Keto sausage and cabbage skillet
September 19, 2026 · 3 min read
Cabbage does more than fill space on a keto plate. Browned hard in butter until the edges go golden and sweet, it turns into something you actually want to eat. Sliced smoked sausage renders its fat into the pan, the cabbage soaks it up, and dinner for four comes off a single skillet in about half an hour.
It's the kind of one-pan supper that reheats into next day's lunch without losing anything.
Ingredients
- 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced into coins
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small head green cabbage (about 1 lb), cored and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, to serve
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Steps
- Slice the smoked sausage into coins, core and thinly slice the cabbage, and slice the onion.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Brown the sausage coins in a single layer until the edges crisp, about 5 minutes, then move them to a plate.
- Melt the butter in the same pan. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the cabbage with the paprika, caraway, salt, and pepper. Cook, tossing every couple of minutes, until wilted and browned in spots, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Return the sausage to the pan and toss to heat through, about 2 minutes. Finish with parsley and red pepper flakes, and serve.
How it comes together
Makes 4 servings — read left to right; each column combines what's behind it.
PrepSlice the sausage into coins and thinly slice the cabbage and onion before the pan goes on — once the sausage is browning, the rest moves fast.
| 1 lb · 455 g smoked sausagesliced into coins | Brown the sausage | |||
| 1 tbsp · 14 g olive oil | ||||
| 2 tbsp · 28 g butter | Soften the onion | |||
| 1 onionsmall, thinly sliced | ||||
| 3 cloveses · 9 g garlicminced | ||||
| 1 green cabbagesmall head, cored and thinly sliced | Wilt the cabbage | |||
| 1 tsp smoked paprika | ||||
| ½ tsp caraway seedsoptional | ||||
| saltto taste | ||||
| black pepperto taste | ||||
| 2 tbsp parsleychopped, to serve | Combine and finish | |||
| ¼ tsp red pepper flakesoptional |
Scaling adjusts quantities only — cooking times and pan sizes may need judgment. Grams are rounded for the kitchen.
Swaps
Kielbasa, bratwurst, or fresh Italian sausage all stand in for the smoked sausage; brown fresh sausage a few minutes longer to cook it through. Bacon or diced ham works if that's what's in the fridge. Savoy or red cabbage swaps in fine, though red bleeds a little color into the pan. A spoonful of grainy mustard stirred in at the end sharpens the whole thing, and a handful of sliced bell pepper added with the onion puts more vegetable on the plate.
Notes
Give the cabbage room and time. A crowded pan steams instead of browns, so cook it in a wide skillet over medium-high and hold off on stirring too often; the color at the edges is where the flavor is. Caraway is the classic partner to cabbage and sausage, but leave it out if it's not your thing. Salt at the end, since the sausage already brings plenty.
The macros here are an estimate. Tell Copper Keto Companion "sausage and cabbage skillet with smoked sausage" and it works out the net carbs on the portion you actually served — no weighing, no database.
FAQ
Is cabbage keto-friendly? Yes. Raw green cabbage runs about 3g net carbs per 100g, so even a generous skillet portion lands near 8g net carbs once the onion and garlic are counted.
Which sausage has the fewest carbs? Plain smoked sausage, kielbasa, and bratwurst usually sit at 1–3g net carbs per serving, but some brands add sugar or fillers, so check the label since it varies.
Can I make it ahead? Yes. It keeps three to four days in the fridge and reheats well in a hot skillet; the cabbage softens further but the flavor deepens overnight.
How do I keep the cabbage from getting soggy? Use a wide pan over medium-high heat and don't overcrowd it. Cabbage releases water as it cooks, and a hot, roomy pan lets that steam escape so the edges brown instead.
What can I serve with it? It's a full meal on its own, but a fried egg on top makes it breakfast. To feed a crowd, serve it alongside keto sausage and peppers or egg roll in a bowl and keep a second skillet going.