Category: Side DIshes

Keto friendly side dishes that go well by themselves or with a main dish.

Main Dishes

Smoked Sausage and Cabbage

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This little recipe I put together is so easy, quick, and delicious. Not to mention, it is beyond cheap. I made it as a main dish, but would also be a nice side dish next to some chicken paprikash, which I will be making soon! My mom’s maternal side of the family is Hungarian, so these are foods I am used to having. I was craving some the other day and realized that it would be super easy to make a low carb version. Normally this is served with dumplings or “noodles”, but I opted out and just made it with the good stuff.

Everything can be found at Aldi

Ingredients:

  • one head of cabbage
  • one package of kielbasa/smoked sausage
  • one small onion
  • 6 Tbsp of butter
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions:

Begin by melting your butter in a large skillet or pot on low heat. While this is happening, start dicing an onion. Add it to the skillet, and begin prepping your cabbage. Easiest way to do this is to wash it, then cut out the core.

This is the core, get rid of that thing!
Chop off what you can of it.
Then with a smaller knife, cut around the core until it can be pulled out.
Should look like this.

After the core is removed, cut the whole head in half. Then cut into one inch slices, then repeat on the other half. Then add it to your skillet with the onion.

Bump your heat up to medium, add in salt and pepper to your liking, give it a good stir to coat everything in the butter. Next, cover the skillet and let simmer a few minutes before stirring again. Let it get nice and steamy so you get the cabbage really tender.

While you’re waiting for this to happen, cut up your sausage into bite sized pieces, and add to a different skillet along with a drizzle of olive oil. Put it on a medium heat, and start browning your sausage. I don’t like too much of a char on mine, so i just waited until it got a little color.


Just continue to take turns stirring the different contents, and once your cabbage is nice and tender (about 10-15 minutes), drop it to low heat, taste test to adjust your seasonings if needed. Once your sausage is prepared to your liking, add it into the cabbage mixture, and saute for a few more minutes to let the flavors develop. Serve and enjoy!

Side DIshes

Spaghetti Squash 101

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Before my lifestyle change I had never tried spaghetti squash, let alone prepare one. I heard it was a great pasta substitute, and with all the chicken dishes I make I thought it would be worth a try. When I googled how to prepare a spaghetti squash, there were all sorts of different directions, so I wanted to share what has been tried and true in my experience.

Rule #1. Cut into RINGS!

After cutting the top off, start cutting into one inch rings. If you’re having a rough time cutting through, make sure the knife you’re using is sharp, and if you’re still having trouble microwave that bad boy for 2-3 minutes to soften it up. There’s a lot of debate between cutting the whole thing in half long ways, or the ring method. The ring method gives you longer “noodles” and a more even cook in my opinion. Also way easier!

Then you want to take a spoon, and scoop the seeds and middle membranes out of there.

Place the scooped rings onto a baking sheet or shallow pan coated in a non stick spray. I used an olive oil spray.

Preheat your oven to 400F, and drizzle olive oil generously onto the rings. Spread it evenly, ensuring all surfaces are coated nicely. Then sprinkle salt and black pepper across the top.

Throw those babies in the oven for at least 25 minutes, if they’re glossy on the top they’re done! (In my opinion) If you like yours a bit crispier, leave in a little longer.

While they’re still warm, (use caution) put the cooked pieces On a cutting board or tray and with two forks start taking the squash away from the skin.

Once I have it all scraped out, I usually put it in a bowl with a little bit of spaghetti sauce to give it some moisture and flavor, and I serve it with any number of things:

Made a little under 3 cups!

Last night it was chicken parmesan, you could do chicken alfredo, beef stroganoff, spaghetti and meatballs, etc! The possibilities are endless. Very similar to the size of angel hair, and it has a sweet taste to it. Give it a try!