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Haluski is a simple rustic dish made with fried cabbage, noodles, and butter. This delicious and budget-friendly meal cooks up in minutes!
A simply delicious Eastern European recipe
Haluski is a simple, rustic dish of cabbage and onions fried in butter, then tossed with egg noodles, salt, and pepper.
It’s a recipe that almost everyone who grew up in a family of Central and Eastern European descent has enjoyed at one time or another. Chances are your Polish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Czech, or Slovak grandmother made a similar recipe – perhaps with homemade dumplings or noodles.
Some versions also include caraway seed, sauerkraut, slices of kielbasa, or salt pork – but you can add some bacon (or pancetta for a less smoky taste) which adds fantastic flavor to the traditional Haluski recipe.
What does Haluski mean?
Basically haluski are the dumplings in this dish. Depending on the family and country, you might spell this word as “halluski,” “halusky,” or “halushki“. Polish families might call this “kluski” which is the word for any soft dumpling or noodle.
Haluski is considered to be a ‘peasant dish’ – made with affordable ingredients from the pantry and root cellar. But these simple ingredients are magical when combined together in this recipe!
Author Notes
Since posting this Haluski recipe in January 2015, it has become one of our most popular recipes of all time. It’s super easy and delicious and no wonder everyone loves it!
Our original Haluski recipe was made with pancetta instead of bacon. (That’s what you get when a Polish girl and an Italian guy get married and write a food blog together!) 🙂
Depending on the brand you buy – sometimes, the bacon flavor can overpower this simple dish so pancetta or salt pork are a less-smokey but still-flavorful options.
You can leave the meat out entirely, or swap in sausage such as kielbasa.
Over the years, we’ve also been scolded in the comments because we made our Haluski with store-bought egg noodles (for convenience) instead of making homemade dumplings. If you have the time and ambition to make homemade dumplings, this dish will certainly be more authentic.
All of this is to say that this is a very flexible recipe, and there are many options and family recipes – all are delicious!
Reader Review
“Made this dish last night and it was so yummy! I found my new favorite comfort dish. So fast and easy….love it!!” – Helen
Why You’ll Love Haluski
- It’s so simple – and SO good! Who would have thought that fried cabbage and noodles with butter, and simple seasonings would be so delicious!
- It’s a budget-friendly meal and the type of recipe you can make at a moment’s notice from items in your pantry and refrigerator.
- Haluski can be enjoyed as a side dish or a main entree. Either way, this is simply delicious comfort food.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cabbage – You’ll want to use basic, inexpensive, green cabbage for this recipe. Other kinds of cabbage could be added, but it will change up the flavors a bit.
- Onions – We use any kind of yellow onion in this recipe as it has a mild flavor. White onions can be used but it will give a much stronger onion flavor to the finished dish.
- Butter – We always cook with unsalted butter so we can control the seasonings at the end to suit our tastes.
- Bacon – This is optional, but adding some bacon gives the dish more delicious flavor. Salt pork or pancetta are other options.
- Salt and Pepper
- Egg Noodles – Store-bought egg noodles are a convenient and delicious alternative to homemade dumplings or noodles.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Non-Stick Skillet
- Spider Strainer or Slotted Spoon
- Large Pot – To cook the noodles.
- Colander or Strainer
- Large Wooden Spoon
Cooking Tips
- We think Haluski is best when the cabbage and onions are slightly browned and caramelized.
- If you chose to use a skillet that is not non-stick, stir the cabbage onion mixture often during the ten minutes of covered cooking time to prevent sticking and burning.
How do I make Haluski?
- Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan.
- Add onions and more butter, then fry for a few minutes.
- Add cabbage, more butter, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Cover and fry until the cabbage is tender.
- Cook the noodles while the cabbage cooks. Drain the noodles well.
- Add drained noodles and more butter to the cooked cabbage mixture. Stir to combine.
- Heat through on the stove as needed.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Haluski with red cabbage? Technically, you can but it will turn the entire dish a purplish color and the flavor will be a little different. If that doesn’t bother you, you can use red cabbage.
- Can I make Haluski ahead of time? Yes! It reheats nicely without impacting the flavor or texture.
- How do I store the leftovers? Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat the leftovers? You can fry again in the pan or reheat individual portions in the microwave.
- Can I freeze Haluski? We don’t recommend freezing it as the noodles will get mushy once thawed. But, you could fry up the cabbage and onions and freeze that mixture. Then thaw and cook the pasta fresh and combine for serving.
You might enjoy these other delicious Noodle recipes
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Haluski (Fried Cabbage and Noodles)
Haluski is a simple, rustic, and traditional dish made with fried cabbage and noodles in butter. Add bacon for more additional flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon, diced small (or 2 ounces of pancetta if you prefer a less smoky flavor)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 pounds green cabbage, cored and cut into one-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 ounces dry egg noodles, dumpling or extra broad size
Instructions
- In a nonstick medium pot, cook bacon to crisp over medium heat.
- Remove bacon with a spider or strainer and leave one tablespoon of the bacon fat in the pan. Discard the rest.
- Keep heat on medium and add two tablespoons of butter and the onions and cook two minutes.
- Add another two tablespoons of butter, cabbage, salt, and pepper and cook. Once heated, add cooked bacon, cover, and cook ten minutes on medium low or until cabbage is tender.
- While cabbage is cooking, cook egg noodles per package instructions.
- Once cabbage is tender, add drained cooked noodles along with the remaining two tablespoons of butter.
- Heat to serving temperature, taste for additional salt and pepper and serve.
- This dish traditionally is served heavy on black pepper, but we will leave it up to your tastes.
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This post originally appeared on A Family Feast in January 2015 as sponsored content for No-Yolks Egg Noodles. We’ve updated the post, images, and recipes.
The original post included the following images which have been frequently stolen by scraper sites over the years. These images are the exclusive copyright of A Family Feast Inc. and are shown here as documentation of original ownership. No other sites have our permission to use these images.
Joan Kirshenbaum says
Thank you for the delicious Kugel recipe. I have been looking for the perfect Kugel recipe for years. I have finally found it. Thank you!!!!!!!!
Martha says
Wow Joan – you are very welcome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Brigitte says
I used keilobos sausage instead.
Martha says
Kielbasa is a great choice Brigitte!
Athena Keller says
I make cabbage n noodles all the time never knew it was this. I use Italian sausage in mine toss all together and fry in butter.
Martha says
Sounds delicious Athena!
Karen says
My Polish mother used to make this delicious recipe as well to which she would add cottage cheese. We loved it! Your recipe took me down memory lane. Thank you.
Martha says
You’re very welcome Karen! 🙂
Carol says
Love this recipe! I have made this recipe several times for Polish brother-in-law. He loves when I make it. And he loves me for making it!!
Martha says
So glad to hear the recipe is a hit Carol!
GZ says
My mom (Serbian & Croatian) used to make huluska but instead of the noodles she would make potato dumplings, mixed with the cabbage, which I think??? might be a Hungarian version. She was a great cook but this was my absolute favorite dish she ever would make!
Martha says
Sounds wonderful! 🙂
Connie says
My parents are Jamaican and we ate a slightly varied version of this recipe, which was based on a traditional Jamaican recipe! Only we ate it with rice.
Martha says
Sounds delicious Connie! I’ve had a lot of reader comments about this recipe and it sounds like so many different cuisines have a similar variation. (I’ll have to try it with rice the next time!) Thanks for taking the time to write to us today!
Connie says
Hey Martha, my mum used to add a sweet pepper and a tomato to give it some sauce and of course being Jamaican, some peppery heat! But I saw your recipe and will cook it with some pasta for a change!
Martha says
Yum Connie! We definitely need to try some new variations – the peppers and tomatoes sound like a great addition! Thanks again! Have a great weekend!
Aly says
My Mom made this when we were kids and we called it ‘Noodle Mush’ She used about 1/2 lb bacon and two other really important ingredients: about 1/2 ring of good smoked kielbasa cut into dice and 1-2 tab. of caraway seeds. Try this variation and I promise you will not be disappointed. I recently made this for 4 friends with enough leftovers for 3-4 more meals. Guess what, the group ate it all! Definitely a no-leftover dish.
Martha says
Oh yes…adding kielbasa and caraway sounds AMAZING Aly! 🙂
Debbie Deal says
These pierogi’s look soooooo divine. Years ago I had my very first indulgence with these Polish delights, while in Rhode Island. It was a Polish festival, and it was love at first bite!!! My favorite on Earth are the sauerkraut ones!!!!! Thank you sooo much for posting. I am so excited to make them!!!!!
Martha says
You’re very welcome Debbie! We hope you love the recipe!
Kathy says
This was good comfort food
Next time I make it I will use less
Salt and butter
Martha says
Thanks Kathy!