Coconut. In 2017, it was the Shamrock Nanaimo Squares – they were so addictive and delicious!

Do you have any traditional St. Patrick’s Day food items that you prepare for your family? Even though I am of Irish descent, our main food item is limited to colcannon. But, that’s because we love it so much!

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY?

For years, I would think of St. Patrick’s Day as a day to wear green clothes and to eat green food. I never really thought anything of it! Honestly, I think many of us who celebrate it in some way are like that. Do you know why St. Patrick’s Day is so significant to the Irish?

St. Patrick’s Day is a day in celebration of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Born in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned later to convert the Irish to Christianity.

By the time of his death on March 17, 461, he had established monasteries, churches, and schools. He is credited with driving snakes out of Ireland. Many believe this to mean that he removed wrong-doers and sin from the country.

Also, it is believed that he used the shamrock to explain the trinity to the Irish People. The three leaves of the shamrock represented the father, the son, and the holy spirit.

So, perhaps more obviously, when Irish emigrants spread to North America, they brought with them their stories, traditions, and celebrations. Whether you’re Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day has most certainly influenced your life at some point or another!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Olive Oil – I always use extra virgin light olive oil so that the flavour is muted.  Olive oil has a high heat tolerance, so it’s perfect for sautéing.
• Butter
• Cabbage – You can use a regular green cabbage or a savoy cabbage, which is one of my favourites.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic – Fresh garlic will result in the best flavour every single time. 
• Onion – I’m using dried minced onion here.
• Water
• Roasted Red Bell Peppers – You can buy these in a jar at most grocery stores, but you can easily make them at home in literally 10 minutes. Here’s how I do it!
• Tomato Paste
• Parsley

HOW TO MAKE SKILLET FRIED CABBAGE

Measure the olive oil and butter into a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted into the oil, add the cabbage, salt, ground black pepper, garlic, dried minced onion, and water. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes or until the cabbage has wilted and softened. Add the roasted red bell peppers and tomato paste. Toss well with the cabbage. Continue to fry the cabbage, stirring often, for an additional 5 minutes. Once cooked, turn off the heat, add the parsley, and stir into the cabbage and peppers. Plate and garnish. Enjoy!

ROASTED RED PEPPERS

Many recipes can benefit from the smokiness and concentrated bell pepper flavour.  And, Dear Reader, nothing is easier than roasting red peppers.  If you like peppers as much as we do, then I do encourage you to make your own. Roasted Red Peppers require you to char them, which is most commonly done by means of an open flame. but, you can get the same result with the help of a very hot oven and a little patience.

If you are not inclined to make Roasted Red Peppers at home, the kind you buy at the store in jars is perfectly fine.  I grow lots of red bell peppers in my backyard during the summer months, so I learned to can them so that I have roasted bell peppers in my pantry all winter. If you’re interested in canning some too, you can find the recipe here.

Let’s talk about roasted red peppers.  I’m not a fan of bell peppers in any colour unless they are well cooked.  I find that in their raw state, they taste like soil.  Also, I’m one of those rare people who experience heartburn or indigestion after eating bell peppers, which I have learned is the result of eating the skin on the pepper.

Roasting peppers certainly takes care of this problem, because the roasting process, which cooks the peppers at a very high temperature, blisters the skin and you remove it quite easily.  The flesh of the pepper loses that soil-y taste (for me, anyway!) and becomes sweeter, and smokey, and develops an almost spreadable texture.  I absolutely love it!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!