2/9/2026 – This recipe is a cabbage+bacon+sausage dish with the Cajun Trinity and was very good. It was inspired by the one at Southern Living here. Italized paragraphs are from that article.
Swamp cabbage is traditionally not made from cabbage at all. It’s a dish that is instead made from hearts of palm, and its roots trace back to Native Americans. Over time, Floridians have adapted the original dish to one that’s just as flavorful but a bit more humble, and stretches hearts of palm with cabbage. Swamp cabbage is smoky thanks to sausage and bacon. The hearts of palm have a meaty texture and briny artichoke-like flavor.
Swamp cabbage is a plant that’s also known as a sabal palm or cabbage palm tree. It just also happens to be Florida’s state tree, and you will find it in nearly every part of the state, as it grows throughout the Southeast and parts of Mexico. Tall in the sabal palm, just below the leaves, is a heart, the heart of the palm, and it has been eaten for generations in all sorts of dishes, such as salads and the eponymous swamp cabbage, of course. Eaten alone, it’s a simple dinner that’s bolstered by the bacon and sausage or other meats used to build up flavor. But it’s often served as a side dish, too, alongside fried fish, boiled shrimp, or any number of Florida favorites.
Ingredients
- 8+ oz. hickory-smoked bacon, chopped
- 1 link hickory-smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-in.-thick pieces (such as Conecuh)
- 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 large celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 8 cups chopped cabbage (from 1 [2-lb.] head cabbage)
- 1 (14-oz.) can hearts of palm, drained and sliced. Next time, try artichokes for more flavor.
- 2 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes
- Chicken stock
- Kit’s Creole seasoning
Directions
- Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly crisp on edges.
- Add sausage, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and bacon is crisp.
- Add bell pepper, onion, and celery; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened.
- Stir in cabbage, hearts of palm, tomatoes, chicken stock, and seasoning; bring to a simmer over medium-high.
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is cooked through and tender.
