I have been eye balling several bacon wrapped cabbage wedges recipes for weeks now. I have been very keen to try this method of cooking cabbage. One. I adore cabbage. Two. Bacon.
Its just been really impossible to find a decent head of cabbage lately. Everything I had seen up to this date was really looking like it was on its last legs. Even the farm market cabbage, and I refuse to pay good money for rotten food.
I think because we live in a very rural small area we get the leavings from everywhere else. They send the good stuff to higher populated areas. Here we get the garbage. Seriously.
After living in the UK and having the beautiful vegetables, fruits, meats and cheese of all of Europe to choose from, this has been a real adjustment for me. I am sure it is much better in the city. At least I hope it is.
Anyways, I finally found what looked like a fairly decent cabbage and was able to purchase it so that I could finally try Bacon Wrapped Cabbage Wedges. I was very keen not only to try it, but also to try it in the Air Fryer.
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Cabbage and bacon have such a wonderful affinity for each other. The smokiness of the bacon really enhances the sweet earthy flavors of the cabbage. It really is lovely.
Add to that some seasoning and a bit of Parmesan cheese and you have a marriage made in heaven. This really is a fabulous side dish!
My bacon did get a tad crisp in the air fryer, but I am a lover of crisp bacon, so that was not really a problem for me!
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Some of the exposed edges of the cabbage also got a bit crispy as well, so if you can get the bacon to almost completely wrap your cabbage so much the better.
The bacon I used was a home smoked bacon that I had bought at the local farm market and whilst it is suitable for frying up in a pan, I don't recommend it for this. I think regular thick sliced streaky bacon is your best bet!
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This is also an ideal side dish, or even main for those who are following low carb or keto diets. I do try to watch my carbs, but I am not following a keto diet.
One thing about cooking this in the air fryer is that the fat from the bacon just melted and fell away into the drip pan, so it wasn't laying in grease when it was done.
This recipe was adapted for use in the Air Fryer from The Kitchen Magpie. I chose it above all of the others because it wasn't overwhelmingly spiced. I wanted to be able to taste both the bacon and the cabbage.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BACON WRAPPED CABBAGE WEDGES
This is one of those recipes which uses relatively few ingredients. That's my kind of cooking!
- 1/4 small cabbage, trimmed and cut into two wedges
- 4 slices of thick cut streaky bacon
- 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
See, I wasn't kidding when I said that it only used a few things!
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Make sure when you are cutting and trimming the cabbage you leave a bit of the core there to keep the leaves together and prevent them from falling apart. I used a plain ordinary white cabbage. It worked very well.
I don't recommend using home smoked bacon. The flavor is a bit too strong. Although still good, I think it would have been a lot better with regular thick cut bacon, or even a maple flavored bacon.
You do want thick sliced bacon so that it doesn't burn in the air fryer. You want to stretch it a bit as you are wrapping it around the cabbage.
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I chose to season this very simply as I wanted to be able to taste the cabbage and the bacon, but I have seen other recipes where they rub the cabbage with a mix of lemon and spices. Its up to you if you do that or not.
I can't really say for sure if it tastes better that way or not. It all depends on how much of a purist you are. I think when it comes to the flavors of cabbage and bacon, I am somewhat of a purist! For me with this combination, simple is best.
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HOW TO MAKE BACON WRAPPED CABBAGE WEDGES (AIR FRYER)
The hardest part is wrapping the bacon around the cabbage! This is very simple to make.
Lay your bacon slices out in a single layer and sprinkle evenly with the parmesan cheese. Season your cabbage wedges all over with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Wrap two bacon slices around each cabbage wedge, securing them with toothpicks. Preheat your air fryer to 360*F/185*C.
Place the cabbage wedges, seam side down, into the air fryer basket. Air fry at 360*F/185*C for 15 minutes. Flip over and air fry at the same temperature for a further 10 minutes or until fork tender.
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This was really, really good . . . the cabbage was crispy tender and there was a smokiness from the bacon. I would have preferred the more restrained smokiness from a commercial bacon however.
There was a bit of saltiness from the cheese and of course the bacon, but also sweet from the bacon as well. I loved the earthiness of the cabbage. Altogether this was quite delicious!
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As you can see the cabbage was perfectly crispy tender. Yum, yum, yummy!! (well except for the burnt ends, lol)
If you are as big a fan of cabbage as I am, you might be interested in these other cabbage recipes!
CABBAGE MUSTARD AND CHEESE GRATIN FOR TWO - Blanched wedges of cabbage are slathered with a rich mustard bechamel sauce, scattered with buttered crumbs and then baked to perfection.
SMOTHERED CABBAGE WITH HAM - The perfect way to use up little bits of ham. Potatoes, cabbage, ham, all cooked together in a skillet. Buttery cabbage, tender potatoes, salty ham. What's not to love!
There are actually loads of cabbage recipes on here, it being one of my favorite vegetables. Just click here and you can access most of them.
Bacon Wrapped Cabbage Wedges (air fryer)
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min
If you love cabbage and you love bacon, this is a great recipe to use to indulge in both those loves. Smoky and crispy tender delicious. Low carb and keto as well. If you don't have an air fryer, see notes for how to cook it in a conventional oven.
Ingredients
- 1/4 small cabbage, trimmed and cut into two wedges
- 4 slices of thick cut streaky bacon
- 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Lay your bacon slices out in a single layer and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese evenly.
- Season your cabbage wedges all over with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Wrap two bacon slices around each cabbage wedge, securing them with toothpicks.
- Preheat your air fryer to 360*F/185*C.
- Place the cabbage wedges, seam side down, into the air fryer basket. Air fry at 360*F/185*C for 15 minutes. Flip over and air fry at the same temperature for a further 10 minutes or until fork tender.
Notes
To cook in a conventional oven. Preheat your oven to 340*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Prepare cabbage, bacon and cheese as per the recipe, but place onto a baking sheet, leaving space between each. Bake in the preheated oven until the cabbage is soft and the bacon crisp, 35 to 40 minutes.
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