Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet

Name: Kielbasa and Cabbage
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 14 oz kielbasa rope (sliced); 2 tbsp olive oil (or any sauteing oil such a avocado or vegetable); 1 medium onion (chopped); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tbsp whole grain mustard (use Dijon mustard if you prefer); 1/4 tsp sea salt; Ground pepper to taste; 1 head cabbage (medium sized, cored and chopped (green cabbage, not purple)); 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional); 1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)

This simple Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet recipe is a classic Polish sausage dish that happens to be keto friendly. A quick and easy comfort food recipe featuring fried kielbasa sausage, onions and seasoned cabbage.

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This is one of my favorite kielbasa recipes and for a perfect low carb easy weeknight meal. You can also serve the cooked cabbage and sausages with a side dish of buttered egg noodles as a hearty family dinner. If you love kielbasa, this is a must try meal.

Fried Kielbasa and Cabbage: Polish Comfort Food

Polish kielbasa smoked sausage and cabbage are a traditional combination (as is the sausage with sauerkraut). The skillet dinner is classic Polish comfort food. Unlike most old school dishes, this is not a heavy meal.

I used regular pork kielbasa to make the skillet. Use turkey kielbasa to lighten the meal even more and reduce saturated fat. I personally have not seen a chicken sausage version, but I suppose something like a chicken andouille sausage would work out.

If you want something a bit more hearty, try my Pierogies and Kielbasa or my pan-fried potato and kielbasa recipe. Both are quite popular.

Kielbasa Cabbage Keto Combo!

It is actually low carb (7 net grams of carb). There are not potatoes or pasta, cabbage makes up the bulk of the plate, with a normal sized serving of kielbasa nestled in the chopped sautéed seasoned cabbage with onion and garlic.

If you are being super strict on Keto, you may wish to swap 1 tablespoon onion powder and a ½ teaspoon of garlic powder for the fresh versions. Doing this will save you about 10 grams in the overall dish and roughly 2 per serving. Making the low carb dinner approximately 5 net carbs per serving.

sauteed cabbage and kielbasa — *Sautéed cabbage and kielbasa makes a great easy dinner.*

Quick Budget Comfort Food

This is a 20 minute dinner from start to finish, if you are relatively fast at chopping.

Plan on another 5 minutes, if you are slower with your knife skills. Either way, the speed of preparation makes this a great recipe to prepare for a weeknight dinner.

Another benefit of this pan fried kielbasa and cabbage skillet recipe is it's low cost. Kielbasa is nor particularly expensive and cabbage is cheap.

How to Make Kielbasa and Cabbage

This one pan meal is not complicated at all. I'll walk you through it here and there is a video included if anything is unclear. The printable recipe card can be found below.

The recipe makes 6 servings.

Prep Time: 5 mins | Cooking Time: 15 mins | Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients You Need

Here is everything you need to make this simple and delicious kielbasa cabbage skillet.

Kielbasa and cabbage skillet ingredients

14 oz kielbasa rope, sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil (or any sautéing oil such a avocado or vegetable)
1 medium onion, chopped (I used a sweet onion)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (use Dijon mustard if you prefer)
¼ teaspoon sea or Kosher salt or season with salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
medium head of green cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)*
½ teaspoon caraway seeds ***optional I personally loathe caraway seeds, perhaps because my mom used too much caraway seed in her cooking. Dill seeds are another option.
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes ***optional

*Chicken broth or bone broth can be swapped for the vinegar if you prefer.

Preparation

Now let's get to cooking this delicious dinner!

Polish smoked sausage — *kielbasa polish smoked sausage sliced*

If you haven't already, slice the sausage, core and chop the cabbage, chop the onion and mince the garlic. I like to cut the sausage on a slight diagonal.

Removing the core of the head of cabbage before chopping, helps with even cooking. The core is quite tough, if only fried.

Place a Dutch oven or deep very large skillet or over medium high heat. Pour in half the oil and add kielbasa. Sauté for about 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally to render fat and lightly brown the edges of kielbasa slices. Remove the sausage to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.

Add onion and garlic in the pan along with the whole grain mustard, salt and black pepper. Sauté for about 2 minutes. This is also when you would add the red pepper flakes if you are using them.

Once lightly browned, add cabbage a bit at a time, mixing to coat as you do. Once it is all in the pan, reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook cabbage for about 6-7 minutes, stirring a couple times to evenly cook.

polish sausage Skillet with sautéed cabbage — *crisp tender cabbage with polish smoked sausage*

Remove the lid and pour in the apple cider vinegar. Toss, then dump the kielbasa back in the pot. Mix and cook another minute, uncovered. The cabbage with be tender, yet still have a slight crispness.

Season the kielbasa and cabbage with more salt and pepper to taste if you like and serve immediately. I advise you actually taste, as there is already salty kielbasa in the dish.

low carb kielbasa recipe — *In this kielbasa skillet, cabbage takes the place of typical high carb ingredients like noodles or potato.*

Variations on the Recipe

As with all classic recipes, there are many common variations. Here are some you may like to adjust this comforting dish:

For speed and convenience, use pre-shredded cabbage, coleslaw mix or even shredded brussels sprouts to make the dish. The results will be more in an "egg roll in a bowl" style, and while I prefer the larger slices, it does save time, both in cutting and cooking.
Add bacon or turkey bacon pieces when frying the kielbasa for even more meaty flavor!
Some readers like to add green pepper or thinly sliced carrots.

What to Serve with Kielbasa and Cabbage

There are so many yummy options to complete this satisfying meal! Here are a few:

Noodles - As mentioned above cooked egg noodles are a popular choice to serve with this recipe. The cooked noodles can even be tossed into the mixture.
Potato sides - Baked potato, roasted baby potatoes or mashed potatoes are a good choices. I am particularly found of yellow or red potatoes with the smoked sausages. Try my crockpot mashed potato recipe or crispy oven fried potato wedges.
Pierogies are a great traditional side with Polish sausage and cabbage. Serve them either fried, steamed, boiled or try air frying pierogies.
Brown or white rice with a little butter is a simple side dish solution that works. The cooked rice can also be stir fried with the sausages and cabbage, if you have a large enough skillet.
For those looking for low carb sides, team the dish with cauliflower rice pilaf, roasted turnips, cauliflower tots, Konjac noodles or keto bread.
Mustard and horseradish are traditional condiments served with the sausage. Of course, a nice big dollop of sour cream is a delicious topping for this kielbasa dish too. Try my seasoned sour cream with it.

Leftovers

Store any leftover kielbasa and cabbage skillet dinner in an airtight container promptly after cooling. It will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. [ref]

Q&A

Can Kielbasa and Cabbage be Frozen?

No I don't recommend freezing the sausage and cabbage recipe. Cooked cabbage tends to get mushy and unappetizing when frozen.

Is cabbage with Kielbasa keto friendly?

Yes.
The high fat content of Kielbasa actually makes it a good choice for the ketogenic diet. It is also high in sodium, which many keto dieters find beneficial.
Be sure to check labels though as carb counts will vary based on brand, and some may not be good choices.
Cabbage is a great vegetable choice for anyone watching their carbs and eating keto due to it's low net carb content. Cruciferous veggies have a good deal of health benefits and cabbage when lightly sauteed, as in this recipe maintains a nice crunchy texture.

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