Homemade Haluski (Fried Cabbage and Noodles)
This dish of hearty, homemade haluski (or Fried Cabbage and Noodles) features pan-fried cabbage, egg noodles, and onions sautéed in butter, making it pure comfort food. It’s the type of simple homestyle fare that makes bellies full and happy. Serve it as a side dish or, as we often do in our house, as a full meal, by adding in some kielbasa slices. This is a budget-friendly dish that your family will love. (And if you love cabbage recipes, also check out my recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Soup.)
Where I grew up, in the mountains of the coal and steel region of southwestern Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh, we call this haluski (pronounced hal-oosh-sky). And in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region, it’s a very popular dish. No fair, food truck or celebration is complete without it. It is a dish of central and eastern European origins, mainly Polish, Ukrainian, Slovak, German, and/or Hungarian traditions (although my Polish husband would probably call this kluski z kapusta). But it’s also a common Pennsylvania Dutch recipe, referred to simply as Fried Cabbage and Noodles.
And while other cooks in other parts of the world sometimes make their versions of this recipe with potato dumplings, Pittsburgh-style haluski is typically made with homemade or store-bought egg noodles, along with cabbage, caramelized onions, and lots and lots of butter. It’s seasoned simply with just salt and pepper, and maybe a dash of paprika. Add in some kielbasa, and/or some bacon to make it an even heartier meal. Plain, simple, and oh-so-delicious.
What are the ingredients for Haluski?
Butter – Use your favorite salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. This is a very unfussy recipe, and you can adjust the amount of salt to your liking when seasoning the dish.
Oil – I like to add a tablespoon of oil just to keep the butter from getting dark and burning. You can skip the oil and use all butter – just be careful not to burn it. You can use any kind of neutral-flavored oil, like avocado, grapeseed, or canola oil. Olive oil is also acceptable, but it may add a slight olive-oil flavor.
Onions – I prefer a yellow onion, but use whatever onion you like and have on hand.
Cabbage – A small to medium-sized head of green cabbage is what I use. Savoy cabbage will work, too. I’m not precise in my measurements here because the recipe is flexible. If you love cabbage or want to reduce the carbs, use fewer noodles and more cabbage. If you are more interested in buttered noodles, use more noodles and less cabbage.
Egg Noodles – If I’m not using my homemade egg noodles, I like to use store-bought wide egg noodles. Use a hearty noodle with a firm texture so that it holds up well in frying.
Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage (Optional) – Kielbasa makes this a hearty, complete meal. For a vegetarian dish, simply leave it out.
Cook’s Tips from My Kitchen
- Easy does it on the noodles—boil ’em just until tender. They’ll finish cooking when they cozy up with the cabbage.
- Save a splash of pasta water! About 1/4 cup does the trick to loosen things up if the dish feels a bit dry.
- Feeling creative? Toss in a handful of finely-diced green bell pepper for a little extra flavor (not traditional, but mighty tasty).
- Want to add some meat? Bacon or kielbasa make a fine addition:
- For bacon: Cook it first and set it aside. Use that good bacon grease to fry up your onions and cabbage. Add a pat of butter if it needs a boost, then crumble the bacon back in at the end.
- For kielbasa: Slice it and add it in when you fry the noodles. Sauté until golden brown.
- Like it creamy? A little scoop of cottage cheese or sour cream stirred in at the end gives it a comforting twist.
A Few Final Thoughts
Whether you’re serving this as a side dish or a hearty main meal, Haluski is simple, hearty fare that is guaranteed to please. You just can’t go wrong with cabbage and noodles! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do around here!
If you try this recipe for homemade Haluski, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to rate the recipe. It helps others discover it too!
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Homemade Haluski Recipe (Fried Cabbage and Noodles)
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Description
This comforting Homemade Haluski recipe brings together tender egg noodles, buttery caramelized cabbage, and savory onions in one cozy skillet dish.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon canola or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 small head of cabbage, cored and sliced or shredded
- 10–12 ounces of kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced (optional)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 8 ounces egg noodles, cooked al dente
- Salt and pepper
- Dash of sweet or smoked paprika
Instructions
- Heat a large, deep pan over medium heat. To the pan, add 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onions and cook for 8-10 minutes or until they begin to soften and become lightly golden brown.
- Add shredded cabbage to the onions and toss to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of water to the pan, reduce to medium-low, and cover with a lid. Allow mixture to simmer for 10-12 minutes (or until cabbage is tender-crisp), stirring occasionally.
- Remove lid from pan, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then toss cooked egg noodles with onions and cabbage mixture. If using kielbasa, add that at this time, too. Turn heat up to medium and allow everything to cook together for 8-10 minutes, giving everything a toss frequently. Be sure to adjust the heat so that everything gets golden brown and slightly crispy in places, but so that it does not burn. If the pan seems a bit dry, you can add a few more tablespoons of butter or a splash of water.
- Remove pan from the heat and season to your taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with paprika before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Inactive Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
Made just cabbage, onions, and noodles and what a wonderful Sunday meatless meal. Been a long time since I made that and had to look to see if I forgot anything. The cabbage this year has been better than ever. Thank you.
Have never heard nor tried Haluski before! However, it seemed like a tasty meal to make while waiting for a cold Sierra storm to role through. It doesn’t disappoint, either! Delicious, warm and filling! I added Polska Kielbasa and made it a full meal. Thank you! Will make this again 🙂
It is definitely one of those hearty kinds of meals! I’m glad you enjoyed it and hope you’ll stop by again!
I grew up with my grandma making a version of this. It was basically the cabbage sauteed in the bacon fat with just salt, pepper and a little sugar to cut the cabbage tartness and then mix it with what we called haluski – which were tiny drop dumplings (instead of noodles)made one by one! Never thought of frying bacon and using that fat (l always keep bacon fat saved in the fridge)and adding some crumbles bacon. Sounds like an interesting addition! Thanks! We called it kapusta & haluski! My grandparents were from Austria-Hungary.
I know some folks make dumplings for this dish. For some reason, in the area of Pennsylvania where I grew up, everyone used egg noodles. I will have to try the dumpling version one day!
Margot, My family also used wet drop dumplings boiled in a kettle of water. I always thought that was how it was supposed to be but maybe people used store bought noodles because it’s just way easier. You can buy haluski noodles in many stores. In the old country they were making noodles homemade. I love onion but I don’t think my family used it and as a traditional, beloved “hunky” recipe, we found no reason to tweak perfection. Every family has their own variation. I can see changing it up if you didn’t grow up eating it as a family ethnic dish for sure. Everyone seems to make pierogi differently too but I only want my Grandmother and Aunt’s 🙂
Thanks Melissa.
Thank you for explaining everything so clearly and such an easy dish to make my family loved it and I was so proud of myself for all the compliments!!!
Yummy
You are welcome and I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a success! I hope you come back and visit again soon!