I make these red cabbage and potatoes in a skillet with bacon, garlic, and thyme. There's blue cheese stirred through and toasted walnuts on top.
Red cabbage is a staple in my cooking, and red cabbage with potatoes and bacon is one of our favorite ways to eat it. It's a simple meal and already delicious on its own, but the blue cheese and walnuts make it feel a little fancy and very seasonal. We usually eat this as a main meal.
If you eat as much red cabbage as we do, try two more of our favorites, Red Cabbage Soup and Chicken and Red Cabbage.
Ingredients: 9 + oil, salt & pepper | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 | Difficulty: Easy
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Recipe ingredients
Red cabbage: We cook a lot of red cabbage here in Germany. One of our favorite side dishes is Red Cabbage with Red Wine, which we love to serve with Beef Roulades or German Goulash.
Potatoes: Plain all-purpose potatoes.
Bacon or pancetta: I often use lean diced bacon, which is easy to find here. Regular bacon cut into small pieces or diced pancetta works just as well.
Blue cheese: I use a soft, almost creamy blue cheese. I cut or break it into small pieces and let it melt a little in the hot skillet once I've turned off the heat. So good!
Walnuts: They add a bit of crunch and go so well with the blue cheese.
You'll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
How to make red cabbage and potatoes
Step #1: Cook potato cubes for 13-15 minutes, until almost tender, then drain them well.
Step #2: While the potatoes cook, remove the core and finely slice the red cabbage.
Step #3: Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet for 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan often. Transfer them to a plate as soon as they're done so they don't burn in the hot pan.
Step #4: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the chopped onion and bacon for about 3 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
Step #5: Add the potatoes, red cabbage, stock, herbs, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Step #6: Stir in the blue cheese and let it melt a little. Add the walnuts just before serving.
Tips
Adjust the oil to the bacon. I use about 2 tablespoons of oil with lean diced bacon. With regular bacon or pancetta, 1 tablespoon is usually enough. If it's particularly fatty, start it in the dry skillet and add the onion once there's enough fat in the pan to cook it.
Use the herbs you have. I often use dried thyme, but dried rosemary or herbes de Provence works well too.
If you want something on the side, a green salad with a mustard vinaigrette goes well with the bacon and blue cheese. If you're serving the cabbage and potatoes as a side dish, try them with roast chicken or pork chops.
Store and reheat
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat them within 3-4 days.
Reheat in a skillet with a splash of stock or water, or in the microwave, until they reach 165°F (74°C). If you know you'll have leftovers, keep some of the toasted walnuts separate and add them after reheating so they stay crunchy.
More cabbage recipes
Red Cabbage and Potatoes
Equipment
- Pot for cooking the potatoes
- Colander
- Small skillet for toasting the walnuts
- Large skillet
- Chef's knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs potatoes
- large pinch of salt for the potato water
- 1.7 lbs red cabbage
- â…“ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil or as needed, See Note
- 3½ ounces bacon or pancetta diced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, rosemary, or herbes de Provence
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock plus up to ¼ cup (60 ml) more if needed
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3½ ounces blue cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into roughly ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Put them in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil with the lid on. Add a large pinch of salt, then simmer for 13-15 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender. Drain well.1.5 lbs potatoes + large pinch of salt
- Slice the cabbage. While the potatoes cook, remove the tough core from the red cabbage and slice the cabbage thinly.1.7 lbs red cabbage
- Toast the walnuts. Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast for 3-5 minutes, shaking the skillet often, until golden and fragrant. Transfer them immediately to a plate.â…“ cup walnuts
- Sauté the onion and bacon. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat (See Note 1). Add the onion and bacon or pancetta and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the bacon starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.2 tablespoons oil + 3½ ounces bacon or pancetta + 1 onion + 2 garlic cloves
- Simmer the cabbage and potatoes. Add the potatoes, cabbage, dried herbs, stock, salt, and pepper. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage and potatoes are tender. If the potatoes need more time and the skillet is getting dry, add up to ¼ cup (60 ml) more stock and cook for another 3 minutes or until tender.potatoes + cabbage + 1 teaspoon dried thyme, rosemary, or herbes de Provence + ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the blue cheese. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the blue cheese. Let it melt a little, then scatter the toasted walnuts on top just before serving.3½ ounces blue cheese + walnuts
Notes
- Oil and bacon: Use 2 tablespoons of oil with very lean diced bacon. With regular bacon or pancetta, 1 tablespoon is usually enough. If it's fatty enough to cook the onion in the rendered fat, start the bacon or pancetta first and add the onion once some fat has rendered.
- Dried herbs:Â Thyme, rosemary, and herbes de Provence all work here. They all have a slightly different flavor, but they all work.
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