Quick, one-pan, stir-fried dinner meal prepared with cabbage and bacon. A beginner-friendly, flavor-packed, budget-friendly meal for busy weeknights.
A one-pan Asian-inspired spiced skillet meal with cabbage and bacon as the star ingredients.
This is a speedy dinner meal idea that is perfect all year long. I prepare it when I’m late, in a hurry, or starving.
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TL; Dr
This bacon and cabbage dish was initially inspired by my fast chicken and cabbage stir fry.
Minimal ingredients, but it’s a flavorful dish that won’t disappoint whether you love cabbage with bacon or classic Asian flavor combinations.
Ingredient Notes
- Cabbage — chopped white, green, or purple cabbage. I use about ½ a white cabbage head. You may switch the cabbage with napa cabbage (aka Chinese cabbage) too, and in that case you can reduce the cooking time at the end, since napa cabbage cooks through faster.
- Oil — I use either a neutral vegetable oil as in canola or sunflower oil or a more flavor Asian oil such as a sesame oil or a peanut oil.
- Bacon Cubes or pieces — I prefer lean bacon pieces. You can get salted or unsalted bacon, and in that case you will have to adjust the salt flavors at the end.
- Sugar — Helps balance out the other savory, umami, tangy, and salty flavors.
- I am Sauce — A common liquid dark soy sauce, such as Kikkoman will do. You can try other soy sauce types too, such as a Thai mushroom soy sauce.
- Vinegar — To balance out the flavors. Get a rice vinegar, or a white wine vinegar can do the trick too.
- Salt — Very optional. Taste first to see if your dish even needs salt. Soy sauce and bacon can be salty enough.
- Chili Flakes — To top off your meal to give it a spicy kick and for the aesthetics. You can adjust the quantity.
Process Overview
Step 1
Chop the fresh cabbage.
Step 2
Fry the bacon in oil in a skillet crisp.
Add the seasoning, the sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar.
Step 3
Stir in cabbage, and sauté until soft.
Adjust salt seasoning and top with chili flakes.
📖 Recipe
Spiced Asian Cabbage Bacon Skillet Recipe
Quick, one-pan, stir-fried dinner meal prepared with cabbage and bacon. A beginner-friendly, flavor-packed, budget-friendly meal for busy weeknights.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 254kcal
Instructions
-
Roughly chop up half of a clean cabbage head. Keep aside.
½ Head Cabbage
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Heat your skillet with the oil and stir in the bacon. Fry the bacon for a few minutes over a medium-high heat setting until they are a bit crisp.
1 Tablespoon Oil, ¾ Cup Bacon Cubes
-
Reduce the stove heat to the lowest setting or take it from the heat temporarily and stir in the sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Mix it all in over a medium heat setting until the sugar has melted.
1 Teaspoon Sugar, 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce, 1 Tablespoon Vinegar
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Add the cabbage to the skillet and keep on a high heat setting. Mix it a bit and watch the cabbage reduce a bit in size so that you can start to stir-fry the cabbage with 2 spatulas. Cook down cabbage and control the heat until the cabbage looks cooked.
-
Take from the heat and adjust salt seasoning if needed (bacon and soy sauce are salty).
Pinch Salt
-
Top with red chili pepper flakes and serve up hot.
2 Teaspoons Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Spiced Asian Cabbage Bacon Skillet Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 254
Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Trans Fat 0.03g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 61mg20%
Sodium 1896mg79%
Potassium 217mg6%
Carbohydrates 7G2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 961IU19%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 53mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Storing
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container.
You are better off preparing it from scratch than freezing this bacon and cabbage meal.
Yet, to make meal prepping easier for the week or weeks ahead, you may freeze it in batches.
