Let's make an easy but great recipe for fried cabbage with noodles and crisp bacon, a delicious dish called haluski! I bring you the Czech version here, which smells wonderfully of caraway seeds and has a perfect sweet and sour taste.
I came across this food when I was doing some research on Slovak halusky (halušky). Authentic Slovak halusky are small dumplings made of grated raw potatoes and flour, dropped into the water, and then cooked.
But then there are the Polish and Hungarian versions of the recipe. These are characterized by the use of classic pasta, most often noodles or bow tie pasta. The Poles and Hungarians name their meal haluski. Here you will find more Hungarian recipes.
Haluski is one of the excellent cabbage recipes, originating from Eastern Europe. It represents delicious comfort food, and the best part is that the dish uses only simple ingredients easily available in any grocery store!
MY TIP: Try Czech braised red cabbage (it goes brilliantly with roast duck!)
➜ Ingredients
To make haluski, fried cabbage and noodles, you will need:
- A fresh head of cabbage; white or green
- Smoked bacon; whole or sliced. An acceptable substitute for bacon is Italian pancetta. Cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Onion; peeled and finely chopped
- Lard; for authentic taste. If you don't have lard, go for unsalted butter or vegetable oil such as sunflower or Canola.
- Caraway seed; it is a very popular spice in the Czech Republic. Caraway seeds give this cabbage dish lot of flavor!
- Salt and sugar; to season the cabbage mixture
- Vinegar; I use white wine vinegar, which has a milder taste. If you use regular vinegar, adjust the amount added to your taste preferences.
- Pasta; such as wide egg noodles or bow tie pasta
- Cheese; for the final sprinkling of the meal. Shredded parmesan cheese tastes best, I totally recommend it! Stir cream cheese, cottage cheese, or sour cream into the finished dish for a milder taste, or omit the cheese altogether.
- Green parsley; optional. I garnish the food with chopped fresh parsley leaves. They give it a better look and an interesting contrast in color.
MY TIP: Those who prefer a bold flavor season the meal with a little freshly ground black pepper.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions with photos
STEP 1: Remove the outer wilted leaves from the cabbage, halve it and cut out the tough stem. Cut the cabbage into small pieces.
STEP 2: Put the cabbage in a large colander and scald it with about two quarts of boiling water.
STEP 3: Heat the lard or butter in a large frying pan over medium-high and throw in the finely chopped onions. Let it turn lightly golden, don't forget to stir! Add the caraway seeds to the caramelized onion and leave them to infuse for half a minute. Then add the pieces of bacon and fry briefly until crispy.
STEP 4: Add the scalded cabbage, season with two teaspoons of salt, and stir. Fry for about five minutes; keep stirring. Pour half a ladle of water over the cabbage, and turn the heat down to a minimum. Cover the pot and let it sauté slowly for 30 minutes. Stir from time to time.
STEP 5: Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a large pot of water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta to stop the cooking process.
STEP 6: Season the sautéed cabbage with sugar and vinegar, and add salt to taste. Finally, stir in the cooked noodles, increase the heat and fry everything while stirring for about five minutes.
STEP 7: Serve the fried cabbage with noodles warm as a main course. Sprinkle the dish on the plate with chopped green parsley and grated Parmesan or other cheese of your choice.
➜ Storage
Wait for the haluski to cool completely and store it in an airtight container in the fridge, where the cabbage will keep for up to five days.
➜ Useful tips
- Scalding the cabbage removes pungent substances from it, which are not pleasant for everyone. The cabbage also becomes tender and will be softer sooner when cooked.
- I like this food best on the second day. I melt some butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the food in it. This step gives the dish another dimension of flavor, and I guarantee that even die-hard vegetable haters will love it!
- Equipment: A wide 11-inch (28 cm) diameter pan, a large skillet, or a dutch oven with a lowered rim and a well-fitting lid are suitable for this recipe.
More tasty cabbage recipes:
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!
Fried Cabbage and Noodles (Haluski)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh cabbage green or white
- 4 onces smoked bacon (110 g) whole or sliced
- 2 Tablespoons lard or butter / sunflower oil
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar or regular vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 9 ounces bow tie pasta (250 g) or wide egg noodles
To finish:
- 4 Tablespoons Parmesan shredded
- 2 Tablespoons parsley leaves chopped
Instructions
- Remove the outer wilted leaves from the cabbage, halve it and cut out the tough stem. Cut the cabbage into small pieces.
- Put the cabbage in a large colander and scald it with about two quarts of boiling water.
- Heat the lard or butter in a large frying pan over medium-high and throw in the finely chopped onions. Let it turn lightly golden, don't forget to stir! Add the caraway seeds to the caramelized onion and leave them to infuse for half a minute. Then add the pieces of bacon and fry briefly until crispy.
- Add the scalded cabbage, season with two teaspoons of salt, and stir. Fry for about five minutes; keep stirring. Pour half a ladle of water over the cabbage, and turn the heat down to a minimum. Cover the pot and let it sauté slowly for 30 minutes. Stir from time to time.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a large pot of water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta to stop the cooking process.
- Season the sautéed cabbage with sugar and vinegar, and add salt to taste. Finally, stir in the cooked noodles, increase the heat and fry everything while stirring for about five minutes.
- Serve the fried cabbage with noodles warm as a main course. Sprinkle the dish on the plate with chopped green parsley and grated Parmesan or other cheese of your choice.
Notes
- Makes about 4 portions.
- STORAGE: Wait for the haluski to cool completely and store it in an airtight container in the fridge, where the cabbage will keep for up to five days.
- Scalding the cabbage removes pungent substances from it, which are not pleasant for everyone. The cabbage also becomes tender and will be softer sooner when cooked.
- I like this food best on the second day. I melt some butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the food in it. This step gives the dish another dimension of flavor, and I guarantee that even die-hard vegetable haters will love it!
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chartNutritional Estimate pro portion
People often wonder how to spell haluski correctly. The Slovak and Czech versions are halušky. The Poles and Hungarians have haluski. But there are also other names that are created by minor swapping of syllables and simple misspellings, such as huluski, halushki, halishki or heluski.
Leave a star rating and review or ask a question!