During this busy stage of life with 3, 5 and under, outside work to start on, appointments, housekeeping, church activities, recipe testing and food photography, I am all for quick and easy dinners. I also love to try to keep my budget at a minimum. It certainly has become a little more difficult with the inflation recently! I was excited to find cabbage for a good price at my local supermarket and ended up buying four heads, not realizing how much is actually in a head of cabbage. 🙂 We ended up with lots of coleslaw, fried cabbage and this ham and cabbage skillet with some ham I also found on sale at said supermarket, yay!
If you are a fan of skillet dinners, be sure to try my Sausage and Fried Rice (with brown rice and zucchini), Shaved Steak and Rice Dinner or White Chicken Skillet Lasagna .
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Easy Fried Ham and Cabbage Skillet
Equipment
- Non-stick skillet or Wok (linked below)
- Cutting board (linked below)
- Chef's knife (linked below)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds ham steak cubed
- 3/4 cup diced onion can add more or less
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 5-6 cups chopped cabbage
- 5 strips bacon diced or crumbled
- salt and pepper, plus Lawry's salt add to taste
Optional add-ins:
- sliced zucchini, peas, broccoli florets, green beans, corn and so much more!
Instructions
- Wash and cube the potatoes (peeling optional), then cook covered with boiling water in a medium-large saucepan for 8-10 minutes until mostly softened. Drain and then rinse off the excess starch.
- Heat oil or butter in a large non-stick skillet or wok, then add the potatoes, and allow to brown a bit. Add ham, bacon, veggies and seasonings. Fry all together until the cabbage has softened to your preference. (roughly 10-15 minutes). Additional oil can be added as needed.
- Allow the fried ham and cabbage to cool a bit, then serve and enjoy!See troubleshooting notes for frying below recipe card.
Notes
Equipment needed for this Fried Ham and Cabbage Skillet:
- Non-stick skillet or Wok I used a large non-stick skillet for this recipe, but I think a large wok would do a better job of frying everything because of the amount of ingredients.
- Cutting board A cutting board is useful for all the dicing, mincing and cubing required for this ham and cabbage skillet.
- Chef’s knife A large Chef’s knife makes quick work of all those veggies, ham and bacon!
Ingredients needed for this easy ham and cabbage skillet: potatoes, ham steak, butter (I like to use a blend of butter and olive oil), garlic cloves, diced bacon and diced onion.
Veggie add-ins:
I like to add zucchini slices, especially when I find a good deal on it or when I have it out in my garden. You could also add broccoli florets, peas, green beans, corn and so much more to jazz up this fried ham and cabbage skillet.
Step 1: Wash and cube the potatoes (peeling optional), then cook covered with boiling water in a medium-large saucepan for 8-10 minutes until mostly softened. Drain and then rinse off the excess starch.
Wait, why not just toss the potatoes into the skillet?
I find it super important to drain the excess liquid from the potatoes and then give them a good rinse to get the potatoes to crisp up better while frying (a colander is useful for this step). The potatoes should be soft, but not overly soft and mushy for frying (I think mine got a little too soft as you can see in the photo).
Step 2: Heat oil or butter in a large non-stick skillet or wok, then add the potatoes, and allow to brown a bit. Add ham, bacon, veggies and seasonings. Fry all together until the cabbage has softened to your preference. (roughly 10-15 minutes). Additional oil can be added as needed.
Can you just toss all in the skillet and let it fry?
Yes, you can. I actually prefer to do this if I am in a hurry, but I have noticed that the potatoes don’t get a nice brown if they don’t fry a bit before the veggies are added. The reason for this being the veggies will release their juices as they fry and prevent the potatoes from getting browned. Using a bigger skillet (or wok) can also help with browning the veggies and potatoes. As you can see, mine were a bit crowded in the skillet.
Step 3: Allow the fried ham and cabbage to cool a bit, then serve and enjoy!
Storage notes for this easy fried ham and cabbage skillet:
This fried ham and cabbage skillet keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for several months. I find the leftovers taste even better the next day or so, after the flavors have had a chance to marinade a bit.
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