Baked Cabbage With Bacon

I think cabbage is a pretty underrated vegetable. Being of Slavic descent, perhaps it's in my blood. I just think it gets a bum rap. It's tasty and really good for you. The problem with cabbage is that, alone, boiled, it's pretty bad. Same with Brussels Sprouts (I have a killer Brussels Sprouts Recipe I'll share soon as well) I love coleslaw and sauerkraut and have been known to eat my share of stuffed cabbage rolls that mom makes. When you dress up cabbage it can be great.

The other day I was looking at my sparse looking fridge and trying to decide on a side dish for supper.

I had a HUGE cabbage that I got from a local Farm Market for $1. I also had leeks & green onion in the garden. Upon closer inspection of the freezer, I had 5 pieces of bacon. Bingo-Everything necessary for my favorite cabbage recipe ever. You also need whole wheat bread crumbs but I had those as well.

Baked Cabbage With Bacon

Holy cow is this ever good! I first made it back on St Patrick's Day as an alternative to normal boiled cabbage with butter. It was a hit. It calls for 3/4 lb of bacon but as you can see, I got by with much less and it was fine. Really-Butter & Bacon how can you go wrong, right?? Mixed with the cooked down cabbage and buttery leeks, this is a side dish that even non-cabbage eaters like.

At this time of year cabbage is plentiful and cheap. If you don't want to buy yourself a leek, come on over, I've got plenty!