Warm Apple Bacon Slaw

Warm Apple Bacon Slaw delivers the sweetness from the apple and savory from the bacon. It’s a quick and easy cabbage side dish for chicken, beef, or fish, but especially with pork. Skip the apple sauce and serve this slaw with porkchops or a slow cooked pork loin.

Cutting up the apple into match sticks allows for each bite to have that crisp-apple crunch. The shredded cabbage is cooked just until warm, then the crisp bacon crumbles are served over the top. Lots of textures and flavors working together in this Warm Apple Bacon Slaw.

Let’s fry some bacon for the Warm Apple Bacon Slaw.

Personally, I can’t cook bacon for a recipe without eating a few pieces. It smells so good when it’s cooking, and if you take just one bite, that’s it. Must eat more. So when I say to cook 8 slices, I’m actually cooking 9 or 10, the extra pieces having nothing what-so-ever to do with the recipe. Sorry, just a side note.

When I cook bacon, I like to use my Dutch oven because of the high sides. I feel like it catches a lot of the splatters coming from the bacon as it cooks. Plus, later when we add the 4 cups of cabbage and 2 apples, I like to be able to stir without fear it’s going over the side. Did I mention this is a one-pot dish?

Once you’ve cooked the bacon and removed it to drain, you’ll need to remove all but 2 Tbsp. of drippings from the pan, but don’t throw it out.

Save it for Homemade Dog Treats. That is, if you have a dog, of course. The dog treats need 1/2 cup of drippings, and dogs love love love bacon.

Once the bacon is cool enough to work with, either crumble or chop it, then set it aside for now. 

Prepping the cabbage and apples while the bacon cooks.

As I was shredding the cabbage I bought for this recipe, I wondered to myself why I didn’t buy the pre-shredded cabbage. Hmm. I love time-savers like that. 

So, if you forgot, too, just shred about half a head of cabbage using a grater until you have 4 cups. 

The apples…first off, buy whatever apples you like; sweet or tart. I tried some Granny Smith (tart) for this recipe and they were great, but I also think a sweet red apple would have been just as good. 

For that bite of crisp-apple crunch, cut the apples into match sticks. Or, if you don’t care so much, you can shred them along with the cabbage. The sweet delicious flavor will still be there, but the shredded apple will cook down a little more, won’t be quite as crunchy.

Last step – Warm Apple Bacon Slaw.

With only about 2 Tbsp. of dripping in the pan, add the sugar, vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Add the green onion, cabbage, and apples. Simmer on low for 5 minutes, or until it’s heated through, stirring occasionally. 

Place in your serving dish, then top with the bacon crumbles. There you have it.

Because of the apples in this slaw, it’s especially good served with pork. Try it with this Roasted Almond Pork Loin for a scrumptious dinner.

 

Did I forget anything? Yes, dessert.

Have you ever had a Deep Dish Cobbler Pie? Oh my, so good…and only 5 ingredients. It’s one of those too-easy-to-believe recipes that actually taste amazing. You even get to choose what flavor you want: cherry, apple, or blackberry. 

If you’re looking for more desserts for inspiration, check out Sweet Ordeal desserts, and stay as long as you like.

 

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