Fried Cabbage and Noodles Recipe - Budget Bytes (2024)

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Fried cabbage and noodles is simple comfort food at its finest! If you’re a fan of plain buttered noodles with salt and pepper, you’ve got to try adding caramelized onions and sautéed cabbage into the mix. Not only do the extra two ingredients add a lot of flavor and texture, it gives the meal a little balance as well, with the addition of a little vegetable matter. ;) This dish is still insanely easy and cheap, and makes a great side dish or base for a bigger meal.

Why are Fried Cabbage and Noodles SO GOOD??

It’s the butter. Well, the butter and the caramelized onions. That slightly sweet caramel flavor with the creamy butter and specks of salt and pepper sitting on the surface of the noodles is just to die for. The tender cabbage and delicate egg noodles can’t be overlooked either. This incredibly simple dish is just oozing with flavor and texture nuance. You just have to experience to get it.

What do You Serve with Fried Cabbage and Noodles?

Not only is this dish delicious and filling, but it’s very versatile. You can serve it as a side dish along side fresh or smoked sausage (kielbasa is especially good), pork chops, ham, or roast chicken. But you can also add ingredients into or on top of the fried cabbage and noodles to make it a sort of bowl meal. I like to top mine with a fried egg, but you can also brown some bacon or smoked sausage in the pot before you add the onion, and combine the sausage or bacon in with the cabbage and noodles.

How Long Does Cabbage and Noodles Last?

This dish does hold up pretty well in the refrigerator, keeping for about four days. But, as with any cabbage dish, it can begin to smell quite sulfurous as it refrigerates. Fried cabbage and noodles is not the best candidate for freezing because there is no real sauce to keep the noodles from drying.

Got leftover cabbage? Make our Cabbage Soup Recipe next!

How to Make Fried Cabbage and Noodles – Step by Step Photos

Begin by slicing one yellow onion into 1/4-inch strips. Add the sliced onion and 2 Tbsp cooking oil to a large pot.

Sauté the onions over medium to medium-high heat until they are soft and have browned on the edges. You really want that browning action to get the proper flavor, and this only happens if the heat is high enough that the moisture evaporates quickly as the onions sauté.

While the onions are sautéing, remove the core from 1/2 head of cabbage, then slice it into 1/2-inch wide strips. Err on the side of thinner strips of cabbage here because the larger the pieces the longer they’ll take to cook.

Add the sliced cabbage to the pot with a pinch of salt and about 1/4 cup water. Continue to sauté the cabbage until it has softened, about 15 minutes. Use the water to help dissolve the browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you stir. The water will also help steam and soften the cabbage.

Once you get the cabbage started, begin cooking the egg noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then once boiling, add 8 oz. wide egg noodles. Continue to boil until the noodles are tender (about 7 minutes). Drain the noodles in a colander.

Once the cabbage is tender, it’s time to assemble the dish.

Turn the heat off, add the cooked and drained noodles, 2 Tbsp butter, and a generous amount of salt and pepper to the pot with the cabbage.

Stir everything to combine and allow the residual heat to melt the butter. Give it one last taste and add more salt and pepper to your liking. You can even add a little crushed red pepper, if you like heat! Serve warm.

Simple, delicious, comfort!