Having the most frugal grocery budget in the world isn’t going to help you and if you can’t put together at least a few healthy, tasty, and cheap eats! Every month, The Outlier Model features a cheap recipe idea, along with the cost breakdown.
Fried cabbage might not seem very appetizing to some people. I guess it depends on whether or not you like cabbage! But I love cabbage and I love to just fry up a bit to go with my meals. It’s quick, easy, and cheap (… hey, isn’t that what this blog is about?!). I especially like to serve fried cabbage with perogies and sausage. Yum!
Photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_cut_Indian_cabbages.jpg, original author: Aravind Sivaraj
Ingredients
- 1/2 cabbage ($1.50 for a 3lb cabbage)
- salt to taste (< $0.05)
- olive oil (< $0.10)
Slice up the cabbage into 1 cm thick strips. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high then reduce to medium. Add cabbage, fry, add salt (I usually use a teaspoon of salt or less per quarter of cabbage), and fry some more. If you want a bit more oomph than a bit of salt, you could a few squirts of soy sauce instead of salt while frying. 5 minutes later, you’re done! The cabbage should be cooked, but still, have a bit of crunch. Make sure you don’t leave the cabbage on the hot pan because it will continue to cook and get soggy.
It sounds simple and crazy, but it’s a great little quick-fry that really brings out the cabbage flavor. Cabbage is also super healthy for you! It is a great source of vitamin C and anti-inflammatory chemicals. Many compounds found in cabbage have been shown to be beneficial in healing DNA damage, ulcers, and general inflammation. Use it as a side when you’re making meat-centric meals like roast chicken, perogies, and sausage or pork tenderloin.
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $0.40 or so
Frugal hack: It’s pretty frugal.
Feeling adventurous? I personally like my cabbage fried plain, but there are lots of ideas out there. Try Fried Cabbage with Bacon – pretty tasty!
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