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. ;)
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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.
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Equipment
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Chef’s Knife
- Dutch Oven
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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!! 🙌
This is so yummy! I had to talk my husband out of eating all four serving tonight! Thanks for the recipe!
It’s hard to leave a review because I’m still busy scarfing seconds! The hardest part was (as always) trying to make shredded cabbage from whole cabbage using nothing but a knife – advice: consult youtube! These fried cabbage recipes are slowly but surely making me a believer (before, my only recipe association was very pathetic bitter, sloppy cabbage in the diet soup our family used to eat…ugh!). The fat from the butter/sausage and the kick from the cajun spices makes this one a *really* enjoyable comfort meal on a day where it’s hailing ice pellets outside (and going to the store is out of the question). Adding the noodles is an extra comfort angle that makes it even better <3 I dare you to not love this dish!! :D
Can I use pre-cooked sausage? Not a fan of handling raw meat. Thanks :)
Yes you could do that!
I don’t know if people easily see replies to these comments after the fact, but it’s worth mentioning that smoked sausage already is precooked, so you wouldn’t have to touch any raw animal products anyway. =D
Will do Amanda!
Really good! I went overboard with the butter though. Oops! Still tastes great. Well be making this again!
Soooo good and super easy!! Added some shrimp I had in the freezer, it was delicious. Definitely going in my regular rotation of dinner recipes.
Wow, this was so easy and so good. The whole family liked it – one said too spicy, one said not spicy enough but both had seconds lol. It was super quick using bagged coleslaw, very tasty, pleased everyone, and so inexpensive. Winner!
So delicious, even with turkey sausage and skipping the oil and butter to avoid some extra calories. Definitely putting this in our meal rotation.
Tastes very good. I loved it. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing.
Terrific recipe! Made with no modifications and it was tasty! Great for a weeknight meal. Thank you!
I struggle to find ways to enjoy green cabbage, but I loved this recipe!
We make this enough that I ran it through a recipe calorie calculator. Verywell Fit calculates it to be 654 calories per serving, for 4 servings.
Thanks for sharing Brita!
Just a note for anyone else who obsessively reads the comments: cabbage freezes reasonably well, particularly if you prefer it tender. I shred the whole head at one go, using half in a recipe & put the other half in the freezer. I’ve used frozen cabbage in Beth’s stir fried beef & cabbage recipe, as well as in braised cabbage, to great success.
Fantastic and super easy meal, I’d recommend doubling the amount of paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder.
My family loved this! I had a bad of pre-shredded cabbage and added the juice from half a lemon and it was delicious, quick, and easy. Next time I think I’ll use tri color rotini for looks. Thanks for the great recipe!
Awesome! My three year old just gave it the big thumbs up. This will be a regular meal for the two of us. :)
I like the comment about using the coleslaw mix as a shortcut – will give that a go next time!
This is so good! I never would have thought to add pasta to cabbage. To all those wondering if it works for meal prep – it absolutely does. I add extra hot sauce to keep it moist (but I love spicy).