Cabbage and noodles is one of those super simple, no-frills comfort foods. The flavors aren’t complex or even particularly special, it’s just straight up satisfying and comforting. A lot of people add a little smoked sausage to their cabbage and noodles to round out the meal, which got me thinking, “a handful of Cajun spices would probably be awesome in there too!” So if you want to take your cabbage and noodles up a level, try these Cajun Cabbage and Noodles. They’re still simple and satisfying, just with a little Cajun kick. ;)
Are Cajun Cabbage and Noodles Spicy?
Yes. Absolutely yes. If you must, you can reduce the heat by reducing or eliminating the cayenne pepper in the homemade Cajun spic mix, but I wouldn’t suggest skipping the sprinkle of hot sauce on top at the end. That little sprinkle of vinegar flavor really makes everything pop.
Can I Use Store Bought Cajun Seasoning?
Yes, although many store bought Cajun seasoning blends contain a lot of salt, so you do risk over salting your dish. Instead, I made a hlaf batch of my own Cajun Seasoning Blend for this recipe.
What Kind of Hot Sauce Should I Use?
If you want to stick with the Cajun/Louisiana theme, I suggest Louisiana Brand hot sauce, Cajun Chef hot sauce, Crystal hot sauce, Slap Ya Mama hot sauce, or perhaps Zatarain’s hot sauce. Of course, Louisiana hot sauces aren’t always available outside of the region, so a simple Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce will still work if that’s what is available.
What Kind of Smoked Sausage is Best?
Andouille will give you the most Cajun flavor, but again, that isn’t always widely available. Any sausage with a good smoky flavor will do the trick! I’m going to go ahead and openly admit that I bought the Kroger brand smoked sausage for this because it was on sale for $2.50. Do what you gotta do.
Cajun Cabbage and Noodles
Servings 4 2 cups eachIngredients
Cajun Spice Mix
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.01)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked pepper (about 1/4 tsp) ($0.03)
Cabbage and Noodles
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 13 oz. smoked sausage* ($2.50)
- 6 cups shredded cabbage (1/2 of a 2.5 lb. head) ($0.95)
- 1/4 cup water ($0.00)
- 8 oz. wide egg noodles ($1.00)
- 2 Tbsp butter (or more to taste) ($0.36)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.11)
- hot sauce to taste ($0..25)
Instructions
- Combine the spices for the Cajun spice mix in a bowl, then set them aside. Finely shred the cabbage.
- Add the cooking oil to a large pot and heat over medium. Slice the smoked sausage, then add it to the pot. Stir and cook the sausage until it is well browned.
- While the sausage is browning, begin boiling a pot of water for the egg noodles. Once boiling, add the noodles, and continue to boil until they are tender. Drain the noodles in a colander.
- Add the shredded cabbage, Cajun spice mix, and water to the pot with the sausage. Stir to combine, then place a lid on top. Cook over medium, with the lid in place, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes, or until the cabbage is wilted.
- Once the cabbage is wilted, add the cooked and drained egg noodles and butter. Stir to combine and melt the butter. Once the butter is melted and coating the cabbage and noodles, taste the mixture and add more salt if needed.
- Add a sprinkle of sliced green onions and a splash of hot sauce to each bowl just before serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Cajun Cabbage and Noodles – Step by Step Photos
First, make the Cajun seasoning mix. Combine 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Set the spice mix aside.
Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil to a large pot and heat over medium. Slice 13 oz. smoked sausage, then add it to the pot. Stir and cook the sausage until it is well browned.
Begin heating a separate large pot of water for the noodles. Once the water is boiling, add 8 oz. wide egg noodles and continue to boil until tender. Drain the noodles in a colander. Also, shred about 6 cups of cabbage (this was half of a 2.5 lb. head of cabbage). If you’re still building your knife skills or think you may need extra time for this step, you can do this before you begin the recipe instead of as your food cooks.
Once the sausage is browned, add the shredded cabbage, 1/4 cup water, and the Cajun spice mix to the pot. Stir everything to combine, then place a lid on top.
Continue to cook the cabbage with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted (about 5-7 minutes).
Add the cooked and drained noodles to the pot along with 2 Tbsp (or more) butter. Stir until everything is combined and coated in melted butter. #butterlove
Finally, make sure to give everything a taste and add a little extra salt if needed. Sprinkle green onions over top and make sure to add a splash of hot sauce to each bowl before serving!
Spicy!! 🙌
I just finished eating this practically every day for the week! I completed the recipe without the noodles. Then throughtout the week I’ve had it with noodles, with potato, and as is with a runny egg on top.
It made a super quick and yummy breakfast. Heat up the sausage/cabbage while making a sunny side up or over easy egg and done.
This is my new favorite Budget Bytes recipe! It is easy, fast, filling, and inexpensive – I could easily make 2 batches for under $10. I used beef smoked sausage and added some beef bouillon to the water when I cooked the noodles, and it was really delicious.
Honestly, I just had a half a head of cabbage to use up. This is so good! Cajun isn’t usually the direction I go when cooking at home, but this really is delicious. I did add a small diced onion and some minced garlic to the sausage as it cooked, and only used half the sausage. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Absolutely wonderful. I’ll certainly make it again, and might add a diced bell pepper next time! Love this blog :)
What size pots did you use? Hard to tell from the top-down pics.
This is a 6-quart Dutch oven. :)
So good!! I didn’t like this spice blend on the Blackened Shrimp Tacos but it was great here. The cabbage almost disappeared (in a good way) so I forgot I was eating vegetables.
Just to make the quantities match what I could buy in store (no leftovers), I used 12oz noodles, 1 large cabbage, and 28oz kielbasa and adjusted spices accordingly. Turned out great. So glad Beth has introduced me to cabbage recipes, I never used to eat it before.
I was also a little skeptical but had everything on hand so it was worth a try. WOW! Loved it. I tweaked it just a tad bit. I cooked onions first then added green onion sausage. Oh my gumbo, definitely a keeper recipe. The hubby even raves about it. Thanks for sharing. Love your blog.
I’ve never considered cabbage a comfort food… esp. when afterwards I’m often uncomfortably flatulent :P
Loved the concept of your blog- affordable eating!! Well done
I have all the ingredients for this!! I’ll report back after dinner tomorrow 😊
I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical of this recipe because it seemed a little strange to combine cabbage and noodles. But y’all, this was AMAZING. My family absolutely raved about it! This will definitely have an honored spot in the regular meal rotation!
I had no idea what I was making for dinner tonight, so I said, “Let’s see what Beth is doing”. I swear you must peek in my refrigerator – I had a half of a head of cabbage and all the other ingredients for this meal. I only had a few slices of leftover chorizo sausage in my freezer, so I used what I had. It was DELICIOUS! I did reduce the amount of cayenne pepper, and it had just enough kick. I will absolutely be making this again. Thank you!
Can I meal prep this?
Yep! I really like the leftovers of this one. It does get a little more dry as the noodles absorb moisture in the fridge, but I still find it quite delicious.
Beth, love your blog, and I know Louisiana misses you! Just a little thing — Tabasco IS a Louisiana hot sauce — made here among the salt domes on Avery Island. I know you were referring to its relative availability in the known world (LA! We’re everywhere!!) but just had to put a cent and a half in for Iberia Parish industry.
Thanks for the clarification! :D
Thank you, Beth!!! We are vegans, could I use smoked paprika, along with the paprika to give it a smoky flavor?
Yes, that would definitely give it that smoky flavor! Make sure to use a rich fat, though. The fat in this dish (both from the sausage and butter) really give it body. Coconut oil would be good.
Can this be made without the sausage as a vegetarian option ? Will it still be flavorful?
This wonderful recipe just ups the flavor of Beth’s traditional Halusky recipe which is buttered noodles with sauteed cabbage. While that is delicious on its own, you might take this opportunity to try out some of the plant based bacon and sausage substitutes available in your supermaket. While ordinary smoked sausage is often on sale in my local supermarkets, I’m going to use some Andouille sitting in my freezer–don’t think I will need additional spice! That cabbage I picked up last week for $.19 a lb didn’t get used with corned beef. How fortuitous!
I’m going to try I with the beyond meat spicy sausage for a vegan version!
I would definitely try to find a vegetarian sausage option for this. The smoked sausage really rounds out the flavor and makes the dish a lot more filling.
This is fantastic! (I’m currently eating it). The spice definitely builds as you eat it, so it’s not for people who don’t like/tolerate spice well.
Even with it being a quick and easy recipe I used a short cut and used a bag of shredded cabbage&carrots (like what you would make coleslaw out of). Cheaper than buying a head of cabbage and now I don’t have to figure out how to use the other half a head before it goes bad.
This one’s a keeper!