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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.
Andrea says
Sorry but this isn’t Haluski at all. Haluski isn’t a meal but type of dumpling.
Martha says
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback Andrea.
Trish says
Ok so I haven’t made this yet but your post brought back a flood of memory from my Great Grandmother who made “Haluski Kaposki (sp?)
I don’t know if that’s a variation of this dish or just her quirky twist but thank you for this. Honestly I might have forgotten this dish she make. It was truly delicious. You have made my whole day!
Martha says
I hope our version is just as good as your Great Grandmother’s Trish! I do know that the word for cabbage is ‘kapusta’ and the haluski is definitely the noodles – hope that helps! 🙂
Carol O’Hara says
This blog is exactly what I’m looking for…basic home cooked food that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg! Thank you!
Martha says
Thank you Carol! We’re glad you found us!
Helen says
Made this dish last night and it was so yummy! I found my new favorite comfort dish. So fast and easy….love it!!
Martha says
Thanks Helen!
Fee says
Wonderful. I had completely forgotten this from my Hungarian childhood dinners. This is the comfort food I remember.
Martha says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Fee!
Susan says
Can you use purple cabbage instead of green?
Martha says
Hi Susan – You can – but the noodles will turn purple from the purple cabbage. If that doesn’t bother you, yes it’s fine to use.
Kevin M Donahue says
I made the fired cabbage and noodles for dinner tonight and it came out very, very good. But I twick it I put some apple cider vinegar and paprika in it. and it came out delicious. Thank you for your recipe.
Martha says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Kevin!
Millie says
I had something similar a long time ago. Got to try this, vegetables and starch in one dish.
Martha says
We hope you love the recipe Millie!
Debbie Parrett says
Making your recipe tomorrow for a pre Poland party we are attending. It looks wonderful.
Martha says
Hope you enjoy it Debbie!
Patricia Mapley says
Very Tasty. Since there is just the two of us, I made half a batch as a side to go with meatloaf and mashed butternut squash. That half made enough for at least 4 people as a side. I did use bacon and I will be making again.
Martha says
Thanks Patricia!