In a large cast-iron skillet or another deep, heavy-bottomed skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is crispy.

Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving all of the rendered bacon grease in the skillet. Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, chop it and reserve it for the end.

Melissa’s Tip: The bacon grease should be enough to cook the entire recipe. If your bacon did not render much fat, add a small drizzle of olive oil or a little butter.

Add the chopped sweet onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and six or seven whole banana pepper rings to the bacon grease.

Cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are translucent with a little golden color.

Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes, just until the garlic is fragrant.

Use your wooden spoon to push the cooked vegetables to one side of the skillet.

Add the Italian sausage to the empty side of the pan. Break the sausage apart with your spoon and cook until it is browned and fully cooked.

Once the sausage is cooked, stir it together with the sautéed vegetables.

Push the sausage and vegetables back to one side of the skillet, allowing the rendered fat to pool on the empty side.

Stir the flavor base together and sauté it for 2–3 minutes, until the tomato paste darkens slightly and everything becomes rich and fragrant.

Mix the flavor base into the sausage and vegetables until everything in the skillet is evenly coated.

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the entire mixture. Stir continuously for another 2–3 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

Fill the empty tomato can completely with water, which should equal about 1¾ cups, and pour the water into the skillet.

Stir everything together and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

While the sauce is heating, remove any damaged outer leaves from the cabbage.

Cut the cabbage in half through the core, then cut each half in half again. Slice the tough core away from each section and chop the cabbage into chunky, bite-sized pieces.

Add the cabbage to the skillet. It will look like a ridiculous amount at first, but do not worry—it cooks down beautifully.

Gently press the cabbage into the sauce with your wooden spoon. Continue pressing, stirring, and folding the cabbage into the mixture as it begins to wilt.

Bring everything to a steady simmer. You want the liquid gently bubbling, not boiling so hard that it starts jumping out of the skillet and redecorating your stove.

Cook the cabbage uncovered for about 15 minutes. This allows the liquid to reduce and the flavors to become concentrated.

Once much of the liquid has cooked down, cover the skillet and continue cooking until the cabbage reaches your preferred tenderness.

If the cabbage is tender but the skillet still has more liquid than you would like, remove the lid and continue simmering until the sauce reduces to your liking.

Melissa’s Tip: I like mine saucy enough to spoon over buttery white rice, but not so watery that the rice needs a life jacket. Every stove cooks differently, so use the consistency of the sauce and the tenderness of the cabbage as your guide.

Once the cabbage is tender and the sauce has reduced, stir in the reserved chopped bacon, plenty of fresh chopped parsley, and approximately ½ tablespoon of white wine vinegar.

The vinegar brightens all of those rich, smoky flavors and pulls the entire dish together.

Give everything one final stir and serve it hot over buttery white rice, or enjoy it straight from the skillet on its own.

While the cabbage cooks, prepare the rice.

Melt ½ stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add 2 cups of white rice and stir for several minutes, until the grains are coated in butter and lightly toasted. Season the rice with a pinch of salt.

Pour in 3½ cups of water and bring it to a boil.

Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat to low, and allow the rice to gently steam until all of the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.

The rice should finish at about the same time as the cabbage, which is what I call a kitchen miracle.