Delicious Pressure Cooker Fried Cabbage with Bacon: Your Quick & Easy Side Dish

If you adore the comforting taste of steamed cabbage infused with the rich, smoky flavor of bacon, then our **Pressure Cooker Fried Cabbage** is destined to become your new culinary obsession! Crafted in mere minutes, this savory side dish effortlessly transforms into a staple in your meal rotation. It’s no wonder we’re so enthusiastic about our Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi appliances, making such delightful dishes incredibly accessible.

Instant Pot Fried Cabbage Recipe: A Flavorful Weeknight Essential

Prepare your taste buds for an incredibly flavorful experience with perfectly cooked cabbage and savory bacon or sausage. This dish is an ideal side for any day of the week, effortlessly complementing a wide range of main courses. My journey into quick cabbage recipes began with a hearty Instant Pot stuffed cabbage casserole, a consistent crowd-pleaser that leans more towards a full dinner meal.

While this recipe is a fantastic addition to your St. Patrick’s Day feast, its deliciousness isn’t limited to just one holiday. We enjoy it year-round! I drew inspiration from my Grandmother’s traditional stovetop method, which she prepared weekly – sometimes even more often – no matter what else was on the dinner table. We’ve simply adapted her classic flavors to the efficiency of modern pressure cooking, ensuring that authentic taste is preserved with a fraction of the effort.

How Long Does It Take to Cook Cabbage in an Instant Pot?

When cooking cabbage in a pressure cooker, timing is crucial for achieving the perfect texture. If you were to cook an entire head of cabbage, it might take around 8 minutes. However, this often results in the outer layers becoming overly soft and mushy by the time the center is tender. For finely chopped cabbage, as in this recipe, we aim for a much quicker cook time.

For a beautifully tender yet slightly firm result, we recommend pressure cooking chopped cabbage for **just 3 minutes** on high pressure. If you prefer your cabbage with a bit more bite, reduce the cooking time to 2 minutes. This brief cooking period ensures every piece is uniformly tender without sacrificing its pleasant texture. For reference, all my pressure cooker recipes are developed using a standard 6-quart pressure cooker. After mastering this dish, you’ll be eager to try other Instant Pot stuffed cabbage and a myriad of other simple cabbage recipes!

Ninja Foodi Fried Cabbage: Versatile Cooking Options

Absolutely! This incredible fried cabbage recipe isn’t exclusive to the Instant Pot. You can effortlessly prepare it in your Ninja Foodi or even a **Crock Pot Express** – any brand of electric pressure cooker will yield fantastic results. When using the Ninja Foodi, remember to use the detached pressure cooking lid for high-pressure cooking. The attached crisping lid is designed for air frying and roasting, offering a different cooking method.

While we’ve also experimented with cooking cabbage wedges using the Ninja Foodi’s air fryer function (with the attached lid), that creates a distinct dish with a lovely crispiness, similar to our other air fryer cabbage creations. Those versions have a different flavor profile and require slicing after cooking. The pressure cooker method, however, delivers a uniquely tender and infused flavor that truly sets this “fried cabbage” apart. It’s been a game-changer for me, and I confess, I’ve been on a major cabbage kick lately! This pressure-cooked version, while not truly fried, achieves an amazing, tender texture by cooking for just a few minutes with chicken broth, salt, pepper, and a few other secret ingredients that make the cabbage irresistible.

Is Cabbage Better for You Raw or Cooked? Unpacking Nutritional Benefits

It’s a common misconception that raw vegetables are always superior in nutrition. In fact, many vegetables, including carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, and **cabbage**, provide more antioxidants to the body when cooked than when consumed raw. Cooking helps break down cell walls, making certain nutrients more bioavailable.

However, the cooking method matters. To maximize the retention of vitamins and minerals in cabbage, it’s best to boil or steam it. Pressure cooking, a form of steaming, excels at this by significantly reducing cooking time and minimizing nutrient loss. This recipe offers a fantastic way to enjoy the health benefits of cabbage while indulging in its delicious cooked flavor. If you have a cherished family recipe for fried cabbage, feel free to incorporate your preferred seasonings and measurements. Simply follow our guidance on liquid quantities and cooking times for perfectly tender results. Otherwise, our tried-and-true recipe is sure to become a new favorite!

What Goes Good with Pressure Cooker Fried Cabbage?

For us, crispy bacon is an absolute must-have! Its salty, savory notes perfectly complement the tender cabbage. However, don’t limit yourself. Diced pre-cooked sausage links can also be a fantastic addition, adding another layer of protein and flavor to the mix. While not strictly traditional, culinary exploration is all about making a dish your own. Get creative and find your favorite protein pairing!

Essential Ingredients for Flavorful Pressure Cooker Cabbage

Crafting the perfect **Pressure Cooker Fried Cabbage** relies on a few key ingredients that come together to create a symphony of flavors. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is important:

1. Head of Cabbage: A fresh head of green cabbage is the star. We recommend a medium-sized head for this recipe.
   1. **Preparation:** Chop the cabbage into roughly 1-inch by 1-inch squares. Uniform pieces ensure even cooking and consistent texture throughout the dish.
2. Bacon: Bacon isn’t just an optional extra; it’s a critical flavor enhancer. I personally prefer uncured, regular-sliced bacon (not thick-cut) for its balanced crispness and rendered fat that infuses the cabbage. Feel free to use your favorite type!
3. Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the bacon and softening the onions, providing a base for flavor. Extra virgin olive oil adds a nice depth, but any cooking oil will work.
4. Vegetable Broth: This is our pressure cooking liquid, essential for generating steam and preventing a “burn” notice. While vegetable broth adds a lovely foundational flavor, you can substitute with chicken broth or beef broth depending on your preference and dietary needs.
5. Soy Sauce: A touch of soy sauce adds umami and a subtle savory depth that beautifully complements the other flavors. We typically opt for low-sodium soy sauce to control the overall saltiness.
6. Spices: The blend of spices elevates the cabbage from simple to sensational.
   1. **Garlic Salt:** Provides both garlic flavor and a touch of salt.
   2. **Lawry’s Seasoned Salt:** A secret weapon for many, this blend adds a savory, balanced seasoning.
   3. **Paprika:** Offers a mild, sweet pepper flavor and a lovely color. Smoked paprika can be used for an extra layer of smoky flavor.
   4. **Chili Powder:** Adds a subtle warmth and a hint of complex spice, rounding out the flavor profile.
   5. **Pinch of Salt and Pepper:** These are optional additions at the end, allowing you to adjust the seasoning to your exact taste preference once the dish is cooked.
7. Onion: A small, diced onion (yellow or white) provides aromatic sweetness and a savory base, softening beautifully as it cooks with the bacon.

How to Cut Cabbage for Pressure Cooker Fried Cabbage

Cutting cabbage for this recipe is straightforward, but aiming for uniform pieces is key to even cooking. Here’s a simple guide:

• First, remove any loose or damaged outer leaves from the cabbage head.
• Next, locate the hard, conical stem at the bottom and carefully cut it out. This core is tough and less palatable.
• Place the cabbage on your cutting board with one of its flat, cut sides down. Slice the head in half vertically, through the center.
• Now, place one half flat-side down on the cutting board. Make 4-5 vertical slices through the cabbage.
• Then, rotate the cabbage and make 5-6 horizontal slices across your vertical cuts. This will yield roughly 1-inch by 1-inch squares or chunks. Repeat with the other half of the cabbage.
• Voila! You now have equally sized cabbage squares, ensuring every piece becomes as tender as the next during pressure cooking.
• **Tip:** If you prefer your cabbage a bit firmer with more crunch, cut slightly larger squares. For a softer, melt-in-your-mouth texture, opt for smaller pieces.

If you’re aiming to make this a delicious vegetarian dish, simply omit the bacon. The other ingredients and cooking method will still deliver an incredibly flavorful side. A video demonstration below will guide you through the quick cooking time and how we prepare this easy fried cabbage recipe.

Expert Tips for the Best Pressure Cooker Cabbage

To ensure your **cabbage in a pressure cooker** turns out as incredibly delicious as possible and wins a permanent spot in your recipe collection, I want to share a few important tips. These insights will help you achieve the perfect texture and flavor every time:

• **Choose the Right Cabbage:** A small to medium-sized head of cabbage is ideal for this recipe, ensuring it fits well in your pressure cooker and cooks evenly.
  • Discard the tough, outer leaves and the woody stem end.
  • Slice it into approximately 1-inch by 1-inch pieces for uniform cooking.
• **Don’t Drain the Bacon Grease:** After sautéing the bacon, resist the urge to drain the grease. This flavorful rendered fat is essential for adding depth and richness to the overall taste of your cabbage.
• **Deglaze Your Pot:** It’s crucial to deglaze your pot after sautéing the bacon and before adding other ingredients. This means scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a small amount of liquid (like broth). This prevents the “burn” message and ensures all those flavorful bits are incorporated into your dish.
  • If you have a non-stick inner pot for your pressure cooker, the need to deglaze is significantly reduced, making cleanup even easier. I highly recommend one if you don’t already own it!
• **Perform a Quick Release:** Once the cooking cycle is complete, do a quick release of the steam. This means manually venting the pressure immediately.
  • As soon as the pressure is released, remove the lid immediately and turn off the pressure cooker. Leaving the cabbage in a hot, sealed pot for too long, even after cooking, can result in overcooked, mushy cabbage.

We hope you love this quick and easy pressure cooker fried cabbage! If you’re looking for more simple and delicious Instant Pot cabbage recipes, we have a few more culinary delights for you to explore:

• Our comforting Pressure Cooker Cabbage Soup is a warm and hearty meal perfect for any season.
• Don’t reserve Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage solely for St. Patrick’s Day; it’s a fantastic meal to enjoy much more often!
• For a satisfying and unique dinner, you’ve got to try this savory pressure cooker chicken quinoa casserole.
• And if you’re craving a heartier version of this dish, our pressure cooker cabbage and noodles offers a delightful twist.