Kielbasa and cabbage go together like salt and pepper! My whole family loves this quick and EASY 30 minute Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet! Sear the sausage until it’s blackened, then saute cabbage in enough butter that you are not sure it’s healthy anymore (it is! it is!) Season with whole grain mustard and apple cider vinegar, and boom that’s it. It’s SO good with Horseradish sauce drizzled over the top!

Sliced, browned sausage is served over sautéed cabbage and onions in a black skillet, garnished with fresh parsley. A wooden spoon rests in the pan, and a woven mat is partially visible underneath.

On Christmas morning when I was little, my mom would always make a special breakfast for everyone. She would carefully slice a kielbasa sausage into rounds, space them out on a paper-towel-lined plate, and microwave it until hot. (This was in the 90s, when everyone was trying to make food as nonfat as possible!)

It was my absolute favorite. If I had tried kielbasa seared in oil until it’s nearly blackened, with it’s crisp, savory edges, I would never have been able to go back to the microwave, ha! (Props to my mom though, for making fun memories for us while she was juggling 5 kids, night school, and a job. Whew!)

I love today’s recipe for Kielbasa and Cabbage because it’s kind of like a cheater way to get the flavors of Corned Beef and Cabbage. You know, minus the 8-hour slow cook?? Win. I love Corned Beef, and I especially love the cabbage, but it’s a process and is usually only available seasonally. This recipe mimics the flavors beautifully and is done in 30 minutes!!

Close-up of sautéed sausage slices with caramelized edges, cooked cabbage, and onions, topped with a drizzle of creamy sauce and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

A few weeks ago Eric and I went out for our Saturday night date, and our 13-year-old son Truman was babysitting the younger kids. He fed them leftovers from the fridge, got their teeth brushed, and got them into bed.

The next morning was church, which is always a rush. We made it out the door in time, but Valentine, who is 9, kept complaining that she was sooooo hungry. I found out she hadn’t eaten any breakfast, but on top of that, she told me that Truman had given them nothing but cabbage for dinner the night before.

This was leftover cabbage from when we had Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, but all the beef was gone. No wonder she was starving!! I mean, I love a good sauteed cabbage, but you need some protein!! I wonder what stories are going to come out in the coming years about the horrors of my children’s youth, where they had to eat nothing but cabbage for dinner.

I love today’s recipe in all it’s cabbage-ness, but please, do NOT hold the sausage!!

A bowl of sautéed cabbage and sliced sausage, topped with a drizzle of creamy white sauce, served with two slices of toasted bread and garnished with fresh parsley.

Your new favorite dinner is addictive

If you’d asked me as a child if I would ever find cabbage in any form addictive, I’d have laughed in your face. But as an adult? I can go back for bite after bite of this stuff! Here’s why I love it:

FAST. Guys I’m telling you, you can have this on the table in 30 minutes. Pop some bread in the toaster, or a quick salad, and you are good to go.
Crowd pleaser. Kids like it. No for real, they do, just ask my 4. I mean sure, they might fight a little bit over who gets more sausage, but easy, fix, just double the sausage!
Low Carb! “Is butter a carb?” (Name that movie!!) Haha. Hardly any carbs in this weeknight meal, which is amazing if you are trying to watch your waistline!
Cheap. This meal is super budget friendly. Grocery prices these days, amiright?? Agh
Horseradish Sauce is a game changer. The recipe is good on it’s own, but who’s going to say no to a little saucy-sauce? Not this girl. It brings everything together perfectly, adding a spicy kick to boot.

Sliced, browned sausage pieces and cooked cabbage garnished with fresh herbs in a skillet, showing a savory and hearty meal.

Ingredients to know about

It’s a simple dish, but these ingredients are what make it so dang good. Let’s talk about them!

Kielbasa is a Polish smoked sausage that is usually pork or beef, fully cooked, and has lots of seasonings in it. It is SO delicious and the distinctive flavor really makes this dish. Sometimes I buy pork kielbasa, sometimes I buy beef kielbasa. Which you buy doesn’t matter as much as getting the best you can afford. It will really make a difference!
- You can use any kind of sausage you like for this recipe though. Chicken sausage, Italian, whatever you want! Just make sure it gets fully cooked, if you buy raw sausage.
Cabbage, the world’s cheapest, humblest vegetable. Get the plain ol’ head of green cabbage and be blown away by how magical it becomes.
Butter saves the day AGAIN and turns anything it touches into deliciousness. In this case, cabbage.

How to make kielbasa and cabbage skillet

Okay guys let’s go through this, this recipe is suuuuper easy. Here’s everything you need!

A display of ingredients for a sausage and cabbage dish: cabbage, onion, garlic, spices, vinegar, and a package of beef Polska kielbasa. Below, the kielbasa is sliced on a cutting board with a knife.

Start by slicing up your sausage. I like to slice on a bias, because fancy. 😂 okay but also it really does give you more surface area for browning. GIMME THE BROWN.

Do you like how my hot plate that we are cooking everything on during our kitchen renovation only cooks in the center?? Ha.

Sliced sausage pieces being cooked in a skillet with tongs, and then served browned and crispy on a white plate.

Do you think my sausage is too black? YOU’RE WRONG. Yum this stuff is gold.

Ok now chop your cabbage in half, like a ninja.

Two images showing a cabbage being cut on a wooden board. The first image shows a cabbage sliced into wedges with a knife nearby. The second shows a hand holding a cabbage wedge while cutting off the core.

Get the core out. Turn and slice.

Two images show a half head of cabbage being sliced on a wooden cutting board with a large knife beside it. The cabbage is cut into thin strips, with loose pieces scattered around.

Turn again and chop it up. It’s easy peasy!

Add some butter to the same pan from before, and for heaven’s sake use some elbow grease to stir up those browned bits!! Flavor powerhouses!! Mitochondria level powerhouses!!! I think that’s the only thing I remember from AP Bio guys.

Two images: The top shows a pat of butter melting with pepper in a black cast iron skillet. The bottom shows the same skillet now filled with chopped onions, ready to be cooked.

Toss your onions in the pan, add all the spices on top. You can go wild on the spices here! I decided to go in a smokey-paprika-peppercorn direction, but you do you. Italian herbs would be good!

Two images show chopped onions cooking in a cast iron skillet. The top image includes a pile of spices and two bay leaves in the center, while the bottom image shows the spices mixed in with the softened onions and a wooden spoon.

Yes, I added whole peppercorns to my skillet. I think whole peppercorns are underrated. Like, why you gotta smash, bro? They are so good as is. They flavor the whole dish, and soften as they cook. Then when you bite into one it’s this magical POP of heat and flavor. If this sounds terrible to you, don’t stress, just use ground pepper haha. But I’m telling you! Try it out!

(I fell in love with this idea when I bought marinated goat cheese from Costco that was made in New Zealand. It had whole peppercorns in it, that had softened with the marinade. It was SOOO good. I ate all the peppercorns in the jar before the cheese was gone, so I just poured in some more of my own peppercorns. Now I’m obsessed!)

Okay, after a few minutes, add in your cabbage. Don’t forget the salt!

Two images show a cast-iron skillet on a marble countertop. The first image displays chopped cabbage being added to sautéed onions. The second image shows the cabbage and onions mixed and being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Then add in some garlic.

Two images show a cast iron skillet with sautéed cabbage. The first image has minced garlic on top and a wooden spoon. The second image shows a hand holding a spoon, pouring liquid over the cooked cabbage mixture.

And some apple cider vinegar, and some whole grain mustard!

Two images show a skillet filled with sautéed cabbage. In the first, a hand adds a spoonful of mustard. In the second, sliced, browned sausage has been added on top of the cooked cabbage mixture.

Then, add all the sausage back in the pan and stir it up.

A bowl of sautéed cabbage and sliced sausage garnished with parsley, served with two slices of toasted bread. Fresh herbs and seasonings are scattered around on a woven placemat.

THAT’S IT guys. It really is as easy as it looks! I’m obsessed with this low carb meal! I hope you love it too!

What to serve with an easy skillet dinner

The nice thing about this dinner is that if you’re really crunched for time, it already has meat and veggies and can count as the whole meal if you need it to. But, if you want to round out the meal or make those servings stretch, here are a few great side dish ideas! You can also look at the Side Dish Recipes page for even more ideas.

Sweet and Moist Cornbread Recipe >> perfect for eating alongside or even scooping up some of that sausage goodness
French Carrot Salad >> if you’re wanting to add a light side that isn’t greens, this is a great option
The Very Best Fruit Salad >> this would be an amazing contrast to the cabbage and sausage!

A close-up of a bowl filled with sautéed cabbage, onions, and sliced, browned sausage, garnished with chopped herbs. The dish has a rustic, hearty appearance.

How to store leftovers

Add any cooled leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for no more than 4-5 days. It will reheat best in a skillet for 3-5 minutes until hot, or you can microwave a serving at 50% power for 1-2 minutes.

While it is totally safe to do, I do not suggest freezing this meal. The sauteed cabbage could get quite soggy during the freezing and reheating proces. If you do decide to freeze leftovers, add them to a ziplock freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator over night and reheat in a skillet on the stove until hot and and all liquid is cooked out.