Happy March! With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, it seems a fitting time to share a favorite cabbage recipe.

I’m a big cabbage fan – I love it raw and thinly slice in coleslaw and as a salad base. I also like it cooked and in sauerkraut and kimchi – it’s both tasty and extremely economical. Cabbage is a kitchen staple for many homes, but since it’s not having a Renaissance moment (like kale is, for example), it’s still cheap. And a head of cabbage yields a lot of food!

Cabbage and potatoes was a regular menu item in my house when I was growing up. My mom would fry a couple pieces of bacon for the fat and the salty, smoky flavor. Then she’d add the cabbage with a little water to help it cook down before tossing in quartered potatoes to steam at the end.

I can’t look at a head of cabbage without thinking of this dish and I still make it pretty regularly, but with my own twist. I use butter instead of bacon and I add onions, because they make everything tastier.

I’d recently bought a head of cabbage from the store, then I got another small head along with a few red potatoes in my Hungry Harvest box. This was great, because although I was staring down almost two pounds of cabbage, I knew it would cook down a fair amount and would make great leftovers.

Since I’m pescatarian, I don’t eat pork. But, for this recipe, I had some plant-based Tofurky Kielbasa sausage on hand. Two of my three guys (my hubs and oldest son) really love these sausages. In fact, I sometimes have to argue with my son to eat his veggies when I add these sausages to a dish. He’ll pick around to find all of the sausage and then he disappears, leaving all the other delicious stuff on his plate. Luckily, though, he also likes cabbage, so no problems this time. My husband – our resident meat lover and gym rat – likes the flavor, texture and protein content in the Tofurky sausages (the Kielbasa has 24 grams of protein. Some of the other varieties have even more).

So this one was a winner on all counts. Give it a try for a delicious meat-free St. Patty’s Day meal or a weeknight dinner any day!

Cabbage with Potatoes and (Plant-based) Sausage

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 large onion
• 1.5 – 2 lbs. cabbage
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. water
• 4 red potatoes
• 3 Tofurky Kielbasa sausages
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Chop the onions into a large dice. Add to melted butter and cook until translucent and beginning to color, about 6-8 minutes.

While the onion is cooking, core, quarter and slice the cabbage into thick ribbons. (The first technique shown here is similar to how I chop my cabbage.) Once the onion is soft, add the cabbage in three batches, stirring after each addition. Add a good amount of salt and cook, allowing the cabbage to wilt down and brown at the edges, about 10-12 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking, cut your potatoes. I cut pieces that weren’t too big; I probably got 10-12 pieces per potato. the smaller your potatoes, the quicker they cook. When the cabbage starts to brown, add the water and potatoes. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to medium low and cover and cook until the potatoes are soft (7-10 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes).

Taste for salt (add more if needed) and add pepper. Stir everything up and serve hot.

Yummy yum!