Best Small Group Food Ideas: Fried Cabbage

When one of my small group members was raving about this dish, I was skeptical. Cabbage usually gets a mixed reaction from people, at best.

I was wrong. He made a huge quantity of fried cabbage and sausage and brought it to one of our small group gatherings. The group devoured it! Even those who said they didn’t like cabbage.

I am now a fan and it is on my best small group food ideas list.

What’s Fried Cabbage?

When I first heard the name fried cabbage, I was picturing cabbage that was deep-fried and crispy. That is far from what the dish really is. Instead, it is more like a cut-up cabbage that is stir-fried.

Usually, fried cabbage recipes have some kind of sausage or bacon added. However, I have seen recipes with different items included like shrimp or potatoes.

What Makes It Great?

The best foods for small group share these characteristics:

• Inexpensive
• Quick preparation
• Easy cleanup
• Tastes great

How does fried cabbage stack up against these criteria?

Inexpensive

Fried cabbage recipes use only a small number of ingredients. Those ingredients are inexpensive. The most expensive item is the added ingredient, usually a type of sausage or bacon. This makes the per-serving cost of this dish inexpensive.

Quick preparation

Most recipes for fried cabbage require about 30-60 minutes to prepare and cook the dish. It has only a small number of ingredients and assembly is simple. That counts as quick in my book for a home-cooked item.

Easy cleanup

This is a one-pot creation. There are only a few items that are required for preparation and cooking. The cleanup is minimal.

Tastes great

As I said earlier, cabbage is not known as great tasting by most people. However, if you can get past the name, you will find this to be a tasty dish.

It also doesn’t hurt that this is also a healthy dish.

Try a few recipes and identify your favorite. Serve it warm at your small group gathering and share your unique find with your friends.