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Cabbage & Kielbasa Skillet
This dish comes together so easily making it a perfect weeknight dinner, or a make ahead dish for meal prepping. It is low carb but can be easily extended into a larger meal by adding rice or potatoes. I suggest chopping all the ingredients in advance so the preparation goes even faster.
Using a fresh head of Cabbage and good quality Kielbasa is important! I am lucky enough to be able to snag each from my weekly Farmer’s Market, but even if it is from the grocery store be sure to pick a quality sausage, it makes all the difference.
Ingredients:
- 4 links Kielbasa Sausages or 1 large whole Kielbasa “U” sliced into small slices
- 1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion chopped
- 1/2 Head of Cabbage sliced into ribbons
- 1 Cup Bone Broth (or your favorite Stock)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Tablespoon Dried Sage
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Dill Weed
- 1/4 Teaspoon Allspice
- Pork Lard or Butter for cooking
First place Pork Lard (or Butter) in a cast iron skillet and grease liberally. Heat on medium-high heat. Once hot, place Kielbasa in the pan and brown on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
Place onions in the same pan and begin to caramelize onions using the sausage drippings. Once onions have developed a golden brown color, add the broth to the pan and deglaze. I keep the onions in the pan during this step, it helps make them even softer and more flavorful.
Add the Sage, Dill Weed, Allspice, Salt and Pepper and cook until herbs are hydrated. Stir often. The aroma will be amazing!
Place the cabbage in the skillet and stir to help incorporate the cabbage into the mixture . The cabbage will fill the pan at first but will begin to decrease in size once cooked down. Once all the cabbage is softened, add the Kielbasa back to the pan. Once the sausage is thoroughly heated, remove the pan from the stove and serve!
This makes great leftovers, and I will often have a few days worth of lunches after making this for dinner.
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Cabbage Wrapped Sausages
Plump, juicy sausages wrapped in tender cabbage leaves create a simple meal that is filling while still being a healthy choice. You will not miss the bun once you make this dish!
Use your favorite type of sausage in this dish. It is completely interchangeable as long as your choose a good quality. I am a “sausage-snob”, but it truly will make or break a dish if you choose poor quality meat! We have a great local sausage company that comes to the Farmer’s Market weekly where I snag my favorites.
Ingredients:
4 Sausages in casing (Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Kielbasa, Weisswurst etc)
4-6 Large outer leaves from a big head of Cabbage
1 cup of Bone Broth
1 Teaspoon of Paprika
2 Tablespoons Whole Grain Mustard
Salt/Pepper to taste
In a shallow saucepan melt butter (or duck/pork fat) and then sear each side of your sausages until crispy and golden brown. The sausages will swell and plump up at this point. I typically place a lid on the pan and let them cook while I prep the cabbage leaves.
While the sausages are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a simmer. After removing outer leaves from the head of cabbage, blanch each piece by dipping in the boiling water using a set of tongs and set aside until finished. The leaves will turn a bright green and become limp.
Once sausages are done, remove from pan and place on a plate allowing them to cool enough so they can be handled. Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of Bone Broth into the hot pan to deglaze. Be sure to scrape the pan well to release any brown bits stuck to the pan. Add paprika, mustard, salt and pepper. Simmer and stir until thickened. I prefer to use my homemade whole grain mustard https://itsasavagelife.com/savory-wholegrain-mustard/ but any flavorful course ground or wholegrain mustard will do.
Once the sausages are cool enough to handle, wrap each sausage in 1-2 overlapping leaves of cabbage (depending on the size of the leaves) tucking the ends (similar to wrapping a burrito). Even if they don’t wrap perfectly, the dish still turns out great.
Place back in the same sauce pan, and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. I typically flip them halfway through so that the sauce coats both sides.
Once finished, serve immediately and pour a hearty spoonful of sauce over each one. My favorite sides to compliment this dish are cooked greens and spatzle or mashed potatoes. These also make fantastic leftovers!
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Perfectly Pickled Eggs
Newsflash: Pickled Eggs are actually delicious, as well as being a high protein and low carbohydrate snack! I know that the term “pickled egg” makes people think of the scary, room temperature, gross, glowing-neon yellow eggs floating in a jar on a gas station countertop (that have been there for who knows how long?!). BUT these are a whole different story! The results are a tangy (think vinegar), salty, flavorful snack that can also be a contribution to other dishes. I like to add them to salads, atop homemade Ramen, and as a fun addition to cheese boards.
I also make an adorable “mini” version with Quail Eggs: https://itsasavagelife.com/pickled-quail-eggs/
Pickled eggs are perishable and need to be kept refrigerated, but they only get better with time as the brine sinks deeper into the egg. We usually have emptied the jar in a few weeks but oddly enough they are said to be perfectly safe if stored in an airtight container below 40F for a few months! (I don’t suggest it though!)
Let’s get to it!
You will need:
- 1 clean and sterilized 1/2 Gallon Mason Jar
- 18 Hard boiled and Peeled Eggs
- 2 cups White Vinegar
- 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (aka ACV)
- 1/2 cup Boiling Hot Water
- 1/4 cup Liquid Aminos (or Soy Sauce- whichever you have)
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
- Various spices of your choice: Pickling Spice, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns, Dried Red Chili Flakes, Dried Rosemary, Dehydrated citrus slices, Celery Seeds, Dehdrated Onion, Dill Weed, Garlic Cloves, the list goes on…
Place peeled hard boiled Eggs in clean 1/2 Gallon Mason Jar. There should be a little headspace left near the top of the jar. Add salt, pepper and your choice of spices. You really can’t go wrong with any variety of savory and fragrant herbs. Then pour in Vinegars, Aminos (or Soy Sauce) and boiling Water until eggs are covered. Tightly place the lid and gently shake to mix the spices into the brine. Some air bubbles may release causing the brine level to drop, if this happens you can add more hot water until eggs are covered. You may also place a glass fermentation weight in the jar to keep eggs submerged deep in the brine but it is not necessary if you don’t own one.
Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator. Allow to “pickle” for at least 10-14 days and then enjoy!
