Pork and Cabbage in Cream Sauce
Comforting & rich in flavor this German Pork and Cabbage in Cream Sauce is a perfect winter entree–plus veggie! One pan even!
Is there something inherently comfortable about a dinner made with pork? Perhaps it’s the connection I make to German food—all that Gemütlichkeit!
This recipe, adapted from the Washington Post, actually is German in origin. And it’s the kind of dish I grew up eating when German food was all the rage in Milwaukee. 
Guess that gives it double comfort points!
Why You’ll Love This
Tasty. Pork and Cabbage is a traditional combination because they taste so good together!
Comfort Food. Warm and creamy and served with pasta or mashed potatoes. Yup, that’s my idea of (grown-up) comfort food!
Healthy. You get a vegetable and a lean protein (trim the pork first) right in your entree. And see my tips below for getting the healthiest pork!
Step by Step Directions
The dish is easy and can be made (and even served) in one pan. In these pictures I use a stainless-steel frying pan, but now I use my cast iron braiser, since it’s so pretty to serve in.
You start by patting dry the pork
Fry until golden, then remove and reserve
Cook the cabbage and onion
Add sauce ingredients, return pork and get ready for a taste treat! 
How to Buy Healthier Pork
Did you know that not all pork is created equal? Just like grass-fed beef, the pig’s diet has a big impact on the final product.
In the chart below you see (from left) the fatty acid ratios from grain-free, reduced grain, 100% grain and random store pork. (Data Source: Practical Farmer). In this case, the lower the number the better–and you can see how much lower the grain free pork (col 1) is.
Source (Practical Farmer)
And per Healthline,
Scientists believe omega-6s are pro-inflammatory, while omega-3s are anti-inflammatory… In fact, chronic inflammation may be one of the leading drivers of the most serious modern diseases, including heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and many types of cancer.
The grain-free is far closer to the ideal ratio of 4:1.
I recommend consulting local farmers to buy quality meat. I meet them at farmers markets or through the Local Harvest website. Every year or so I buy a half pig from a local organic farmer who raises organic and grain free. It helps my nutrition goals along with the local economy. But if half a pig’s too much food, even many organic farmers now sell by the cut or in smaller convenience packages. 
How to Serve
As a true comfort food, Pork with Cabbage goes very well with pasta or potatoes. You can use whole wheat fettuccini or the more traditional egg noodles, which is perfect with the generous sauce. And for a more traditional German side, how about some nice homemade spaetzles!
Mashed potatoes would be delicious too or a nice bread. And a nice Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing would be very complementary and add another vegetable! Or go with a wedge salad or any vegetable that you love.
For this meal, I garnished with pomegranate seeds and parsley, truthfully because I bought a case of pomegranates so they’re going on everything. 
The final dish was enjoyed by all and true to its press, was warm and comforting while the winter winds blew. It’s definitely going into my winter rotation!
Who feels cozy now!
More Tasty Pork Recipes
Pork and Cabbage in Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops about 1 1/2 pounds total
- Salt, pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1/2 cup diced onion about 1 medium onion
- 4 cups green cabbage roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup half & half or heavy crean
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tablespoon oil then add the pork chops to the hot pan. Brown on each side and cook to desired doneness, about 10 minutes total (varying by thickness). Remove pork chops from the pan and keep warm.
- Add the remaining oil, onion and cabbage to the skillet and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice, cream and mustard to the cabbage mixture and stir until well combined. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- Add the chops back to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until pork chops are rewarmed.
- Garnish and serve.
When my Polish aunt died some decades ago, of course there was the big family gathering after the funeral. One of her Polish neighbor ladies brought a dish similar to this. I kept asking my Uncle to get the recipe (never did) but he kept insisting it was pork, not ham. I think it might have also had Lima Beans & he said it was sauerkraut, not cabbage. Anyways, I was totally impressed & I’ve been looking for 40 years. I even had a back east Polish coworker that knew the dish, but she never could find a recipe. So I’m really happy I found this & I have a base to start with. Hopefully I won’t have too many false starts. And if anyone knows the German name for this dish or the Polish one I’ve described, please reply here~
I love comments like this Ann! If you try this, it would be fun to hear how it goes and how you evolve it!
Oh, this is definitely going in my menu plan for the next week. Although it all depends on whether or not Trader Joe has green cabbage. I have never looked. If not, it will need to wait one more week. (I already have the pork from the farmers market!)
How nice to get pork at the farmer’s market! Cabbage keeps so well that happily we still have some left from the summer’s CSA harvest.
I grew up on pork and cabbage (and dumplings) and this is right up my alley – I will definitely put that on my list to make when the temperatures drop here a bit! Thanks so much for sharing, Inger!
This looks like a bowlful of comfort for sure. It’s the perfect dish for our cold New England winter too!
Winter does call for some special food sometimes, doesn’t it Thao!
Anything with cream sauce, I am in. That looks fantastic
I’m with you an that Raymund!
We were just discussing gammon and cabbage cooked in a similar way. What a coincidence. I buy free range pork but not in bulk as I don’t have the freezer space.
We get such a price break buying it bulk that it’s really worth having a freezer.
This does sound like a dish that I might have found on a menu in one of the German towns in the countryside that we have visited in the past. Definitely a dish to try.
Oh, I think I’d enjoy it even more in the German countryside !