Cabbage Sausage Skillet is a quick lunch or dinner meal that tastes great any time of the year.
At the same time, the sausage, and cabbage skillet is an inexpensive meal which is a great idea when you don't know what to cook.


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TL;DR
I originally came up with this recipe because I was short on time, lazy, and I wanted to clear out my fridge by using up a piece of cabbage because I try to go zero waste in my kitchen.
You will appreciate this speedy dinner meal if you like central or east European flavors.
The seasoning in this recipe, with paprika and caraway, is based on Central and East European flavors.
Ingredients
- Oil — I like to use olive oil, but you can use canola oil, vegetable oil or sunflower oil too.
- Onion — Red, purple, yellow or white onion sliced. You can also experiment with green onions or scallions.
- Garlic Cloves — fresh, chopped.
- Caraway Seeds Whole — If you don't have that, skip it or add a dash of ground cumin instead. Caraway seeds are an integral part of central and east European cuisine.
- Paprika Powder — I recommend sweet Hungarian Paprika or smoked Paprika powder (or both mixed).
- Salt and Black Pepper Ground
- Sausages — Choose a sausage from the list below. Slice your sausage.
- Cabbage — Normal or roughly chopped. I used a normal cabbage head in the pictures but you can use a red cabbage too or tender napa cabbage.
- Chives to garnish
Sausage Types that you can use
I used Frankfurter sausages in the images and video, but you are free to pick your favorite sausage to make this recipe.
- Wiener aka Vienna Sausage — Popular street hot dog sausage in Vienna, Austria but also common in the US (my favorite)
- Kielbasa — Polish sausage
- Bratwurst — German/US sausage
- Frankfurter — Originally from Frankfurt, a city in Germany. Common sausages all over Europe and the US, with variations across the continents (another favorite).
- Krainer/Krainerwurst - Slovenian sausage, great for pan frying because they are juicy, similar to Kielbasa.
- Cheese Krainer — Krainer stuffed with cheese, from Austria
- Knackwurst/Knockwurst aka Knacker - Sausage original from North Germany but common in Europe and US, with a thick skin
- Andouille — Cajun or Caribbean Creole Sausage variations
- Weißwurst — Bavarian white Sausage from Munich in Germany.
- Italian Sausage Links — Popular common sausage in the US
- Strasbourg Sausage — Similar to Frankfurt sausage, common in France, the skin casing is thicker and usually deep red
- Merguez Sausage — Spicy mutton meat sausage, common in France and the US
- Chorizo — Spanish or Portuguese (and the former colonies) hot spicy sausage
- Fleischkäse/Leberkäse aka finely ground and pressed pink meatloaf sausage also comes in various flavors such as cheese, pizza or hot andn spicy.
Most sausages can be found in the fresh or frozen section of the majority of supermarkets. A good sausage is usually made of pork, beef, veal, or mutton meat.
Chicken and Turkey sausages are great for all those abstaining from red meats. Plant-based sausages are your choice if you are going meatless.
How to make it?
The cabbage sausage skillet is a quick, easy, flavorful dish.
This is a meal for all those who crave good comforting flavors with the minimum amount of work.
Here is an overview of how to make it from scratch. Full recipe + measurements further below!
Step 1
Sauté onion and garlic.
Take the pan from the heat and stir in spices. Mix up.
Step 2
Back to the heat and stir in sausage slices.
Combine everything.
Step 3
Add sliced cabbage and mix.
Stir cook quickly, reduce heat and finish cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Serve up.
📖 Recipe
Paprika Cabbage Sausage Skillet Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Oil *See Notes
- 1 Onion sliced
- 2 Pieces Garlic Cloves chopped
- ½ Teaspoon Caraway Seeds Whole optional, you may substitute with cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika Powder sweet or smoked (or both)
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Pair Sausages sliced, *see Notes
- 3 Cups Cabbage white or red or napa, roughly chopped
- Chives to garnish
Instructions
- Heat up a pan to a medium setting and add the oil. Add your sliced onions to the pan and stir-fry for a minute over a higher heat setting. Then sauté your onions until translucent and soft.1 Tablespoon Oil, 1 Onion
- Add in your chopped Garlic and stir-fry quickly. Fry the whole content for another 1–2 minutes, or until the onions get slightly yellow.2 Pieces Garlic Cloves
- Take down the heat or take the pan for a minute from the heat to add the spices.
- Add one by one the spices, Caraway seeds, Paprika powder, Black Pepper, and Salt as well.½ Teaspoon Caraway Seeds Whole, 1 Teaspoon Paprika Powder, ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground, ½ Teaspoon Salt
- Toss in your sausage slices1 Pair Sausages
- Take the pan back to the heat and stir-fry the contents on higher heat for a minute. Reduce the heat and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
- Now it's time to add in the chopped cabbage. Mix the cabbage into the skillet content.3 Cups Cabbage
- Stir-fry for 3 minutes on high heat, then reduce heat and let cook further for 1–2 minutes without mixing further. The cabbage should be cooked through but can have a slight crunchy texture.
- Garnish with cut chives and serve still hot.Chives
Notes
- You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, olive oil or sunflower oil.
- I usually like to use Franks or Wiener sausage for this cabbage skillet. For sausage suggestions, read up in the post.
- For the cabbage choice, use what you have at home or whichever you prefer. This can be green cabbage, white cabbage, napa cabbage or red cabbage.
Equipment
- 1 8" Chef Knife
Nutrition
Storing
I store my leftovers in rectangular glass containers with a lid.
They stack well in the fridge, and they can be placed into the oven or microwave to warm up your leftovers on a low-heat setting.
Cabbage and sausage leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days in your fridge.
Besides, you can add this dish to your weekly meal prep routine.
I don't think it makes sense to cook the dish and freeze it, you will be better of preparing it fresh.
Serving Ideas
We eat the cabbage and sausage skillet with a small side dish salad and sometimes with other carb-rich side dish.
For the salad sides, I recommend the classic beet salad, shredded kohlrabi salad or white radish salad.
For a carb-rich side dish, you can cook rice, polenta, or instant ebly within minutes.
Who would have thought cabbage and sausage could’ve friends. Scrumptious dish! Thanks
thank you for your feedback Tammy!
Good.Nothing special. 3/5
The choice of sausage makes it. fulfills dinner needs, quick and easy. thanks for the feedback!