Fried cabbage is always a side-show winner, but adding salty bacon and cream makes it next level delicious. This is actually my FAVOURITE side dish to serve up with roast beef. It compliments it just perfectly. It goes with all other roasts too but it really sings when served with beef. If you love to go all out for your roasts, or if you are cooking for a special occasion - you need to jump on this creamy bacon and cabbage side!
How to Make My Creamy Cabbage and Bacon Side
Watch me make this Creamy Bacon and Cabbage Side step-by-step before or as you cook.
Prep Ahead
When you’re cooking a roast, you’re always juggling side dishes so anything you can prep in advance will take the pressure off at cook time. You can slice, wash and dry the cabbage in advance and store it in a sealed bag or food container. You can also dice up the bacon earlier in the day and refrigerate in a sealed food bag or container.
Ingredients
I’ve said to use white cabbage here, but you can also use any cabbage if you can’t get that. It’s just worth bearing in mind that other cabbages tend to have less leaves and so will make a smaller amount. And if you use a cabbage like savoy, there will be a difference in the texture but the taste will be just as good.
You’ll notice that I’ve not added any salt to the recipe, we’re going to let the bacon do all that salty work here.
My Creamy Bacon and Cabbage Side Pairs Perfectly With…
Feed a Crowd
You can double this recipe no problem, just be sure to cook it in an extra large saucepan as the cabbage will take up a ton of room to start with. After a short while of cooking, the cabbage will start to wilt, making it much easier to stir.
Storing My Creamy Bacon and Cabbage Side
You can store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (2 + cook day). You can also freeze leftovers, just be sure to defrost them for 24 hours in the fridge before reheating and you might want to add a drop of water in before you microwave them and stir half-way through.
For more on safe food storage and reheating read here >
Diet Details
My Creamy Cabbage and Bacon Side dish is nut-free and gluten free. To make it diary-free, just leave out the cream, it’ll still be yummy.
Adapting My Creamy Bacon and Cabbage Side for Your Family
Eating together is beneficial for families of all ages and stages, for a multitude of reasons; nutritional, behavioural, psychological and for healthy family functioning. This section will show you how to tweak this Creamy Bacon and Cabbage recipe for sharing with a weaning baby, toddler or a fussy eater, to help make it easier for you to eat together as a family.
Keeping Picky Eaters Happy
Cabbage is a tricky one! Many even non-fussy eaters won’t like cabbage. Having said that though, you want to get to a place where your picky eater will eat pretty much anything so it’s worth a try. The salty bacon (as long as they are over 1 year old) might be enough to coax them into eating it. If it’s creamy sauces they don’t like, dish up their cabbage right before you add in the cream.
See more from me on fussy eaters here >
Make it Baby and Toddler Friendly
If you are serving to little ones, I recommend you take out some cabbage for them right before you add in the cream. Under 1’s shouldn’t have processed meat so leave behind any bacon pieces when you dish theirs up.
How to Serve to Babies and Toddlers
For baby-led weaning, serve the cabbage strips as they are, baby can palm these.
SPOON FEEDING
If you are spoon-feeding, here’s how I recommend you prepare their serving:
6 months
Roughly chop the cabbage and add to your stick blender pot (or food chopper if you have one that purées), along with the rest of their meal and whizz until smooth. Add a little warm boiled water to loosen and a drop of gravy or some low-salt stock.
7-12 months
Add the cabbage along with the rest of baby’s meal to your food chopper and whizz until finely chopped for 7-9 month olds, or go for a more lumpy, chopped consistency for 10-12 month olds. Add a little warm boiled water and a drop of gravy to loosen as needed.
1 year +
Using a sharp knife and fork, slice through the cabbage to make it more manageable.
I’ve also added these notes at the bottom of the recipe so you have them to hand when you come to cook.
See more on how I keep my family meals baby & toddler friendly here >
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CREAMY CABBAGE AND BACON SIDE
Equipment
- Chef’s knife + chopping board
- Salad spinner or large sieve / colander
- 1 mini prep bowl
- Large saucepan + cooking spoon
Ingredients
- 120 g smoked bacon diced ½ inch
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white cabbage
- 1 tablespoon water
- 15 g / 1 tablespoon butter slightly salted or salted
- 150 ml double cream
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the cabbage in half and cut out the bottom core. Roughly slice into ½ inch strips. Submerge in a large bowl of cold water for a thorough wash and then drain using a large sieve or salad spinner.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan over a medium-low heat for around 2 minutes. Add the bacon and fry, stirring often for 3 minutes or until opaque, not browned.
- Add the butter and when bubbling add the cabbage and water. Reduce the heat to low and cover for 5 minutes. Then uncover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often and making sure nothing gets browned.
- Next, stir through the cream and black pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often, to thicken the cream.
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