A cabbage can be a tricky beast to use up and we get asked for cabbage recipes all the time over on our community facebook group. If you are stuck on what to do with the cabbage in your box this week, then this is the video for you. Although I used a beautiful January King from my weekly subscription box, of course the recipes can also be applied to a savoy cabbage.
These are just four of the many ways that I use up a cabbage regularly. Please share your favourite cabbage recipes with us and other readers in the comments. There can never be too many cabbage recipe ideas…especially at this time of year! Liz x
Cabbage Rolls (serves 4)
- 8-10 outer leaves of the cabbage
- 1 mug or so of leftover cooked short grain brown rice (or cook fresh. Simply measure 1/2 a mug of rice into a pot, add 1 mug of water and bring to the boil with the lid on, then turn down and simmer until the rice has absorbed all the liquid)
- 10 minced mushrooms sautéed with garlic, salt and pepper
- a tin of kidney beans, drained, rinsed and squished
- a pot of simple tomato sauce (a sliced onion and 2 cloves of diced garlic fried in a little olive oil, simmered with a tin of chopped tomatoes, a little water, salt, pepper and a tbsp of dried dill)
Rinse your cabbage well and remove as many outer leaves as you can. I try to get 8-10 to feed the four of us.
Use a rolling pin to roll out and flatten the chunky stem that runs up the middle of each leaf.
Mix together the mushrooms, rice and kidney beans. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Then neatly roll up a couple of tbsp of the filling into each each cabbage leaf and tuck them snuggly into the sauce. They should be sealed side down so that they don’t unravel in the sauce. See video above for how to do that.
Put the lid on the dish and roast it in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cabbage leaves are soft and the sauce is bubbling.
Serve with tangy natural yoghurt, pepper, more dill and a slice of sourdough bread.
Cabbage & Apple (serves 4 as a side)
- 1 sliced apple
- shredded 1/4 of a cabbage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
- a small glass of cider/white wine/apple juice (or a tbsp vinegar and a glass of water)
Heat up the sliced apple with the butter/oil while you shred the cabbage.
Add the shredded cabbage and season it with salt and pepper. Let it cook down for a little while.
Once it starts to sizzle, add your liquid (cider/wine/apple juice/vinegar-water) and give it a good stir.
Pop the lid on the pot and let the cabbage and apple gently braise and soften for 10 minutes or so. This is a perfect side to a Sunday roast or with mashed potato, veggie sausages and wholegrain mustard!
Cabbage ‘Slaw (serves 4)
- ribboned carrot (use a peeler to stripe thin ribbons off 1 large carrot)
- thinly shredded 1/4 of a cabbage
- sliced red chilli to taste
- 3 sliced spring onions
- 1 handful of toasted salted peanuts
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- dressing (1 small crushed garlic clove, a thumb of grated ginger, the juice of 1/2 a lime, 4 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 4 tbsp soy sauce/tamari, 1 tbsp maple syrup)
Mix the carrot and cabbage in a large bowl with the dressing.
Top with the nuts, seeds, chilli and spring onion.
Serve rolled up in soaked rice paper wrappers for crunchy, raw spring rolls. Or just eat it as it is or with some of our Thai rice noodles for a fresh and crunchy, zingy salad.
Cabbage & Coconut Curry (serves 4 as a side)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp each – cumin and brown mustard seeds
- sliced fresh chilli (or use chilli flakes)
- sliced garlic (optional)
- fresh curry leaves
- shredded 1/4 of a cabbage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp each of ground ginger and ground turmeric
- 1 tin of coconut milk
- the juice of 1/2 a lime
Make a tarka first by frying the cumin, mustards seeds, chilli, garlic and curry leaves in hot vegetable oil until very fragrant.
Add the sliced cabbage and season it with salt and pepper. Then add the ground ginger and turmeric and stir to coat the cabbage in the spices.
Add the juice of 1/2 a lime and a tin of coconut milk and simmer until the cabbage is cooked through but still a bit crunchy.
Serve as a side to other curries and rice. Or make it the main event and bulk it out by adding cooked potatoes and a drained and rinsed tin of chickpeas.
