Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet
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!
Servings: 4
Calories: 453kcal
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 12 ounces pork kielbasa* or beef
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns or ground pepper is fine!
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small head cabbage or half of a large cabbage
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole mustard
Instructions
- Sear the kilebasa. Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat and let preheat for 2 minutes.
- Slice 12 ounces kielbasa into rounds.
- When the pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl to coat. Add the kielbasa slices in a single layer. Do not crowd them too much, or they won't get brown. Let them sear over medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes until well seared. Use tongs to flip each round of sausage. Make sure you are flipping, not stirring!
- Sear the other side of the sausage for another 2 minutes until browned. Turn the heat down to medium if it's getting black before browning. Repeat with more batches of sausage if you couldn't fit it all in the first time. Remove all the sausage to a plate and set aside.
- Prep the veggies: While the sausage is cooking, chop the onion. Slice the small cabbage in half, then slice in half again along the core. Chop out the core. Slice the cabbage, then turn and chop the other way (see photos). Smash and mince 4 cloves of garlic.
- Cook the veggies: Add 2 tablespoons butter to the same pan. While it melts, use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned sausage bits.
- Add 1 chopped onion, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to the onions.
- Add 1 chopped small green cabbage to the skillet. Sprinkle the cabbage with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage is starting to wilt but looks like it still needs 1 more minute.
- Add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for one minute, stirring it in.
- Add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard. (or dijon mustard is a good sub.)
- Add all the seared sausages to the pan, including any juice that has settled. Stir well and let cook for another minute or so, until the sausage is heated through.
- Serve hot, with Horseradish Sauce! It's so good with a crusty side of Quick French Bread and maybe some White Rice or Brown Rice. Ooh and a Fruit Salad would be good too!
- Storage: Add cooled leftovers to an airtight container and store in fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- Freezing: I don't recommend freezing, cabbage can get weird on you. But you can do it. Put the leftovers in a ziplock freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
*You can use 14 or 16 ounces of sausage for this recipe. No one is going to complain if there is more sausage!
Nutrition
Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Potassium: 580mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 656IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
