Comfort Cabbage

This smothered cabbage recipe is perfect for any time of the year, but it's always a hit in the late fall and early winter because it has a nice kick that will warm you up. I make this year round, and it is one of my favorite easy meals to make that I learned from friends when I lived in the South in my early 20's. It's also budget friendly! You can make a huge pot of this for about $15, and it tastes amazing and isn't full of preservatives or fast food junk. For a healthier option, I often use chicken sausage instead of pork andouille.

This is a super easy meal, requiring only four main ingredients. I always add bell peppers to mine however, I just didn't have a picture of a pepper that wasn't already sliced! The Cajun seasoning adds all the salt and heat that you'll need.

The first step is to take your andouille sausages and slice them up to the texture that you prefer. I like a mixture, so i slice mine into both thin and thick pieces. Add the sliced sausages to a hot pan with a little cooking oil. I prefer to cook everything on cast iron, but use whatever you have and prefer. Cook until they start to brown and crisp up a little.

While your sausages are browning in the pan, slice up the onions and bell peppers. I like thin slices as they tend to sauté a bit quicker and release a lot of flavor. Once sliced, dump them into the pan with the sausages. Add in the Cajun seasoning. I personally like spicy, so I might be using more than someone else would but use as much as you prefer.

Once your onions and peppers have sautéed to your desired texture, add in the thinly sliced cabbage. It will look like a lot, but the cabbage will cook down quicky once it starts to cook.

Give everything a good stir, and continue mixing everything up periodically for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on what texture you prefer. Remember, all the seasoning you need is already in the pan, its easy to over season and make it too spicy. I'm speaking from multiple experiences.

After a few minutes, the cabbage cooks down and the whole meal looks like this. If you like softer vegetables, cook for longer. I prefer soft peppers and onions with firmer cabbage so that there's a little crunch. Once your desired texture is reached, enjoy!