Cabbage is such a humble vegetable, isn’t it? It’s economical and unassuming but if you give it just a little attention, it turns into something so flavorful and slightly sweet. This Southern Fried Cabbage is possibly my favorite way to prepare it – quick, easy, and totally no-fuss, it turns out a sweet and tender side dish (with plenty of salty, crispy bacon for good measure) every single time.

You start with the bacon. (Isn’t that always a nice place to start?) You want to brown up the bacon until it’s nice and crispy and then set it aside but leave all the drippings in the pan.

See, the cabbage is going to cook down in the drippings so that there really is bacon flavor in every bite. Onion and garlic take a turn in the pan first, and then all that chopped cabbage gets added and cooks down until it’s soft and tender, which should only take about ten minutes.

The bacon rejoins the party and then you’re ready to serve.

That’s only twenty to thirty minutes of your time, depending on how fast of a chopper you are, which makes it an excellent option when you haven’t planned in advance. I turn to this as a side often when I haven’t thought ahead – it’s one of those great “emergency” recipes to have in your back pocket since it comes together quickly with ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. (It doesn’t hurt that it’s totally delicious, too.)