Before you start thinking, “Oh no, another yikes-this-is-January-better-eat-healthy post,” just hang tight. I know nothing screams January quite like a cabbage skillet, but I promise I’m not here to evangelize about Whole 30, Dryuary, low carb, paleo, new-year-new-you lifestyles. I’m only here to suggest cabbage might be more appealing than you think.
Yes, cabbage – EVEN CABBAGE, the stinkiest of the vegetable kingdom – can taste good with the right seasoning. And sausage. And mushrooms. And ginger. And garlic. And sriracha. And hoisin sauce. And tortilla wraps… (See, we’re back to normal!)
So fine, it takes a village, but this cabbage skillet gets by with a little help from its friends.
The skillet is a little like a deconstructed eggroll. It packs a flavorful punch, and the recipe itself calls for half of the cabbage to be added in raw at the end, so you get a nice balance of stir fried smoothness and crispy crunchy cabbage.
And please, don’t skimp on the hoisin and sriracha. Treat it like ketchup. Give it a fancy swirl. Buy the head of cabbage and live a little.
Hot Sausage Cabbage Skillet
Ingredients
1 1-in. piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 tbsp. (or more) vegetable oil
6 oz. shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 cups very thinly sliced Napa cabbage, divided
2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
⅓ cup thinly sliced chives
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. sesame seeds
8 large flour tortillas or mu-shu wraps, warmed
Hoisin sauce and Sriracha (for serving)
Instructions
Mix the ginger and garlic into the sausage in a medium bowl.
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high and cook sausage mixture, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, crisp, and cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage mixture to a clean bowl.
Increase heat to high and cook mushrooms in the fat in the skillet, tossing often, until browned and starting to release their juices, about 4 minutes. (Add more oil if the skillet looks dry.)
Add half of cabbage and cook, tossing often, until cabbage is wilted and tender, about 4 minutes.
Drizzle in vinegar and soy sauce and cook, tossing, until liquid is mostly reduced and skillet is dry in spots, about 2 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and mix green onion, sausage, and remaining cabbage into stir-fry.
Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve as-is, or with tortillas. Top with hoisin sauce and Sriracha for individual servings.